Photoshop + Friends = Magick Moments!!!

As a Theatrical Musician, I get pics taken of me.

Sometimes lots of opportunities are missed because I am generally busy working and performing and not taking pics.

Sometimes there are a lot of really bad shots captured because I am singing at the time and have a "syllable" face on. "E"s and "O"s are good....but others? Well, not so much.

HOW'ERE~

My friend Dre took this awesome shot of me having fun, singing, telling jokes and playing at the Fort Myers Kiwanis Medieval Faire. The table, me and the Knight and behind the knight background are as is from the faire. There is also a photobombed patron in "Mundanes" (i.e. NOT Garb) on the side and an ugly plastic cup in the foreground.

But the pic is awesome in essence, don't you think?

 

SO....

I put it up on FaceBook and asked any of my clever friends out there to have a go at "fixing" it.

Friend writer and ren faire playtron Frank Homer dashed this one off quickly within minutes!

The feeling is of a pasture and yet....there's still that damn cup.

Anachronisms drive me rat shit.

But you have to admit....

it's MUCH better now without that sideline modern stuff impeding the pic!!

Good Quickie Job Frank! Looks likes he lightened it a bit too...

Next up, my dear friend Kathleen from Hair Sticks gave it a go:
She made it more of a Castle and took the time to get rid of the plastic cup AND she replaced it with a Goblet! I'm thinking there is a lovely red wine in it :)
Yummy! Great Job Kathleen!!

Next, my Musician Friend and Fellow Bodhran player Michelle had a go at it!
Really lovely outdoorsy setting in the distance. It reminds me of where I grew up...
she also shortened the table and eliminated the cup altogether.

 In this 2nd one, Michele cropped the pic and gave it more of an outdoorsy feel!
I think she did a fine job!  This second pic feels really "open" and airy, doesn't it?

Next up, my Florida friend, Elaine gave it a shot~
She got rid of the cup and her background is of a lovely strong castle type wall.
I like it a lot! It makes me feel like we are in a pub in the British Isles somewhere!
Huzzah!

And last, but not least...
My dear friend Polar gave me a Jouster!
A "Knight in Shining Armor" awaits me! :)
A real wenching in progress!
Huzzah!
I can't decide if I want to ride off with him...
or have him get down off his high horse and drink him under the table! :)
Either sounds fun to me!

But Merlyn!

What does all this have to do with the price of Ale?

Well, just to say that:
1) I LOVE my friends! Really creative and kind to me!
2) Photo capture IS Magickal!
3) Anachronisms SUCK
4) Photoshop can be a wondrous thing!

But just because you don't have Photoshop doesn't mean you can't fix a thing.

CASE IN POINT:

Here is a fun impromptu pic I took at the faire, of some of our goodly friends thither!
Great pic!
They all have great garb!
But oops!
What do you see in this pic that's amiss?

Aye. A plastic cup, a picnic table, and Privies!
So I snapped another one.
In this pic, I had Robert "Hide his Cup" and I focused in on the pic better once I saw the "privies" in the background. The picnic table is still there, but overall, for a candid shot, the adjusted pic is MUCH improved, don't you think?

SO....

Have fun with Photography!
Catch what you can!

And you can always "fix it" later with the help of some clever tricksy friends or composition in the moment!

HUZZAH!