You Lookin’ At Me?
Ok…I don’t usually post twice in one day…you know that but when I saw WordPress’ announcement that you can now embed your Facebook posts into your WordPress posts I just had to try it out.
Every once in a while I will post images on my Edith Levy Photography Facebook page that I don’t include on my blog like I did yesterday…so here it is 🙂
Weekly Photo Challenge – An Unusual POV
A look at the pacific coast through a field of wildflowers. Ok maybe not quite so unusual but these wildflowers, at Spanish Bay, stopped me in my tracks on my way to the beach. Â Spanish Bay is one of the stops along the 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove.
I processed the final image using Topaz Restyle to give it a more calming look and feel. You can download a free trial version of Restyle here and don’t forgot, use the coupon code ELPhoto and receive a 15% discount on all Topaz Labs’ products.
Click on the image to enlarge (it really does look better) or to Purchase a Print.
The Lone Cypress
Before I get to today’s image there are a few unbelievable sales that I wanted you to know about.
From Aug 28th to Sept 2nd save 20% on all prints in the Edith Levy Photography (yup…that’s me 🙂 ) gallery. Just use the coupon code LabourDay at checkout.
Craft & Vision is celebrating its 4th Birthday with a 50% off sale on all its ebooks  on Aug 27th and 28th only. There’s no discount code to use, the 50% discount is automatically applied at check out. This is a great time to stock up on ebooks you’ve missed. Click here to go to the Craft & Vision site.
The other incredible deal I wanted to tell you about is from Gura Gear.  They’re having a sale on both the Kiboko 22L+ and the Bataflae 18L from August 28 – September 3.
The quality of these bags are unparalleled. I just received the Bataflae 18L a couple of weeks ago and took it on its first trip last weekend. First impressions have been great and I’ll have a full review on this bag in the near future. In the mean time it is very rare that Gura Gear has a sale on its bags so if you’re in the market for a new bag then check this out.
Now on to today’s image. The Lone Cypress is probably the best known landmark on the 17 Mile drive in Pebble Beach. It’s prevailed on this rocky perch for more the 250 years.
Click on the image to enlarge (it really does look better) or to Purchase a Print.
Bird Rock
Before we get to today’s image I just wanted to say a big “THANK YOU” to all my readers, visitors and followers. Yesterday this little blog that could hit 1000 followers. I’m humbled and grateful to each and everyone of you for your continued visits and support.
Bird Rock is one of the scenic stops along the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove. Named for obvious reasons this massive rock that juts out of the pacific ocean is a hang out for cormorants, pelicans, seagulls as well as California sea lions. It really is quite a site to see.
Click to enlarge (believe me it really looks better in full resolution) or to Purchase a Print.
The Big Yawn
Along the 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach there’s a lookout called the Fanshell Lookout. The rocky shore and the beautiful sandy beach attracts harbor seals all year round. The ocean can be a pretty rough place. Sometimes you just need to find a spot to kick back and take a break from all that swimming.
Folks I just found out that David duChemin’s ebook “Ten” – Ten Ways To Improve Your Craft Without Buying Gear is now free. Check it out!
Click on the link to enlarge (it really does look better in full resolution and you can see my little friend’s face better) or to Purchase a Print.
Topaz ReStyle & A Sneak Peak at Pebble Beach
Topaz Labs added to its award-winning line-up of plug-ins yesterday with the launch of Topaz Restyle. Have you ever stared at your computer screen and just felt that the image you were working on needed something else but just couldn’t put your finger on it. Topaz ReStyle helps you expands your creative vision by offering photographic styles you might never have dreamed of, or that you weren’t sure how to create. With over a thousand looks (or pre-sets) and the ability to fine tune your effect to your liking, Topaz ReStyle gives you more options than you can imaging.
The work space / interface is the same as other Topaz plug-in’s you’ve come to rely on and that big, beautiful preview box pops up before you click on your preset so that you can quickly scroll through and see what your image will look like.
Here are some of the unique features introduced in Topaz ReStyle:
1. Breakthrough Mapping Technology. ReStyle introduces a cutting-edge process of mapping color and tone statistics from a selected style to a target image. This new technology creates high-quality transformations, even for dramatic styles and looks.
2. New Style/Preset Creation Method. ReStyle creates presets using a source image’s color and tones, allowing you to save your own unique styles to use later.
5. Blending Modes. With ReStyle, Topaz Labs has incorporated blending modes for the adjustment modules, essentially showing 8 different looks for each style preset.
3. HSL Technology in 5-Color Style Sliders. Easily enhance your selected style’s 5 dominant colors using the unique hue, saturation and luminance controls.
4. Advanced Masking Workflow. The masking module, attached to each adjustment tab, contains a comprehensive set of tools including an edge-aware brush, gradient mask, smart feather tool, color aware tool and more.
5. User Interface Design. Topaz Labs has developed a cleaner, more modern and efficient interface to improve usability, workflow and overall aesthetics.
Ok…so let me show you. (Click on the images to enlarge…they look better)
Original RAW file
After using Topaz ReStyle
I also used Topaz Clarity in the second image (before applying ReStyle) to make the image pop slightly.
Topaz ReStyle will be priced at $59.99 but Topaz Labs is offering 50%off, so until Aug 31 you can purchase ReStyle for $29.99. Click here to purchase or why not download a free trial and give it a test run first.
Edith Levy Photography 