Call Me KaleidoWriter: I'm a Christian writer, editor, and proofreader with a variety of works in progress. I've been called both ecclectic and kaleidoscopic, and it's no wonder with a given name that means prism.

 

Within my images, you will find a kaleidoscopic collection of images--including kaleidoscopes. :-) I have photos from inside real kaleidoscopes plus images created to become digital kaleidoscopes from many different software sources. In addition, I love playing with PIP (picture-in-picture) programs, frames, filters, and textures. I also love fireworks, and my Olympus EM-10 has allowed me to become creative with in-camera images like adding sparkle or dramatic effects.

 

On the writing front, I'm working on 2 of my own novels, a Christian devotional, my blog at crystalwrites.wordpress.com, and lots of poetry. Oh, and don't forget to check My Zazzle Store to see which of my items I've added there and/or to request something you've found here to be added to my product line.

 

That's about it except to say that I believe creativity is a gift from a creative God because we are made in His creative image. I try to see the world the way I believe God sees His creations, like kaleidoscopes... all different yet all beautiful, and the most beautiful when light (especially His Light) shines through them.

 

EXTRA STUFF...:

 

About My Photography: I'm definitely still learning and not anywhere near professional, but I'm at least a little beyond amateur.

 

My first camera was one of those instant 35mm where ya gotta wind everything manually. Then, I got a real 35mm SLR by Chinon at K-Mart in 1990. My first digital was a 1MP joke since I had no idea what I was buying, but it said it took photos and video. I don't know if I even have any files from that one.

 

Finally, I got my first digital point and shoot, which is where some of my earliest photos on here (and many I have yet to post) come from. It was a Minolta Dimage S414 and I still need to find the old floppy drives where I saved most of the photos. I made one drastic mistake with those photos, though. I tried to save drive space by reducing everything to 800 x 600 not knowing that one day (as computer resolution increased) those would barely look like postcards with no detail. I've been enlarging them a little using PhotoZoom Pro by BenVista software. I so wish I could afford the latest version, but 4 still does a magnificent job of enlarging images without pixelization and noise.

 

Next, I got myself an Olympus FE230, which helped me get some great macro shots from inside my kaleidoscope, but with far more noise than I would like. I graduated from that to an Olympus Stylus 840 which has a few more settings than the FE, but still a lot of noise. I have some posts from old cell phone cameras, some I like better from the Samsung Epic that was my first smartphone, and then some from a Galaxy Note 3 and a Note 5.

 

I was gifted a used Canon Rebel to try and learn the world of DSLR. I moved up a little bit past amateur as I spent time with it though I took mostly everything on auto settings. It got too heavy after my neck surgery.

 

Currently, I use a mirrorless Olympus EM-10, and it's my favorite camera so far. I'm learning manual settings, and I'm also enjoying the filters. I've recently learned that if I shoot in RAW + JPEG, I can combine pictures for some neat effects.

 

Flickr has been a great place to share this artistic part of myself, and I am always open for critiques, tips, and the occasional compliment from my visitors. Thanks for stopping by.

 

P.S. One day hope to combine a book of my kaleidoscope designs with some of my poetry. My poetic claim to fame is a parody of Psalm 23 for Christian writers entitled The Lord is my Editor; I Shall Rewrite to which I have a page at Facebook dedicated at www.facebook.com/TheLordismyEditor.

 

A Little More Extra Stuff

 

My Writer & Business Profile:

 

Where some of my visitors are from ...

 

To inspire my writing, I've been a member of Louisville Christian Writers since about 1998 and was elected president of the group in 2008. I've also been a coordinator and part of the planning committee for the annual Kentucky Christian Writer's Conference.

 

I believe this: "Even something as simple as a photo image can inspire others and draw them to God. His Holy Scriptures tell us that all we have to do is lift Him up, and HE will draw all men unto Himself. If we trust that we walk in the shadow of The Almighty, we know that shadow will touch every person whose path we cross. If I can be used by Him to gather more of His creation (even one person) into His loving presence, it makes every second of life worth living."

 

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Finally, I try to give links for the software I use in the descriptions of my pictures, but I don't always have time. or remember. So, some of the software I really enjoy using can be found by clicking the following links (no affiliate embeds here, just sharing to help fellow creatives.

 

Irfanview: www.irfanview.com

 

Silicon Mirror: www.torpor.com

 

KVAD Photo Studio: www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/kvadphoto-2/9pg61708t0wp?active...

 

KVAD on Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kvadgroup.photo...

 

Toolwiz Photos on Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.btows.photo&...

 

Kaleidoscope Lime on Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.psergv72.kaleid...

 

Bible Lens by YouVersion (to put Scriptures on images) on Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=church.life.biblele... (and this is a great companion app to the YouVersion free Bible app at play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sirma.mobile.bi...)

 

Mirror Lab for Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ilixa.mirror&am...

 

Kaleider for Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whizical.kalplu...

 

Repligator: www.ransen.com/Repligator/

 

Mehdi Plugins for Photoshop, Elements, and Irfanview: www.mehdiplugins.com/

 

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Finally, I love people, and I love animals, and I try to be there for both whenever I can. One way I've learned as a simple way to help others is through clicking at sites hosted by "GreaterGood Network.". The banners I created quit working when the site changed addresses, so I'm just giving a list of links below.

 

"The Animal Rescue Site"

"The Veterans Site."

In memory of my Grandma (RIP-1988)...

"The Breast Cancer Site"

Because I've been hungry and homeless before...

"The Hunger Site"

The Autism Site"

"The Literacy Site"

"The Rainforest Site"

THANKS FOR CLICKING ANY OR ALL OF THE ABOVE! ;-)