Sentinel Tree, Sublimity, Oregon, No. 4

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Today's treatment of this photo is called Underpainting. I found that alteration app at BeFunky. It certainly changed the look of the Sentinel Tree and the fields around it.

In case you haven't been here this week, here's the back story: A Flickr friend who lives in Portland commented on an altered version this photo that I will post later this week. I took the name for today's post from his comment, "Looks like it is the guard for these rolling fields."

Tomorrow I'll share the photo that inspired my friend's comment. Thanks, Terry!

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 7

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I got off the MAX Yellow Line at the Union Station stop so that I could walk a block west to the main post office. As I crossed the street, the MAX train rounded the curve in front of Union Station. Photo opportunity--the juxtaposition of these two types of transit. At BeFunky, I used the HDR special effect, after I had already straightened, cropped and resized at PicMonkey.

Seen from the Portland Streetcar

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I'm in the streetcar on a bridge that goes over the railroad tracks, taking this photo through the huge window. The slanted-roof white building is the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. The orange vintage rail cars are part of its collection. Inside that building stand three gorgeous, huge, unbelievable, vintage steam locomotives--seems like there are other vintage railroad pieces in there, too, not as large but still impressive, but I can't remember exactly what they are or how many. Anyway, it's a great place to visit for anyone who loves trains and/or steam locomotives. Only thing was, on this particular day, I got there 45 minutes early and couldn't wait around--cold, brisk wind and no nearby public bathroom. Anyway, I'm ahead of myself in relating those two facts--more about what I did when I first got off the streetcar in an upcoming post or two.

I really like this photo, all of the lines and angles, the slightly curved bridge known as the MLK (Martin Luther King, Jr.) Viaduct. I love how the oranges and reds on the vintage rail cars match the oranges and reds on the triangle flag barrier strung on a fence parallel with the vintage rail cars--it also has yellow triangle flags on it. Both the rail cars and the flag barrier match the word BETTER printed on a billboard there on the right edge of the photo. When I looked the image in its largest original size, I could see that those yellow letters spell BETTER BUTTER, so that means the ad is for a product I assume to be known as Better Butter Better--the yellow letters look like their top layer was the same red-orange as the last word, and that top layer has been peeled off those two words, all except for the bottom bit of the right leg of the R. 

Taking photos and then checking them out thoroughly is so much fun! I altered this one at BeFunky with the enhance, sharpen, fill light, and HDR effects and at PicMonkey with the contrast and highlight effects.

Ground Hog Day, sort of, from the Portland Mini Maker Faire

3S Consulting LLC, chemistry demo, as seen at the Portland Mini Maker Faire. I had been attracted to this booth because I noticed the man's old Aladdin Thermos, just like the one that my dearly departed husband LeRoy used to have. Then I started watching and listening. By the time the man asked, "Does anyone want to strike a match?" I hollered, "Leland does!" My son stepped right up and followed directions as his brother Lamont, in the solid red T-shirt and the sunglasses, looked on and I took photographs which turned out well, despite the loud pop.
 

Straight out of the camera, cropped only. That's my son Leland holding the bottle in which something just ignited. Leland and I remember it as oxygen and hydrogen. I know you don't have any trouble understanding just how excited I was to see this photo of the explosion and the flame inside the bottle, as well as flying out the neck of the bottle. So was the man in the booth, wearing the red shirt and holding the match. I promised to e-mail him the photo and he handed me something with his e-mail address on it. I have lost it. I don't follow directions nearly as well as my son.



Cropped and altered with BeFunky's HDR 1.



Cropped and altered with BeFunky's OrtonStyle 1.



Cropped and altered with BeFunky's Underpainting 1. Which is your favorite, please? I like 'em all, but if forced to pick, I'll go with Underpainting 1. Come back soon for more about this fabulous chemistry demo! I hope to find out more about 3S Consulting LLC because on Monday I'm going to call OMSI, host site of the Portland Mini Maker Faire and see if they will give my contact info to the man doing the demo.