First Free Desktop Background - Fist

What is a mix of photography, awesome editing, and procrastination? The free image in this this post! This week I was inspired by something I heard at a seminar to create this image. I believe it was my pastor who said, "Never quit on a bad day". To view the full size and download the background you can use this link. This is my first free desktop background to ever create and I want to share it with all my readers. It is 1200 x 1600 and will probably fit most screens. If you just play around with the settings, you should be able to get it centered just right.

It took me about 80 tries to get the right photo of my fist. Yes, that is my own hand, which made it quite difficult to take the picture. What is more, I used my right hand for the picture. After struggling to get my left hand to take the picture correctly, I recommend finding a hand model for anyone interested in doing their own photography with hands.

Pictured left is the base for the background. Editing the photo took quite a lot of trial and error. I used Photoshop for the majority of the editing and Picasa for the final touch ups. The background seen in the picture is my sister's black blanket, which meant that background inherently had wrinkles and a cloth texture. Using the magic wand in Photoshop, I removed the background completely and refilled it with black. Next, I added a new layer and filled it with red. On the same layer, I changed the layer setting to difference. Then, I added a paper texture to the image. Lastly, I fixed the lighting and added in some grungy effects. The font was an easy choice but getting the size right was tricky, due to the number of words on each line. Overall, I'd say the whole thing took maybe around three to four hours.

Hope you guys like the background! Share it with your friends!

P.S. - Just wanted to let you all know that my blog has been viewed on 3 of the 7 continents! Thank you all so much for taking time from your day to read my blog!

Photography - Rodeo Ferris Wheel

Howdy everyone!

Some dear friends of my family invited us to the Rodeo Carnival and Blake Shelton concert. I had a blast attending both. The friends, food, and fun created a day that I will never forget.

As always, one of my favorite carnival attractions is the Ferris Wheel. You can see to the left the picture I took from below the Ferris Wheel while in line. In the sky, you can see the sun just beginning to set, which created a bit of a lenseflare, which I enhanced while editing it. I also added a few clouds to the sky to give it a fuller feeling. To finish off the picture, I added two different filters. The first was an increase in saturation by applying a layer of blue above the photo, fading it to 5%, and changing the layer setting to saturation. Then, I added a layer of yellow, faded it to 20%, and changed the layer setting to darken. These two filters updated the colors and gave the photo a retro feeling.

Hopefully, I will post some pictures of Blake Shelton and other rodeo photos soon. His concert was amazing. The platform he was preforming on rotated to allow the whole stadium to see him. When the back of the state faced a certain side, it seemed almost see-through. However, when you could see Blake's front, the stage lit up with different LED backgrounds. The rodeo was amazing as well. The pledge of allegiance was sang beautifully and at the end a plethora of fireworks went off. During the pledge of allegiance, a woman rode a horse bare back with a huge American flag. The whole event was quite spectacular. I also witnessed bull riding, mutton busting, and other rodeo games for the first time.

Texas is most famous for the rodeo and history of agriculture and cattle. That night, I finally understood what all the hubbub is about. The rodeo is about spending time with people you love and get along with. It's about celebrating Texas traditions. People's hard work and talent are displayed at the rodeo, inspiring future generations to come. I enjoyed visiting the rodeo and I cannot wait for the opportunity to go again.