Christmas This Year...

So, it's Christmas! 
Merry CHRISTMAS!! ¡Feliz Navidad! С Рождеством Христовым! 
聖誕快樂！メリー·クリスマス！Весела Коледа! Joyeux Noël!
My family went all out this year.
There were a lot of present...for the kids. :-P
But that's not what we did first.
The way I started off the Christmas Season was fixing my Wall-o-Lights.
I recorded a video the whole time.
It's below if your lazy, or you can CLICK HERE if the player isn't working.

That was fun. I love my lights. To bad the day after this, 

Picture 214

There's nothing really fancy about this one. 

We were at a family reunion, and there was a rope swing.

Picture 213

So, I have been experimenting lately.

I've gotten some new editing programs. I've gotten a new camera.

It's time to see what I can do...but this isn't it though. :-P

I have been studying my photos, and how people react to them.

I have discovered something...

Picture 212

Every Christmas time., there is a special thing that I get...If I have the money.

A GIANT KISS!!!

Picture 211

Well, it's been a while since I've seen my g-parents.

I still have g-parents. Two of them.

But there's still two missing.

Recently, my missing two FINALLY got their gravestones...

Or...my g-pa had his, and my g-ma's was just put in...or the other way around...

I can't remember. Anyways, they're there now.

Picture 210

Well, last night it was really...REALLY foggy. The most fog that I have seen. 

Well...no. There was a day last year. It was a really foggy day. I haven't uploaded the picture yet. 

But this was at night. So much cooler. I love the fog. I like it best at night. 

The nightlights create light beams and shadows. They way everything looks...creepy.

Blocked...

So...on the lovely morning of November 15th, I opened up Facebook and found that I was blocked from it. :-) 
Happy day. That's why I have been MIA for a bit over there. 
But, I was still posting everywhere else. It didn't say why, just that I'm was blocked for a few days.

I could still look at things like so...

But if I would try to post something, or Like, or comment, I got this.

And I was like this...

Picture 209

So, I got this idea..."Holding the World!!!" 

I thought about what to do for awhile.

I found this picture of this Earth

Picture 208

So, I was walking the dog, and then picture moment hit me!!

Why, I don't know. It just happens.

So, first I did a bundle of tests.

(Remember: The words above explains the pictures below them. Don't get mixed up!)

Here's the first one, it's a bit to dark. It was with not extra things. Like an exposure or flash.

Picture 207

Happy Halloween!! I didn't make this pumpkin. My sister did. I'm not doing much this Halloween. I'm feeling sick 
and it's cold and raining. I wish I had some candy. Ummmmm... I don't know what else to say. 
I could talk about Halloween, but I don't feel like it. I might add more later.

Picture 206

Well, there's nothing to this photo. I didn't pick this one, my mom did. 

I think this was one a road trip to the cute little own of North Liberty for.... something. 

I didn't edit it too much. Just added a sepia filter....and contrast. Lot's of contrast.

I don't really know what else to say. This one of fill in pictures between the epic ones.

Picture 205

So, I wanted to do another exposure picture that's different from before.

I started by playing around with my camera's exposure setting.

Using lights and moving around. I did that until I got some good ones.

Picture 204

This one is old. Two years old. But you don't need to know that. And that makes it hard to talk about because I remember nothing. Anyways. There's nothing to talk about. It's just a picture...of a sunrise. There wasn't anything fancy that I did. I just went out and snapped a picture and then had breakfast. That's usually how it goes most of the time. I look around, see a picture moment, take it and continue on. No planning. Just run and gun. Quick pics. It's not going to be that easy when I get my new camera. 
Oh, your not suppose to know that neither.

Picture 203

Well. This is an old picture. That's snow that's falling. So it's a year old. I wanted to actually have more snow. It would have made the picture better to me. But snow came to fast and went away to soon. Maybe I can try again this year. Anyways, this wasn't that hard to do. Just take the picture and play with the lighting. I forgot to make a  before and after picture so you can see my editing. There was a big change from the original. It took me a year to upload it because I didn't really like it. I kept editing it and re-editing it, trying to get that perfect look. I still don't like it that much. But hey, it happens. I do have other great pictures, but I don't want to upload them because they are so great. I don't want to let them go. That's how I feel about my pictures...well, the good ones.

Picture 202

So, I asked on Facebook for people to pick a number between 1 and 20.

I don't know why I cut out theirs names. I just felt like it.

Here's the story about number 17.

I wanted to take a picture of my jump relaxing in the pool.

But I didn't have the time to do it. (There were people in the pool.)

So, one day I had my sister just take a picture.

Hmmm.....Not quite what I wanted. I need to wear shorts.

I used my good-old blue camera for this one. I didn't want to hurt the nice, broken one.

So, I had to do some epic touch ups.

After 10 minutes, here's what I got.

Not to bad. I like. And I didn't even pick it.

Picture 201

So, I got this new coat. And I wanted to show it off by itself.

With all my new coats, it had to be a serious picture. Like Picture 125.

(Remember: The words above explains the pictures below them. Don't get mixed up!)

There was this bench on my church's lawn that I wanted to use.

So, here's what I got.

I was just going to leave it at that.

But when I was changing the colors and doing my typical thing, I decided something. 

All black and white...but the coat.

Because most of my coats are black and white, so they look good...in black and white.

But I wanted to my this coat to be noticeable...because it's my favorite.

So, I picture a picture (the one on the bottom left) and loaded it into Photoshop.

I have done B&W and color before, so I knew what to do.

First, I selected to coat. Only the coat. 

I did a blooper and selected my face. So, I had to go back and re-do it.

Then, I hit CTRL+SHIFT+I, which does a selection inverse. Or you can use the menu.

And that make everything that is selected...selected. And what is..isn't. COOL!

After that, I went to Hue/Saturation and turned saturation down all the way.

BOOM! No more color.

Then, got half my face out. Because that's what I do!
Finally, I added more saturation to it. 
Which didn't do anything to the B&W parts. But it made my coat stand out even more.

And BOOM! POW! After five minutes(because this is easy) we have a picture.

A pretty good one, too. HAHA!

Picture 200!!!

      Today...today is an important day. Today, I upload my 200^th picture! Well, it's not like an official picture though. It's just a collage of all my pictures.

      I don't know if you noticed, but that collage is suppose to be in the shape of me! I think it worked... sort-of. I used a program to do it, there watermark is in the way. I didn't want to buy it, oh well. I also used to to make the collage below.

That's my name! Made from my pictures! I added something extra to it for kicks.

      Getting to picture 200 make me look back at where I came from. Like, Picture 1. I went from that, to Picture 3. So, right away you can tell I was going to be creative. Then there was Picture 4, which said I was going to be funny. And moved on to Picture 6, which was showing that I was going to be serious as well. But then, I went right back to funny though...and scary.

      I went from doing this as a hobby, to...still doing it as a hobby...but in a better way. And I still haven't shown my whole face. It's weird. If the other half shows up in my pictures it just get blurred out. I don't do it. it just happens. 

      Like I was saying. I have improved. Back in the day, I was going one in a few weeks. There was a two month gap between 3, 4, and 5. Then, I wanted to do more, so I did DAILY pictures. It was more of, "One every three days". Then after my 2009 birthday picture, I went weekly. If I did weekly off the start...it would have been a while to get to 200.

      200 isn't really that good of a picture, but what I'm going to do for 200+ is going to be better...I hope. I'm expanding. I'm going to do DAILY pictures!! But not my special Wednesday pictures, but other pictures like of nature or....other..stuff. I'm so EXCITED!!!

Where was I?

Ok. Everyone else is telling their stories about 9/11, including my brother, so I guess I will. 

Ok....ummm....So, I was 9. So I was just old enough to remember what happened...sort-of.

It's a little scrambled. Anyways...let me think.

I was in 3rd grade. 

The school was busy working on their new building and 

they had 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade out in portable building...things.

It was a normal day.

We had a teacher name Mrs. Weever.

She would play the guitar and we would sing song for the first hour.

We just got gone with that and we were starting to work on math and things.

Then, another teacher name Mr. Yoder, who taught 4th grade, slipped though our door and talked to Mrs. Weever.

I was on the other end of the room so I couldn't hear anything.

After they discussed, he walked out and she asked us to quite down and pay attention.

Mr. Yoder came back in with a TV. 

Back then, the TV's used antennas so we didn't need to hooked up cable or anything to get the news.

He told us that NYC was bombed and we were going to watch the news about it.

We didn't know it was a plane yet. Which was weird.

But when we watch the news it said it was a plane....planes.

We sat their and watched the event unfold.

We didn't have any different class periods, this wasn't high school.

So we where able to sit there and just watch.

We watched it for a bit, and then we heard about the jumpers and the TV turned off.

I don't really remember what happened after that.

We didn't know what was going on.

There was news here and there, but I was out of it.

I'm asking around right now as I type this and no one else in my family remembers anything.

      And that's about it. Every year I learn more and more. I didn't much about this day at first, but as they start making specials about it and what-not I realized how terrible this was. I can see where they turned off the TV. There were people leaving the buildings when the jumper hit the ground at 150 mph. Like, that's just messed up. And then there are picture of people in the holes of the building. That would have sucked to be up there to. And then have to cloud of dust cover the people, knowing that there was ground up people in there is...ok. I'm done. This was a horrible day for those who were there. I was really sad about it because my dream was to be on top of one of the buildings. I saw that dream crumble... literally. People say it was the government, people say it was terrorism. I could careless who it was. All I know is that it happened and I'm glad I wasn't there.

However, this year's special picture made me fell like I was there before that day.

WCT 2012

Well, I just realized it's September 11th. That was fast.

I didn't even have a picture.

Below is what I did last year.

So, I wanted to do something different. I found a picture that I already downloaded for this year.
Since I had nothing, I used it.
(Remember: The words above explains the pictures below them. Don't get mixed up!)
First I took the picture of me. I took four and I picked the bottom right.

I loaded the picture into Photoshop and selected myself.

Then I pasted myself in the picture with the tower.
I didn't know where to put me.
I wanted it to be accurate, but also see me.
So, I made two pictures. One with me small, and one with me closer.
This is the small one.

I didn't know how tall the people in the picture are, so I guessed.

Finally, I added in a shadow. Makes it more real.

BOOM! One down after 10 minutes.

Then, I reset and started on the other one with my closer to the camera.

I played around with my size.I didn't know what to do.

Finally, after I got me down, I changed around the colors.
Because I was closer, I had to make it look better.
I darkened the layer a bit.

And BOOM! Another 5 minutes and I got another picture done. Here they are below.
I also made a post about my 9/11 story. You can CLICK HERE to read about it.

My 2011 Storm Videos-13

I finally started uploading again. This weeks video is about a storm that encountered on July 11, 2011.

You can click on the thumbnail picture below to go see the video. 

Or, you can watch it right here. It below these words.
...these words. :-)

                     

Picture 199

      Well, this is it. This is the last picture before epic 200, which is just a collage of all my pictures. Not so epic.

So, I wanted to do a crazy one. I always do a random crazy picture here and there. I have to. It's who I am.
In the this picture, I once again found an old picture for when we re-vamps my grandma's house.
We got the new carpet in and we were all happy.
I just randomly to this picture with the help of my sister-in-law.

Now, like I normally do, I add contrast and try to keep things normal.
But sometimes, I like to go all out.
So, that's what I did. Below is what I got.

Not only did I crazy out the colors, but I also got the idea to flip it.
I like doing pictures like these. You can't be normal all the time.
And it's a good way to go before 200+ because there will be more serious pictures after 200.
I might still pop some random ones in there, but mostly more serious.
People want me to go somewhere with my pictures, and most people don't like weird and crazy pictures.

Picture 198

      This picture is another in the Flashback series, with me going through old folders and finding new pictures. This was taken next to a river in my sister-in-laws home town. We went do there to be in a Fourth of July parade. I took another picture at this spot and used it for Picture 141.

     That is a extra picture from the same spot. I couldn't pick one to upload, so I had my mom pick one. She didn't pick this one obviously. Anyways, once again I go back to past experiences and memories that I love. It was fun and we got to see fireworks. I love fireworks. But, this wasn't the last flashback. There is still one more left before 200...and it's silly.