Be Kind, I'm just experimenting

In my extended version About Me, I explained that I am going to be using this blog to explore myself and the things that I like. So here are a few things that I like: the beach (Newport Beach specifically because it's home for me), watching chics do male dominated sports, taking pictures, and creating something new. Now I have to say that I'm not a great photographer, actually, I'm plain awful! It takes me forever to get ready to shoot, so by the time I focus in... my desired focal point is history. But just because you suck at something doesn't mean you should stop trying. So this year for my birthday I bought myself a Nikon Coolpix. I love this camera! It has a feature that allows you to take multiple pictures with one touch so I have a better chance of catching a good shot. It has a 7x optical zoom so I can take a wide shot and zero in on my target at edit time. It also came with a memory card that holds well over 500 pictures so I can just shoot away without worrying about wasting film. It takes video too but I rarely use that feature. I carry my little Coolpix with me where ever I go and if I see something of interest, I click away! I can't say that it has made me a better photographer but it's definitely a lot of fun!

In regards to Newport Beach, I love to head to the beach when ever I have the opportunity. It could be for an early morning cup of java while watching the surfers, or an afternoon round-trip walk on the boardwalk from Newport to Balboa, or a late night stroll on the pier to check out the fishermen's luck. Another reason to go to Newport is Rockin Baja Lobster which is one of my favorite places to splurge for a bucket of the best grilled pollo, asada, shrimp and lobster you've ever tasted. The tortillas, rice and beans are heavenly too. I never leave that place without a full belly and a doggie bag. With all these reasons to visit the beach, it's obvious that my new little Coolpix will be loaded with visions of fun in the sun. So tonight I decided to play around with one of my many, many shots.

I just recently started experimenting with my daughter's Adobe Photoshop so again, I have no clue as to what I'm doing but what the heck! We'll just try this and try that and see what we come up with. So be nice! I know you experienced (and maybe even you inexperienced) graphic artists and photographers will be able to tell me everything that I did wrong but honestly, I don't care. It's just an opportunity for me to express myself, to create something, and to have fun well I'm doing it. So here it is. "Three Chillin Chicas" waiting on their wave.

I took this picture from the pier so I cropped a lot from around it. I was so excited to catch this picture of the three girls. They look so cool and confident on their boards. This picture however, was a bit flat because there wasn't any movement to the water so I had another picture of the three girls with this wave. The problem with that picture is one of the girls actually faced the camera and I like the anonymity of this picture best. So I combined the two. I wanted to give it some edge so I posterized it, distorted the view a bit and added some light. The best part is, it expresses a piece of me and that's the point so I hope you enjoy! And remember, just because you think you're not good at something, don't let that stop you. Jump in and have fun anyway!