Trying on my Photoshop Hat with Some Digital Photomanipulations

So ... in case you don't know this about me, I play around on Photoshop in between writing to give my mind a break. I love it. It's so much fun to take raw materials and put them together in a new and artistic (I hope!) way. I get some stock pictures from DeviantArt as well as stock image websites, and today I even used some of my wedding photos!

Anyway, here is some of the random stuff I've done :-)
You can click on any of them to enlarge them...

Model: faestock

Model: b-e-c-k-y-stock

 

Model: faestock | Background: needanewname

Wedding Photos!

Last week I showed you the beautiful box our photographs came in as an example of branding. This week you get to see some of the actual photos! We have over 400, but NEVER FEAR, I would not subject you to that many! So here are a few, with captions underneath :-)

Every table was slightly different, making use of old silver, glass, books and loads of flowers!

We used old books as part of the decor on the tables. I loved that!

The menu was stuck onto the front of a book.

Not posed. Our photographer was awesome at catching moments like this one!

I loved my dress from the moment I first put it on. The detail was amazing!

This mirror is the exact same mirror that my mom had a photo in when she was a bride :-)

The hair stylist did a fantastic job with our hair!

All that build up to this moment, and walking down the aisle seemed to go so quickly!

These ducks were gorgeous. They waddled around throughout the entire ceremony!

*sigh* Love my dress!

Love, love, love this one with my beautiful bridesmaids!

Fun in the water!

His groomsmen wrote underneath his shoes and he had no idea till after the ceremony!

I always wanted to have wedding photos in a forest. I got my wish :-)

Love :-)

Saw this idea on Pinterest and had to try it out!

An Example of Branding

Several weeks ago, our wedding photographer (Derryn Semple) contacted me to say our photos (which we were going to get in digital format on a disc) were ready, she was just waiting for packaging to arrive. My highly impatient self was like, Packaging? Really? Can't she just stick the discs in an envelope and mail them?! A little while later when we finally got the photos, I understood :-)

My grandmother always says "Feast the eyes" when she's making her food (i.e. presentation is just as important as taste), and Derryn certainly feasted the eyes with the beautiful presentation of our photographs :-)

So the point of this post is to show you, an author who's been told over and over that you need to create a "brand" for yourself, how Derryn creatively incorporates her brand into everything she produces.

 First of all, here is her logo:

And here is what our photos came packaged in:

Click to enlarge

 And when you open the box, this is what's inside:

Click to enlarge

The coffee smells so good! (And I'm not even a coffee drinker ;-) ) I love that little bird on her logo, and I'm not likely to ever forget what it represents -- Derryn's photography. I've seen it on her website, her Facebook page, now the box, and the little keyrings that are so pretty we will HAVE to use them somewhere (and so that we'll never forget our anniversary ;-) ).

Oh, and the photos themselves are gorgeous too! I'll be sharing some here soon.

What represents you as an author? A logo? Font type? Colour?

The Year I Turned 18...

Life was full of 'firsts' in the year I turned 18:

• I moved away from home for the first time.
• I got my first real boyfriend (the guy I dated for 5 weeks when I was 15/16 doesn't count).
• I had my first kiss (see the point above. How did I manage to date someone for 5 weeks and avoid kissing him? That should have been a sign, right? Rachel, you don't even want to kiss this guy, why are you with him?!)
• I went on a taxi for the first time. (And I'm talking South African taxi here! See the picture below.)
• I went on a train for the first time (in South Africa).
• I applied for a job for the first time.
• I fought with my best friend for the first time.
• I drove a car for the first time.
• I realised for the first time that doing badly in a test or exam wasn't that big a deal. Life did not end! (Who knew?!)

Usually more packed than this!

Oh my hat, this was almost 9 years ago. I feel old!!

The quad of Fuller Hall, the res I lived in.

The view from Fuller Hall over the city of Cape Town.

Can you spot me? No? Okay, scroll down ...

My best friend and me. The one I fought with. We're still best friends. And she's a bridesmaid for my wedding :-)

The Year I Turned 18 Blog Fest is in honour of the release of Cally Jackson's The Big Smoke, a new adult novel in which both main characters turn 18 and head off to university where they face new challenges and try to figure out who they are.

Ceara’s desperate for love; Seb’s desperate to get laid. Ceara adores reading novels; Seb hasn’t finished a book in years. Two strangers, both moving from small country towns to Brisbane – the big smoke. As they prepare to attend the same university, their paths seem set to collide, but they keep missing each other. Maybe fate is keeping them apart, or maybe it’s just chance.

When the semester starts, things get complicated. Ceara’s best friend withdraws from her, Seb’s closest mate turns into a sleazebag, and the relentless demands of university make their stress levels soar. Before their first semester is over, both Seb and Ceara will be forced to question who they are and what they want from their lives. Will they have the courage to find the answers, or will they crumble under the pressure? And when they finally meet, will it be love at first sight or a collision of headstrong personalities?

That White Dress, and an Antique Cafe

I found a wedding dress!

[If this kinda thing bores you, skip down the photos of the Antique Cafe at Churchill House!]

I finally got to go wedding dress shopping this past weekend. My sister flew here specially for the Big Shopping Event (she goes to university in a different province) and I had made appointments at three different bridal shops. And here are my thoughts ...

Omgit'ssomuchfuntryingonweddingdresses!

I thought I'd found The One at shop #1, but it was kinda over the budget (sigh...). At shop #2 we were trying to convince ourselves we'd found The One, and we paid the holding fee to keep it there for a week, and I went away thinking we'd probably get that one, even though it wasn't as amazing as over-the-budget-dress. But at shop #3 the awesomely lovely lady who was helping me into dresses was busy telling me about the "wow" moment. She said, "I can't really describe it, but I know it happens, and when you find the right dress you'll just go ... wow." And as she finished saying that and finished lacing up the back of the dress I was currently in, I said, "Yeah, um, I think this is the wow dress!" And as I walked out and looked in the long mirror, I actually started getting teary, and then so did my sister, and my mom! And we all knew ... this is the wow dress :-)

Teeheee! Now we need to find a venue (as our original plan has sadly fallen through ...).

In between the shops of the Big Shopping Event, my mom organized for us to go to this little antique place for lunch - The Antique Cafe at Churchill House. Everything is old and nothing matches and it's just plain awesome!!

Don't you love it? :-)

Swaziland Summer Holiday

The week before Christmas, I went to Swaziland with my family. We stayed at the Ezulwini Sun, which did well in living up to its name - the sun shone brightly and perfectly every single day :-)

Here are some of the more, ah, quirky photos!

Found inside a rather strange art gallery.

Multiple choice... Can I pick the time then?

One of the local hair salons.

Anyone read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency?!

Is it normal to put your second-hand clothing and your herbal chemist in one shop?

Monkey with sunnglasses and necklace: one of the more interesting "crafts" I came across...

Yup, that's a mini-bus sticking out of the wall.

And we shall call it "babber" (not "barber")...

How has your Christmas holiday been?