Burano, Italy

I've been getting acquainted with Photoshop Elements 9 and thought I would work with some of the available effects in the program. I spent an afternoon trying different ones and I should have written down what I did because I liked the outcome of this photo.
The photo is from Burano and we enjoyed an afternoon excursion there while in Venice. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted to a view of the most brightly colored homes I've seen and I fell in love with it. Our visit included a delicious lunch ... the weather was warm with a delightful breeze. Such good memories.
Even though the town was colorful it was fun to change the photo up a bit. And if the tower looks like it's leaning ... it really is ... it's not the camera angle.
I would like to try a few more actions on other photos from our vacation in Italy. If you have a favorite, please share in the comments. I'm in the process of hanging a small "gallery" on our bedroom wall and I would like to make our photos interesting and unique.

Photo Album Warning!

I am probably writing this to Baby Boomers or to those who may have inherited magnetic photo albums from relatives from that generation . I found a little history on these albums from the internet ...
"These were made from a thick paper stock and coated with glue strips. There was a Mylar plastic covering both sides of this stock and it was claimed that this was a good way to preserve photographs. After being on the market for about fifteen years, conservators recognized that the glue being used had a very high acidic content. So much so, that after only ten to fifteen years in storage, new photographs were starting to show signs of deterioration. The acid was eating through the backs of the photographs and the Mylar was sealing in the acidic fumes causing a deterioration on the image side as well."
My summer project during the heat wave has been to scan hundreds of photos from our first year of marriage. We put them in magnetic photo albums during the 70's and I could not believe the damage ... many were permanently adhered to the album page and could not be removed without ruining them. Several were discolored from years in this type of album. What a mess! I tried using every method possible for removing them in one piece.
I have been working for days ... scanning, color correcting, cropping to save the best parts of the pictures ... and I only have 92 finished : ( It's very sad to see such a special time in life ... ruined.
Anyway, if you have precious memories stored in this type of album, find time to archive them before they are permanently damaged. It will be a good investment!

Fall Family Fun

As our family gathered a few weeks ago on the last beautiful warm day of the season, we set up our tripod/camera and tried to capture THE perfect family photo. Perhaps for this year's Christmas card???
It's a little tricky getting nine people to pose for the perfect picture. We always have a good laugh as Grandpa sets the camera timer and nearly breaks a leg trying to jump in and look relaxed and casual. Or the grandkids only want to pose for a few pictures ... when Grandpa a.k.a. "Papa-razzi" has a huge memory card waiting for their smiles : ) The plan was to take a group picture by our bridge but the sun was much too bright that day -- too much squinting.
Regardless ... it's all about the journey ... we had a good time together in the process. Will this be THE 2008 Christmas card picture??? Perhaps, but we still have several weeks for another photo session : )
Credit:
Font: Pea Stacy's Doodle Script, Pea Tiphanie, American Typewriter
Elements: Daniela Peuss -Jump Into Fall Wordart 06; Wendy's Crafty Creations -tag 14; My Scrap Shop MSSOCTDDZANFALL -Date Spot
Alpha: Pixelninchen -Alpha Holz
Template: Lina's Layouts #34
Paper: Pam McNicoli's/Digitreats -Josh Papers -Green Solid