Lilies and Light

I got a great idea from a comment on my last post to offer the Live the Dream 2013 desktop wallpaper as a Facebook Timeline Photo. Then figurative lightbulbs turned on and gears started churning and this post was born. I have a great many Flickr contacts that post dyno-mite photos and have unreasonably low “view counts” and “favorites” on their work. So I’ve decided that every month I’d like to link up some of my favorite photos for you to download and post as Facebook Timeline Photos.

Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The first photo was taken by a friend of mine, Lauren Gray, at Paynes Prairie in Gainesville, FL. She showed me the original photo on Flickr and I fell in love with it. The purple and blue hues of the cotton (I’m not scientific enough to know what that plant actually is) are so subtle and ethereal. The glow of the sunset makes the shot even more remarkable. I changed the photo slightly because Facebook Timeline Cover Photos look much better with right facing subjects.

The second photo was taken by me when I was vacationing in Philly. To me, it speaks volumes about the experience of tourism in a big city; so transfixed by what’s above, you’re likely to bump into passersby. Beautiful buildings so high that you forget where they end and where the sky begins. I chose a more purple and yellow tone so that it would have a more antiquated feel – walking in an unfamiliar city is a feeling that transcends time.

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the third photo. I made a few changes: threw some PS curves in there, brightened the bulbs, and got rid of a few distracting cracks in the foundation. I thought it had such a nice industrial effect and warm yellow glow.

Objectively speaking, cherry blossoms are just beautiful all around. Nobody is going to scoff at pictures of delicate and bright cherry blossoms. I chose this photo because it’s very innocent. The blossoms are flawlessly white and the cloudless blue sky provides a perfect background. Also, I really enjoy the simplicity that most of his photos possess. Great style!

The fifth photo was taken by my friend, Casey, while he was on a trip to NYC. I always enjoy his work and this photo fit particularly well in this January set. I adjusted the alignment a bit so that the horizon would be more level. I really like the progressive angle of the bridge in the frame – bottom left to top right. Also, the clouds forming in a ‘V’ formation above a shining Empire State Building are so conveniently placed!

Photo number 3 and 6 are actually from the same photographer. It’s so rare to capture a subject like this and he did it wonderfully! The photo is titled “plummeting” but I changed the perspective a bit. I thought it would be a bit more optimistic to show the jellyfish swimming towards the top right portion of the frame. I really appreciate that this photo is void of color. It makes a strong statement that the subject is independently unique, and also exudes a more tranquil and isolated feel.

Truthfully, this last photo was added solely because it captures the dynamic spirit of the New Year! This photographer produces consistently awesome photos and these fireworks are no exception. I saw that one Flickr user commented that he liked the puffs of smoke and I really agree. I adjusted the vibrance in this area a bit so that the puffs of smoke and real explosion would become the focal point of the image.

Do these artists a favor and poke around their Flickr profiles and throw them a few favorites! Also, if you post any of these images to your Facebook, be sure to link their Flickr image in your photo description!