New Members Introductions, Biographical Ramblings Etc

[CJ Swartz]

Jenny -- Welcome to RetouchPRO! I can see by the work that you did on your colorized photo that you have truly learned a lot in those few months. Not only is it a good first effort, but it's a good job done. (there's a tiny bit of overspray on her pearls in the center of the photo, I believe.) Hope you are able to find time to continue discovering "those artistic skills coming alive" in Photoshop -- it doesn't take long to become "addicted".

[Jenny Wood]

CJ,

Thanks for your comments. Its good having feedback on one's work by their peers. When I went to submit my first post to this list and use the "Save For The Web" feature--it took a few turns to get the image at or below the 100k limit. I wasn't sure about the blur factor setting either. I had never used that SFTW feature--but had read we needed to use this feature for all submitted bits.

I will have a look at the overprayed bit. Even though I tend to be a perfectionist at times--I get bored working on the same thing--and then forget little areas I meant to fix.

I am also curious and anyone can answer this: but is there a site on the web or a book that would give colour guidelines for different time periods in different parts of the world. I was guessing on the olive/bluish/greenish background--as my mother enjoyed the autumn colours--and would be happy to have other background colour suggestions as well.

Listen, as for being addicted to PS 7---you can bet I might be a canidiate for DVT (deep vein thrombosis) just because I get so carried away and lose track of time that before I know it--I've sat still for three hours without getting up once! HAHAHAHA!!!!!

Cheers,

Jenny

[DannyRaphael]

Hi Jenny:

Welcome from me too!

As a current resident of the Pacific Northwest myself (North Bend, WA, just east of Seattle) you'll perhaps be comforted to know that the past couple of days it has been doing the typical January "rainy/windy thing" here. Homesick yet? You're probaby enjoying nice weather this time of year down under, aren't you?

You've done marvelous work on this colorization. Just terrific.

Great question regarding "colors through the years." This isn't an area I tip-toe in often, so I'll leave it folks like Jak and Vikki who know a LOT in this area. IF there are books or sites in this area, J & V will know about them.

Again, welcome aboard. Keep sharing your creations. As you develop your own style and make discoveries, don't hesitate to share some of the things you learn along the way.

Cheers...
~DannyR~

[Stella]

What a beautifull job of colorizing. Very impressive.

[Jenny Wood]

Thanks for your kind thoughts Danny and Stella,

You're right...I do miss the Pac West at this time of year--as I used to live in Vancouver, WA I love the Highway 101 drive starting at Seaside--as well as Multnomath Falls, the Olympia Nat'l Rain Forest--just to name a few spots. Our Brissie weather here has been fairly great--except for the past few humid days. Otherwise it feels like spring year round--at least to me. I am thankful I am not living with all the madness of the bush fires down around Canberra and Melbourne.

I guess what made me think about colours in various time periods is when working on B & W photo's I always wonder about the person in the photo and what their lives must have been like at the moment the camera went "click." Maybe its me--but photo restoration transports tired colourless people into new fresh faces. I think its really some kind of magic.

Cheers,

Jenny

[themanda]

Well, I'm a slow learner. I've just found this thread.

My name is Amanda, and I'm a 31 year old single mother. Professionally, I'm a web developer and graphic designer for a small, locally owned bank. Prior to my employment there, I owned my own web and graphic design company.

In addition to working full time, I also go to school full time in the evenings. I do it online at the University of Phoenix. I'm nearly finished with a Marketing Degree, and I've just about convinced myself to continue and get a Masters in Fine Arts. If I could only find an MFA in digital arts program I'd be a happy girl.

I live in Texas, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Blessings when the bluebonnets are bloomin' and curse when the river's rising. I live in a rural area bounded by three rivers, so I get flooded into my home frequently.

Unlike so many of you on the board, I couldn't take a good picture if God himself came down and focused for me. I always end up with pieces of myself (finger, elbow, hair) in the photo or some other weird thing. I'm better at image manipulation and graphic creation. My newest hobby is photo art, which I've really just discovered since finding this forum. It's limitlessly fascinating to me.

When I'm not working or going to school (or spending far too much time here) I am very involved with our local Chamber of Commerce currently sitting on five committees and acting as Vice-Chair of another. I also do a lot of volunteer web design work for local organizations that don't have the wherewithall to do it themselves.

But the best thing of all is my five year old kiddo. He's a total blast, and the best thing I've ever created. I can't say enough good things about him. We live very happily with a skink named Skinky, a yet-to-be-named wild green lizard, a huge orange cat named Mike that thinks he's a dog, and a Speagle (cocker spaniel/beagle mix) named Henry who thinks he should live in my pocket. I can't remember the last time I went to the bathroom alone thanks to this crew...

That's probably far more than you wanted to know about me!!

Amanda

[Jenny Wood]

Hi Amanda,

I am a newbie to this list as well. It was nice reading about your life in Texas and your achievements--all as a single mom! I did my Fine Arts degree as a single mother and it was challenging at times. In a few weeks, I will be starting another degree--in animation.

>My newest hobby is photo art, which I've really just discovered >since finding this forum. It's limitlessly fascinating to me.

Yes- I agree---this site is awesome..so much information! Plus--everyone is helpful as well!

Welcome to the list Amanda!

Jenny

[Rich Guest]

Wow! What an incredible Website this is. My name is Richard. I live here 'bout 30 miles due west of Portland Oregon (Hillsboro) for the last 6 years or so. I grew up in Southern California and first got interested in photography in highschool. It's amazing to think there were no PCs back then but photography has never totally lost its appeal to me. Every now and then it's kinda funny to hear someone at work way younger than myself (yes, I'm nearly50) complain about taking specks from a digital image. If they only knew what it was like to retouch 4 x5 negatives and use a 00 brush to spot 8 x10 glossies. Gawd, I feel so old suddenly. I tell my son, "Optical mice? Graphics tablets? Bah! When I was your age we used mice with roller balls in 'em and loved it."

Anyway I've been using PS (7) for almost 3 years now and have found no end to its complexity. A very addictive and amazing tool. I feel very fortunate to have found this place. Every thread I've peeked at so far has been nothing but positive and it's absolutely refreshing. This is going to be great!

[DannyRaphael]

Hey, Rich...

Welcome to RetouchPRO. Glad you found us.

As I read your bio I was thinking how similar it is to mine in many ways:
* Grew up in the L.A. area
* Lived in Vancouver, WA until 1985 (worked in Portland for many years); still in the Northwest (Seattle area) & root for the Blazers, not the Sonics
* Long time interest in photography (traditional version; hobby perspective) and now migrating to digital
* Prefer the simplicity of a roller-ball mouse
* Started messing with Photoshop just about three years ago
* I'll be 51 on Sunday

(Fade in the Twilight Zone music...)

Like you, I'm hooked on Photoshop: always something to learn. Gobs of fun.

You're right... great site, lots of nice people -- and we just added one more. Again, welcome, and keep havin' fun.

~DannyR~

[Rich Guest]

Thanx for the welcome Danny and Happy Birthday. Great to be here.


Richard

[Juzkins]

Greetings everyone! I am new here too. I have been reading, and taking a look at what you guys have going on here with the pictures. This is my passion, no creating cash, but I love doing this stuff. It seems like almost everyone here has Photoshop except me. I have had it in my letter to Santa now for 3 years, since I got this computer. But I have an on/off relationship with Microsoft PictureIt Platinum (Silver Edition is better but I wore it out!!!). I have to try some of your challenges here, looks like fun! Check out my site if you get the desire to.

[Ant]

\ ,,,,,,.....................

[Sanda]

welcome Juzkins and Anthony, I'm sure you both will enjoy this site., there are a lot of very talented and helpful people here.

[Juzkins]

Thanks Sanda. I goofed on my post. I neglected to give my vital statistics like everyone else was doing. So here goes: I am 44 and am a proud gram of an almost 6 yr old little girl. She is often the subject of my picture playtime. I am originally from Manitoba, and yes summer does exsist in Canada, just in case some one is curious LOL! I married and moved to WNY in 1973, and to Baltimore in 1999 to be with my cyber-mate. I became addicted to computers very quickly about 5 years ago. I thank God for the computer when I can see, hear, and play with my grand daughter online. My daughter lets me "babysit" while she does her household chores and I love it! What a cool thing to do these days.
Thanks Ginger for signing my guest book and telling me about RetouchPro!

[DannyRaphael]

Juzkins:

Welcome aboard. Great pictures. I can see why you're a proud grandma.

~DannyR~

[Blind Willie]

Greetings all,
I've been lurking around in the background for about a week now, trying to figure out how to navigate this site and being generally awed and intimidated by the huge amount of talent here. I'm an old hand at traditional Photography but lately have an almost overwhelming desire to be a little more creative. I am still new to Photoshop (have 5.0LE) and a demo of Elements as well as several other photo editing programs (U-Lead etc.) that I am still trying to learn, just recently figured out how to use layers and levels. Anyway, my name is John and I go by the nickname "Blind Willie". I am currently living in Northwest Connecticut, having moved here 3 yr's ago after living in Atlanta, Ga. for 25 yr's. I'm 56 yr's young and have been "into" photography since the age of 10, when my Uncle started teaching me about B/W darkrooms. I am hoping to learn about restoring old photos and creating visually exciting digital art from some of my photos. I really like the idea of the challanges and plan to participate as soon as I figure out how to use some more of the bells and whistles available.
Glad to be here and hope to learn much and contribute a little.
Blind Willie

[DannyRaphael]

John:

A belated "welcome to the gang." Glad to see you've tried a couple of the photo-art mini-challenges so far. By all means give a shot to any you find appealing...

I just turned 51, so you're in great company!

If you need help navigating or have any questions whatsoever, by all means ask via forum post or send me personal mail [click PM button below any of my posts]).

Also, below my signature is a link to the well hidden site map. Now that you've been poking around a bit, it may (or may not) help with further site familiarization.

Again, welcome aboard.

~DannyR~

[mdivad]

Hi there all

Im mdivad aka Mauricio Eytel and Im from Chile, Southamerica. Well not born here anyway.. I was born in a nice but freezing town called Giessen in Germany.

I discovered Photoshop at the same time as Flash so I didnt do anything with it... I was happy paying with animations and stuff in flash

But one day I tried to retouch a foto and I realized... well... I sucked. So I started to read and try and try and try more.

My english isnt that good I know, well ehmm were was I?? right...

anyway.. I loe photoshop and I love this site, I learned a lot fro all of you and Im trying to get better every day.. as a human being hahaha

Im kind of crazy coffee drinking monty python loving smoking guitar playing photoshop and flash freak. ahhh and im in love with my beautyfull girl Maria. (yeah I know.. every woman down here is called that way.. NO.. stop watching rambo kind movies )

well thats all folks.. gotta go... duty calls.. duty free.. uff.. lame joke

mdivad

ps: whats brown and sound like a bell?????






answer: DUNG !!!!

my flash web site is www.lamina6.cl

im 27 by the way

[DannyRaphael]

Mauricio:

Welcome.

Your website is magnifico (your English is much, much better than my Spanish!). You are a very talented man.

I am sure you will continue to learn many things here at RetouchPRO, as I am sure many will learn from you.

~DannyR~

[themanda]

Hiya DW!

I grew up in Ohio, and used to drive through Youngstown every week on my way to my Grandmother's house. Is that dairy with the huge cow on top of it still there? (Maybe the cow isn't/wasn't so huge...I was a little girl, so it has pretty gigantic proportions in my mind.)

Welcome to the forums, too!

[themanda]

How sad. I remember taking a field trip there in Elementary school to see the cows being milked. It was always a special treat when we'd get to stop for ice cream in the summer...

I bet that entire area up there has changed a lot. I'm sure I wouldn't remember it as the area of my youth anymore.

[herman]

I joined this board a few weeks ago and I have received some very nice and flattering comments on several of my postings, so I think it's time for a proper introduction on my side.

My name, as you might have guessed, is Herman. I'm 53 years old and I live with my wife and daughter in Geleen in the southern parts of The Netherlands. Our son already lives on his own.

I work as a controller for a youthcare organisation. We provide various forms of foster care and residential care for children. We also have some family treatment prgrams and a special program in case of sexual abuse.

Photography (digital) and playing with Photoshop are just two of my way to many hobbies.

I'm glad I stumbled upon this board, I find so much inspiration here. I can just play around with a picture, post if it I like it and delete it if I don't like the result. I can learn from others and I hope I can offer something back as well.

[CJ Swartz]

Welcome to RetouchPRO, Herman!

Your worklife, I would imagine, includes stressful situations, sad beginnings mixed with some happy "endings". This forum is a perfect place to recuperate and replenish your soul, heart, mind, and spirit. Glad you've already been participating in some of the mini-challenges. Looking forward to learning from seeing your perspective on art, life, and RetouchPRO.

[dserkin]

Hello All!

I suppose I'm doing this backwards. I should have posted an introduction before I posted an image for critique!

I've been following this board for quite a while and I'm amazed at the talent and resources to be found here.

I've been in the print enhancement, restoration and hand -coloring business for 20+ years (started my own business in 1997 catering to professional photographers) utilizing traditional methods for my work.

I will always prefer a hand- painted image on fiber base paper to digital coloring, but I started dabbling in PS about 3 1/2 years ago, and now about 90% of my restoration work is digital.
These forums have inspired me to experiment further with more art inspired effects.

The friendly atmosphere and helpfulness of all the members of this forum is to be commended.

Anyone else from the South?

[G. Couch]

Welcome to RetouchPro...It's nice to have someone who still knows how to handpaint here! You have some great work on your website...can't wait to see more of your work posted here!

[DannyRaphael]

I'm originally from Southern California... That doesn't qualify as being from The South, does it? (Just kidding -- couldn't resist.)

Welcome from me, too. Here's to having as much fun at this site as I've had. Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself

Cheers,
~DannyR~

[gina]

HI everyone,

I'm registered for more than a month now and came stumbled into this thread just now. I have allready posted some pics so I allready met a lot of nice people that "live" here. I too followed the link from the Katrin Eismann website after purchasing her book. I haven't looked much into it till now, much more fun following the threads here
I'm Gina, I'm 48 and living in Belgium in a little village between Antwerp and Mechelen( I bet nobody knows where this is)
I live with my live-in lover/friend/hubby (we're not married, so we can say we're living in sin for more than 20 years ) and we have two sons 14 and 18 years old. I'm into photography from when I was twelve and was hooked when I saw the first B/W image come up into the developer. So I studied, not photography,no, but chemistry and ended up in a big photography company as a research chemist for more than 20 years. A few years ago my job disappeared because of the digital revolution ( film becoming less important and hence research into it). Through the years I have been taking pictures from the kids off course and other family gatherings and outings. Now I work as a SEM (electronic microscope) and light microscope operator and I love it. I only have a digital camera since february because I only wanted to buy one that was (comparatively) as good as 35 mm. Now that I have it I'm sorry I didn't buy one before because it sparked my interest in a major way again. I'm not art-wise(I can't draw or paint sadly enough ) but I'm creative and very curious, so anxious to learn. With the wealth of info on this side I too will be burning the midnight oil for many nights to come. I sure hope I can contribute anything to this wonderful site, though with the wealth of talent here present my hope is dim.

bye, bye for now

[phili1]

HI Gina, wecome to retouch pro. Wow you have an intersting background.

I to have been wating to go Camera digital for the top of the line that I can afford for my Canon lenses. I scan my negs with a film scanner, but wait impatiently for that next step.

All I can tell you there is no right and wrong way to Retouching, Restoration or Photo Art. When I started with this forum I couldnt do anything in Photoshop except adjust for color and crop and the people of this forum have brought me a very long way in a short period of time. The key word to all is layers, do everything in layers and experiment, and above all have allot of fun.

[gina]

Wow you're fast

thanks Phil for the nice welcome. I'm not sure how early it is there. Here it is 4.30 in the afternoon. It is sure a priviledge to meet people from as far as the USA, Australia, S-Africa and other European country's etc in this spirit of sharing and caring.
We'll meet again! I hope that you can buy that coveted camera soon!


gina

[gina]

thanks Don,


everything here in Antwerp is just fine. Too hot really but then off course we can stay in and PS
By the way when I look at your amount of posts you have burned more than one oil lamp

gina