Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 12

Welcome to the June 2007 edition of the 
Simply Digital Newsletter! 

Note: Norton Internet Security users may have experienced difficulty accessing our June Simply Digital Plus newsletter. The direct link is above for those who haven't yet seen it. Norton has addressed the issue and future newsletters should open just fine. Let us know if this is not the case at support@cottagearts.net.

Summer is here and so are blossoming gardens. This issue focuses on  motion blur nature photography taken with a Canon Digital Rebel, Tamron 70-300 mm lens, and Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter. This amazing filter enables you to capture brilliant colored blurs, even with midday sun!  See below for the rest of the article.

Our recent art is perfect for summer memories, as well as everyday moments, as Karla Terry's page at right demonstrates. Enjoy the FREE rusty copper AlphaSet that complements our latest Destinations Page Pak.

Happy 4th to all of our American subscribers! Enjoy our Graphic and Training CD SALE through July 6th.

Michelle Shefveland, Founder, and the team at CottageArts.net

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Download our FREE rusty copper AlphaSet, which coordinates with our New Destinations Page Pak.
 
MORE Design Team Layouts...

 
 

Motion Blur Photography:

After seeing firsthand Dewitt Jones'  stunning motion blurs captured with a slow shutter speed and Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter, I have been on a mission to capture painterly images right through my camera lens. The Variable Neutral Density filter is amazing in that you can slow the shutter speed down to achieve artistic movement (or move/shake the camera slightly), while not sacrificing color clarity or blowing out your highlights. 

As seen in the images below and at right, no amount of Photoshop-ing could yield the results captured with this filter...the light, the color, the movement. And, with digital, you can immediately check your histogram on the LCD screen and make adjustments to the filter, shutter speed, and f-stop for completely different results next time. It's like opening a present every time you click the shutter!

Most of my blurs are shot in Manual Mode at ISO 100, Shutter Speed 1/4 - 2 seconds, with an F-Stop and Variable ND filter setting to make it all work...like I said, experimenting is the fun part. Sometimes I move the camera up and down, side to side, or shoot in a driving car. Other times the movement is created by the wind or water current.  

Click here for a slideshow of more motion blur images...

Mighty Mississippi by Michelle Shefveland:  Destinations Page Pak, Fonts: Porcelain, Misproject  

Together by Michelle Shefveland: Naturals 2 Paper Pak, Scrap.Edges 1 Brushes & Overlays, Growth Spurts Element Pak, Simply Moments CD (quote) Fonts: Will&Grace, Misproject   

  

 

Special Offers through July 6th from CottageArts.net!
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Quick Tip: Corel Painter X Painted Photo Backgrounds
 See above for the before and after results using Corel Painter X to quickly turn a photo into a painting using cloning techniques and a chalk brush. First, open the photo, make a clone of the photo, use that as your color palette and then use the chalk brush to paint on a new layer. I like to keep the original photo layer below the painted layer and blend the two together for a subtle painting. Then, to create the background, I used the Yellow Cherry Blossoms Paper from our Naturals 2 Paper Pak as the clone source. After creating brush strokes to blend the paper colors, I set the opacity of this layer at 78%. Supplies: Growth Spurts Elements Pak (scalloped frame), Simply Moments CD (photo corner)

 

June 2007 Simply Digital Newsletter URL: http://www.cottagearts.net/sdnews1/blooms8786/sdnewslettervol3iss12.html

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