Looking eastward from Hadleigh Castle

Looking eastward from Hadleigh Castle, originally uploaded by louisahennessyvikinghorns.

 

just another sunset

just another sunset, originally uploaded by peng(鹏).

 

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly – Agraulis vanillae

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly – Agraulis vanillae, originally uploaded by AnnuskA Hjärta – AnnA Theodora.

There are some people from flickr selling photoshop actions on their web sites. Each action for prices that would get me at least two tickets to watch Metallica, Rammstein and/or Miles Davis. Yes, for that price people would even bring him back from the dead.
some of them, are just tricks with “color selection” or curves. Doesn’t take a lot to get there.
some of these tricks have a “formula”. I don’t know all the formulas, if I knew, my photos would look a lot better 😛

buuuut there’s a friend of mine who knows many formulas and has a little bit of a communist dwelling within, and he wanted to install anarchy in the reign of cleverdom.
He started to put his actions for free on his website, linking from his photos on flickr.
And what happened?
Maaany people downloaded the actions, didn’t add one single comment on his photos, aaaand now that they knew how this friend of mine “reached” the effects, they were no longer amazed by his photos.

I receive mails all the time asking how I do this and that, and most of the time I explain. Sometime ago, I was asked how to add textures to a photo. I explained everything I knew… sent some textures I use, explained about blending modes, etc…
Then this person just disappeared and never again commented my photos. Later this person said it was because I was no longer amusing, because my “secret” was revealed, and now s/he “understood” my photos.
Adding texture to a photo is now a secret? I hadn’t noticed.

And there are some other people that have been just as/even more ungrateful.
That’s why I don’t feel motivated to teach whatsoever anymore.
So, I see that because of such people that actions have to be sold.

Disneyland Firestorm

Disneyland Firestorm, originally uploaded by disneymike.

Disneyland fireworks crisscross in a spectacle of light and color.

rays of sunlight

rays of sunlight, originally uploaded by m o d e.