New Photo Challenge - Autumn

The new challenge at " Bloggers Community Photo Challenge" is Autumn.  I took some Fall color pictures a couple of weeks ago, before the wind blew off all the beautiful leaves from the trees in our pasture land.

An Oak and some Birch and Aspen.

This is unedited strait from my camera (except downsized). Beautiful Fall country sky.

Distant tiny ducks in our pond.  Most of the leaves have been blown off.... but the blue sky is reflected in the water.

There, you can actually see the ducks and some Autumn reds, yellows, and golds.

IS IT STRAIT?

I look at a lot of pictures and photographs from other web sites. It gives me inspiration. I love the edited pictures that pop out at ya like they were from a magazine, by everyday ordinary people..

They know how to use their Photo Editing Program/s. The Actions, Brushes, Shapes, and Overlays. I especially like the grungie/over exposed/surreal poster qualified renderings. They've really mastered those editing features, especially if they don't over do it.

So, if they know how to do all that just so.. why are their horizon lines crooked? Seems they'd get the feel for custom rotation wouldn't ya think? As common an edit can be.  And I feel an important edit.

I hate it when a beautiful picture is on the screen and the water/horizon line are so crooked you feel like everything is going to fall off the page.  YUK!  Can't they see? I guess they're looking at the wonderful edit they did and not the whole photo.  To me, it's the difference between professional and amateur. 

What I'm really saying is, Please learn how to use the Basic Tools, before you master the advanced artistic edits. 

Basic:  Color, Composition, Rotation, Crop/Resize. STRAITEN IF NEEDED, and it usually does need it.

Next 'Challenge' is - Personal Challenge

I've decided I need more experience with Photoshop Elements Editing. Not the basic editing.. contrast/lighting/red eye etc., but the artistic editing that I like so much, yet never seem to accomplish. I never seem to have the time! I'll be updating this post and adding my 'artistic challenges' as I finish them.
I best get started...
                                                                                                                                                                    

 Inukshuk Tin Type

This Edit was an easy one. I used the new Smart Brush Tool in PSE 8. Set to Photographic; Tin Type.  I turned down the opacity a bit on it.

Inukshuk is a Canadian Native Inuit 'road/trail sign'.  In simplicity, it says "some one was here" or "you're on the
right path".
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Poudre Cache, CO ~ Before and After I used the Sky enhancement brush. I selected a few places in the sky reflection in the water also.  That's the only enhancement I did, but I think it popped out the other colors also, especially in the water.
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Sunset on Aug 3, 2010 ~  I HAD to enhance the sun in this shot.  This is how the sun looked when I took the picture, but the picture didn't render the sun the same.. it was very washed out. So I played around with Layers and Adjustment Layers to get it to the right color at least. I added some 'Glow' to make it look like the real moment.
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Well, I missed the deadline, I think, to post my favorite "Edit" to the Challenge. Maybe next time. I was busy picking veggies, canning, and freezing. And it's hunting season now!