Tag Archive for 'photos'

Family Photo Editing

Published
by
J.D.
on December 27, 2007
in Personal and Personal: Projects
. 0 Comments

Late in 2007, some of my relatives from Texas came up to visit with a huge tub of old family photos. I took a number of those photos, cleaned them up in Photoshop, and made picture CD’s that we sent back to our relatives with their Christmas gifts. (The reception from my extended family has been great, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.)

I’ve uploaded a few of the photos that I think were most improved to Flickr, both before and after shots. If you hover over the word “notes” in the slideshow below, I describe how I used Photoshop to improve the photos.

I may not be the best photo editor out there, but I think these came out pretty well.

Picture CD

I burned them onto LightScribe CD’s using my old LightScribe DVD burner. It took each of these about 40 minutes to burn, but they look really good. (By the way, this is first time I’ve ever used Lightscribe since getting the DVD burner several years ago. Sharpies are just faster.)

I’m just glad everyone in my family likes them! Let me know what you think.

A Dickens of a Christmas

Published
by
J.D.
on November 28, 2007
in Spartanburg
. 0 Comments

Every year, Spartanburg has a Christmas celebration called A Dickens of a Christmas. A lot of people dress up in Victorian outfits, sing and dance and put on plays and magic shows in the downtown storefronts. (By the way: I would be totally OK with top hats and canes coming back into style. Those are cool.)

Victorian SingersThere’s always a lot of music at these things, usually from local schools and churches singing traditional Christmas carols ranging from "We Three Kings" to "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town."

And it’s not just singing. There are string groups, handbell choruses, and brass bands playing all kinds of Christmas music.

There’s all kinds of food too, from the Marble Slab to Thai dinners to coffee to hot chocolate.

Morgan Square All Dressed UpThe celebration ends in the lighting of the Christmas tree in front of the BB&T building, to the sound of "O Christmas Tree." And I’ve got to tell you, it’s great to see Spartanburg all dressed up for Christmas.

This year was a particularly good one for the celebration. Turnout was excellent, and there were a lot of interesting performers and attractions all over the downtown area, even more than usual.

My only disappointment of the evening:

Push Button For Chorus

I pushed this button, but I did not receive my promised chorus. The South Carolina elementary school system has failed me.

:(

Overall, though, I’d call the event a big success for everyone involved. If you missed it tonight, I hope you can come and enjoy next year’s event. It’s really a lot of fun.