I've been shooting photos since I was fifteen, but I only discovered computer manipulation
back in 2003 (October 19, 2003, to be exact!).

This is the first image I created using Paint Shop Pro. I named it "Jungle Shield" because
what it suggests to me is a primitive, but colorful shield that one might encounter in a
jungle somewhere.

It'd be one of those scenarios where you're an archaeologist looking for the ruins of an
ancient city and after being lost in the jungle for days you notice something strange about
a stone wall. Pushing aside the vegetation you discover this magnificent shield attached to
the wall. What does it mean? Who made it? Is it a warning?

Now if you watch many adventure movies, you know that this is just about the time that the
proverbial manure is about to hit the fan! Angry natives, carnivorous apes, or giant
anacondas can only be right around the corner!

Technical Details for the Bored: The source photograph for this image was a group of water
plants in a fountain. A nine-petaled kaleidoscope was then applied in Paint Shop Pro (PSP).

Five years ago that was about all I could do to manipulate the image. Now with better
knowledge of layers and other effects, I used Adobe Photoshop to apply multiple drop
shadow and bevel and emboss effects to create depth. I also used a Channel Mixer
adjustment layer in monochrome to partially de-saturate the stone wall behind the shield.

I probably could have done the whole thing with Paint Shop Pro, but while I love PSP's
special effects filters, for most other things I'm more familiar with the Photoshop tools
and simply use whatever is easiest. What's "easiest," of course, is what you already know
how to do!

This image is available as a professional quality greeting card and a poster at my Zazzle galleries here: www.zazzle.com/earthsmiles.

Want to see more images like this one? Then you may enjoy Melody Cummons' "A Million Mandalas for Peace" project at millionmandalasforpeace.blogspot.com.