Adobe Light Room 3 or Photoshop Elements 10?


I got a steal today. As stated in several posts, I am spankin’ brand new to digital photography. I bought Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and was just starting to get “decent” at it. Today a friend of mine had an unopened/still wrapped Adobe Lightroom 3 edition. He said he would sale it to me for $125 which I bought and installed with no problems. As I said, I just got used to Elements. This interface looks entirely different. Which one do you feel is best? Which is easier to use? Any tips on how I can get some quick knowledge on LR3?

I think I am getting carried away with this expensive hobby.

Tucker the Havanese


I just completed my second shoot in my new “photography studio” that I built in the basement.  Again, being a beginner makes it very fun.  I just keep experimenting with different lighting and camera settings. Here is a portrait of Tucker.  He is our Havanese.

Tucker

He is about 3 years old.  We have never owned a dog.  We were not dog fans.  About 4 years ago, we started to think about dogs.  After tons of research, this breed kept coming up. 

The Havanese comes from the Bichon type.  Obviously the breed came from Cuba/Havana.  The Havanese is the National dog of Cuba.

The breed does not shed and is hypoalergenic.  I would term them as small but very sturdy.  They come in a variety of colors.  Tucker is considered a chocolate.  They are ideal for family and kids.  They can adapt to any environment and are easy to teach tricks!

Now I can say we are dog fans 🙂

Mother Oak


I was walking in the neighborhood a couple of months ago – just after I got my new Nikon D7000.  I saw this old oak tree standing alone on an empty lot.  It is funny how you look at the world and think after you get a camera.  Here is this old oak tree left standing and surviving all the new construction that is going on in the neighborhood.  It sits right in the middle of a building lot.  So you know it’s time is limited.

My New Photography Studio


The older I get the more creative I want to be.  I have two hobbies that I love and want to get good at.  One is the acoustic guitar and the other is photography.  I will use this blog spot to talk about my photography.

I have always been a fan of photography.  I love nature, sports and portraits.  I started to really research photography and studios.  I am now all in.  I purchased the following equipment:

Nikon D7000 Camera

My Nikon D7000

Lenses – My Camera came with a Nikon 18-105mm DX VR lens (kit lens).  I purchased Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX Fisheye Nikkor Lens from Craigs list for $480.  It was basically brand new in the box.  That was a great deal because they cost well over $700 new.  For portraits I purchased a Prime lens, Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR Lens.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 10.0 for photo processing

Acer Laptop with i7 core processor – Again, for processing photos.  You need a processor like this to run photoshop.

Paul C. Buff Alien Bee Strobe Kit (The Busy Bee Package)

My Alien Bee Kit - My Studio Lighting Kit

I soon realized I already had the perfect spot in my house for the above equipment.  It is a nice medium sized area that is unfinished in my basement.  I just needed to do some rearranging.  Here is my before picture:

Before Picture of Studio

After about 4 hours of work, this is what I have

After 4 Hours of Work

I went out to a local store and purchase a cheap white sheet just for some test shooting.  Here is a picture of my guitar:

My First Studio Picture - My Martin Acoustic Guitar

Now that I know the set-up will work, I am going to purchase some muslin backdrops.  At that point, I will do some portraits at cost just to get started.

I am going to stop writing for the night.  I will be back soon.

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1944


It was on this day in 1944 that my mother was born (March 29, 1944).  Today she would have been 67 years old.  She passed away of cancer in January of 2010.  This posting is a tribute to her.

My Mom - Sue Anderson - Taken in 2006

My mother lived for “family”.  She alone was the nucleus.  She loved “living”.  Never afraid to take a chance.  Would protect all of us at the cost of her own self.

The following was her obituary:

Sula Ann (Sue) Anderson, 65, of Bloomingburg, Ohio, passed away peacefully at her home Sunday afternoon, January 3, 2010 while surrounded by her loving family. She had been seriously ill the past three months.

She was born March 29, 1944 at Asa Creek in Johnson County, KY to Eskel Robert and Kate Williams Blair. She lived most of her life in this community.

Sue was the fiscal officer for the Fayette County Department of Health from 1980 until her retirement in 1998.

She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Ray V. Blair and Bill Blair.

Sue is survived by her husband, Luther H. Anderson, Jr. whom she married June 13, 1963; four children and their spouses, Ty and Sally Anderson of Fortville, IN, Travis and Tina Anderson of Bridgeport, WV, Trent and Janelle Anderson of Jeffersonville and Tabitha and Don Melvin of Washington C.H.; ten grandchildren, Trevor, Troy, Trey, Tobin, Morgan and Macy Anderson, Austin, Morgan, Weston and Corbin Melvin; two brothers, Jack Blair and his wife, Judy and Bert Blair, all of Washington C.H. and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be Thursday, January 7, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. at the Madison Mills United Methodist Church with the Rev. Christopher A. Johns, pastor at the church, officiating. Burial will follow in Madison Mills Cemetery.

Friends may call at the church Wednesday from 4-8 p.m.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Kirkpatrick Funeral Home in Washington C.H.

At her funeral I gave the following eulogy:

TO MY MOM

Written by Ty Anderson

Son of Sue Anderson

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Today we are here to honor and celebrate the life of A Friend, A Relative, A Sister, A Grandmother, A Wife and to me, MY Mom.

Before I begin, it is very important that I thank Tabby and Trent for their hours and hours of devotion to mom over these difficult days.  Families and jobs were put on hold while they helped with her care.  Also thanks to Travis who also spent a number of days and nights with mom.  I also want to thank all the wonderful friends who were with mom to the end.  Mom always spoke fondly of you.  Last but not least there is Dad.  Nothing I say or write can describe the devotion and love he gave mom and us kids along this journey.  DAD, THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU.

I was Mom’s first born in January of 1964.  I was such a joy for her that she decided to have two more boys each spread out every other two years, 1966 (Travis) and 1967 (Trent).  Now picture mom toting along three toe-headed, well behaved boys!  Heck, she said why stop at three, let’s go for number four and hope it’s a girl!  Low and behold in 1976 the stork delivered her a baby girl, Tabby.

Mom was a hard worker – that’s the way she was raised.  She worked as long as I remember.  She could work circles around me.  Her hands are evidence of that hard work. Even with a job and a house full of kids, she missed nothing.  She always made sure we got to ball practice, a ball game, an event and many other things that went on in our lives.  She was always there for every bump, bruise and any other hurt that could be thrown our way.  And when it was all said and done, all of her children attended and graduated from college because of her ability to motivate and direct us.

Here are a few of Mom’s moments that will always stay with me and others that knew her:

  • Taking mom out to eat were my favorites – now remember, she was a sophisticated lady! Like the time
  • She ordered

White zippendale

A chicken Fahiti

What is that Pickerellll??? That sounds good…

  • Or the time she fell asleep at the restaurant table with a sandwich in her mouth
  • Who can forget the time at Trent’s college graduation?  She was walking down the stadium stairs saying something was wrong with her glasses when all of a sudden she poked herself in the eye not realizing the lens had fallen out.
  • She knew everyone.  And if she didn’t, she made it a point to smile, say hi and engage them one way or another – to my kids, do you remember “Cheeseball”?
  • She loved to visit us in Florida – she loved the beach.
  • She couldn’t pass up a yard sale or an auction.  Now don’t dare to out bid her!
  • Nothing was ever too old or too used to throw away, even Styrofoam cups!

This earth was blessed to have Mom for 65 years.  She touched many hearts and souls with her kindness.  Even to the end, worrying about her friends and family instead of contemplating her own situation.

Mom,

I will miss you dearly – I will miss our nightly talks about life’s happenings as you helped me get home from work. You are arguably the best Mother God put onto this earth.  Mom, may you rest in everlasting peace and eternal life.  We will one day meet again and live the life of eternity together as a family.  Until then mom, you’ll always be in my thoughts and prayers.

God Bless