Travels ~ and Photo Editing

Just returned from an 8 day RV trip to Colorado..

One of our favorite areas - Gunnison Country.

It has high desert mixed with alpine environs and small town quaintness - it hasn't changed much in 30 - 40 years, except for the population being a little larger.  The people are nice and genuinely friendly (a place where you would want to raise kids!) - laid back - no BIG CITY influences.  There are more tourists these days, but that is because Gunnison and the surrounding areas have such a large offering of outdoor recreation activities. What draws us to this area?

 I went to Western State College (now Western State University of Colorado) many moons ago and hubster had a summer vacation spot at a resort campground where he fished and boated Blue Mesa Reservoir plus he spent many a summer vacation there when he was growing up, great fishing area...so for both of us, it's a place we lovingly seek our respite.

Here are some photos of the area and Elk Creek campground at Blue Mesa.  I often 'play' with my photos and have found a new APP on Chrome called 'Be funky Photo Editor'  - the original photo is first and then the funky photo is second in each case. This editing, helps when painting landscape scenes for me..helps me simplify the shapes and colors.

you can see how it takes that 'sagebrush' area and 

makes it more doable with a brush.

In the editor I could lighten up the darkness as well, I have that blue sky from the first photo 

and the brightly colored desert/wild grasses of the second.

The first photo doesn't have any contrast in the mesa, 

but adjusting the light and color in the 'watercolor' effect of the second

makes it pop!

We like to take the more scenic route when we have time, which 

we did on this trip and went over Cochetopa Pass -

which had way less traffic and much more 

scenery.  Again to demonstrate what I like to do

with photos is

this, which to ME is much more interesting.  

This was done with the "artsy - Featured" effect.  I like how

it simplified the trees and the shapes of the 

planes of my face.

I have LOTS of photo tweaking software.

As mentioned above, I use them often, as they help me simplify, 

colorize, and break down values when I paint from

photos - which I often do.