Waking up 300 km from where
you'd thought you'd be
the evening before
The morning sweetenedwith rock candy
and brightened by sunshine
A pot of Earl Greyand what is - for my taste -
the best croissant
in the whole wide world,
Zauner's Ischler Kipferl:
Golden buttery brioche layers
rolled with roasted ground hazelnuts.
Austrian pâtissiers are masters at
this kind of pastry,
Zauner's creation
is one of the best I have ever tasted
Photographedat Café-Konditorei Zauner
Esplanade
Bad Ischl
Salzkammergut
Upper Austria
April 2010
© by Merisi
Dear readers,
ReplyDeletethank you for the wonderful comments you left on my blog over these past couple of days! I enjoy and appreciate every single one of them and shall do my best to pay a visit to your blog and see what you have been up to.
Thank you,
Merisi
Btw:
I am trying to understand the concept of layers in Photoshop (I only use Camera Raw so far, mostly to get my picture into web-size format). I tried, I have 2 very good books about PS, but they are too technical, I can't get into the concept. Any good tips? (Yes, I am technically challenged - I am telling you, I am the most challenged of 20 students in class, it's not good for my ego!).
Cheers,
M.
The technical stuff can be learned. The artistry is instinctive.
ReplyDeleteWandering Stars,
ReplyDeletethank you,
you are very generous!
I am sitting here, while outside blue skies are beckoning, trying to understand why and how certain parts of a picture can be found in one layer and not in another. It's the stuff of nightmares to me! ;-)
Looks like the start of a great day!
ReplyDeleteAn Arkies Musings
One gorgeous glass of water coming up please!
ReplyDeleteI'll take that anyday over any pastry in the world!!!
miam-miam
I wish I could help you but........ I also have my "stories" with my pictures.Anyway, you are so talented!!!
ReplyDeleteGosh, the complexities of photoshop!
ReplyDeleteAll quite beyond me, dear Merisi.
However you are right about the luminous light this time of year.
Labor Day today --marking the end of the summer season --if not summer exactly.
Your croissant looks beyond yummy....
I wish I could taste it over the web.
You have the mot important thing -- the 'eye.' All the rest is frippery.
ReplyDeleteNow you have me wanting some of that delicious pastry.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are great as they are, sure the can get better, but what matters is your "eye", that's not written in any book. Big hugs and "bon appetit"
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos. (I'm still giggling over cigar vinegar)
ReplyDeleteLovely as always and I too am technically challenged. Your images are always so delicate and full of inspiration and good will, I cannot imagine them getting any better being layered. I have photoshop, and had it all loaded up and removed it when I got my new computer. I never could get the layering thing right, or anything else. The book that comes with it...too technical. I need someone to walk me through it, and even then it does not always stick with me~ That croissant looks amazing btw~
ReplyDeleteWhich Photoshop are you using? I always find the Photoshop for Dummies the most helpful.
ReplyDeletedon't know which version of PS you are using, but I think this website might be helpful: http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-blog/2009/11/19/30-essential-photo-manipulation-photoshop-tutorials-for-beginners/
ReplyDeleteHaving my Milchkaffee while enjoying your photos :-)
technical smechnical ... you are brilliant! Those things take time, be patient with yourself. They are all right Merisi! You have the artistry and creativity which is tough to teach. That is the most beautiful and amazing thing about your work. You are an artist. Like I said, just be patient with yourself.
ReplyDeleteAnd I want that croissant. :)
richies,
ReplyDeletethank you,
I hope your day was a wonderful one!
ParisBreakfasts,
plenty of glasses filled with water here,
reflecting on the silver tray! ;-)
colores,
thank you! :-)
Elizabeth,
every year, when August turns into September,
that one morning arrives when the light has changed.
All one can hope now is for a sunny and warm Indian Summer.
I wished I could simply push that croissant over the ocean
and onto your breakfast table!
Vicki Lane,
thank you!
There are days when I long for the darkroom,
all was so much less alien, more tactile, then. ;-)
Loree,
I not only empathize with you,
I feel the same! I need to get back to Zauner! ;-)
Pamela,
thank you so very much!
willow,
thank you!
There might even be money in "Cigar Vinegar"! *giggles*
Thank you all,
ReplyDeleteI am going to reply also to you, Mary, Cathy, Eugenia, and Cobalt Violet - just need a bit more time because I am going to try to explain why I need to understand and use Photoshop!
PS FOR DUMMIES sounds terrific, btw! ;-))
A wonderful day to all of you,
thank you for your kindness and taking the time,
Merisi
Oh how can you tempt us with that croissant??
ReplyDeleteWouldn't there be any photoshop courses or tutoring on-line? Hubby took a class in photoshop, he taught me a few things, but the layer thing - I am avoiding!!
Mary Howell Cromer,
ReplyDeletethank you!
We have to shoot in RAW, all automatism in the camera turned off: No automatic tweaking of luminance or contrast, no automatic sharpening, just the basic RAW file. That is where Photoshop comes in. Instead of letting the camera decide the look of a picture - the camera decides for you when you shoot in JPEG mode or with the automatic renderings on - it is you who selects the right look. Basically the same as in the good old days when you were developing your own film and printing it yourself (I did that with black and white).
You may remember how different a photo looked when the film was developed correctly and the final print was done by a master's hand (Ansel Adams was brilliant at that - he not only had the vision and the eye to see, he was a true master of the dark room). So basically this is what I have to learn to work with: A true negative - the RAW file - and then take it through CAMERA RAW, which converts it into a "visible" format, be it JPEG, TIFF or similar - a true RAW file is but a long chain of mathematical formulae. CAMERA RAW is in the developing liquid of old, which already gives you quite a few choices, but, if you really want to create a colour print that looks the way you "saw" the image when you captured it, you have to learn to work with Photoshop properly.
There are a lot of stories and myths out there about what Photoshop is supposed to do. Our teachers try to teach us one truth: A truly good photograph has never come of a bad original. So, aiming to take the best picture possible in the first place, that is what I try to set out to do (which does not mean that I succeed, but I try to learn by doing).
Another of those "myths" out there - and that bothers me a lot - is the mistaken assumption that using an image straight out of the camera means it has not been "manipulated" or "photoshopped": Truth is, today's digital cameras, even the cheapest ones, are truly miracle machines. They are capable of selecting just the right look of your image, basically doing all the "Photoshop" work for you, and I can assure you, that cheap camera may have better skills than some of us may ever acquire. In fact, many a professional photographer out there does not even bother to shoot in RAW (I know at least two, and they are really good and making money!). Check out Ken Rockwell's website, and what he has to say about RAW. You'll be surprised. ;-)
Anyhow, if I am lucky and I manage to graduate after the next two semesters (hello, August of 2011!), I will hopefully be able to decide which system works best for me.
I cannot thank you enough for being such good friends (I hesitate to write "blog friends") and help me keep my spirits up. I shall go through all your suggestions and I know, there is so much I already learned from you and what you shared with me.
Cathy,
ReplyDeleteI am ordering PHOTOSHOP FOR DUMMIES today!
Sounds congenial. ;-)
Eugenia,
so wonderful to hear from you!
I will look into that site, merci! :-)
Cobalt Violet:
Thank you, that is so sweet of you to say!
I wished I could "mail" you that croissant.
Jeanette:
I am already in a PS course, part of the curriculum.
The problem is, my fellow students already had experience with PS, and I was sitting there during the first weeks of last semester as if I were listening to somebody from Mars talking a completely alien language. I have picked up some vocabulary, though, and hope that I learn a little more before the new semester starts in October.