Docked in Katakolon

The small, colorful town at the port of Katakolon sits at the edge of the Ionian Sea. It hosts large cruise ships and smaller vessels and is the primary port for visiting ancient Olympia.

I've added a texture by pareeerica.

Copper Sky

Photo by Steve Bohn

This photo was taken as we sailed out of Istanbul harbor. I have tried to figure out which mosque it is, but I'm not certain. I've added textures from rubyblossom and pareeerica.

Grand Place, Brussels

This image started with a photo of several guildhalls on the Grand Place, the central square in Brussels, Belgium. The pedestrian-only square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, popular with tourists not only for its beautiful 19th century architectural recreations of the original 14th and 15th century buildings, but also as a setting for rock concerts in the summer.

I've added a music texture, as well as a texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

St. Bonafacius Bridge, Bruges

I loved this stone pedestrian bridge over the canal in Bruges. Although the bridge seems to date back to Medieval times, it was actually built in 1910 to blend with the surrounding buildings.

I've added a texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

Greek Island Contrast

This image depicts two Greek island scenes. The one on the left was taken in Oia, on Santorini and the one on the right was taken on Mykonos. I used adjustment levels to create what I like to call my "fantasy mode" and then I pasted the photos into a frame template.

Blue Gate

This weathered blue metal gate off a street in Santorini caught my eye with its elaborate scrollwork and Greek key motif. I've added a texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

Haupstrasse, Dresden

Dresden, Germany is a beautiful city. We had a brief stay there a couple of years ago and I regret that we didn't have more time to see all of the wonderful architecture there. This image depicts one end of the Haupstrasse, a lovely pedestrianized street with trees and statues, including this one called the Golden Rider.  It depicts Augustus the Strong, who established Dresden as a great culture center during his reign.

Thanks to Shadowhouse Creations and pareeerica for the textures I've added.

Sphinx

Based on a photo by Steve Bohn

This charming sphinx is in the Olympia Archeological Museum in Greece. In Greek tradition, the sphinx was part lion, part bird and part woman, while the Egyptian sphinxes were portrayed as male.

I've added a base texture from Shadowhouse Creations along with other textures.

Miletus

This image shows a portion of the ancient theater of Miletus in Western Turkey. Once the greatest and wealthiest of Greek cities, this site has been inhabited since Neolithic times and Miletus itself was under Greek, Persian, Roman and Ottoman rule. Eventually its harbor silted up and it was abandoned in the Middle Ages.

I added two textures from Shadowhouse Creations.

Dragon Downspout

Dragons always catch my eye, so I was tickled to see this little dragon downspout along a canal in the medieval town of Bruges, Belgium.

I've added a texture from cleanzor.

Rusty Flower

This image combines one of my sunflower photos with a rust texture. I liked the colors and the way the rust pattern showed through, resulting in something more abstract than realistic.

You Don't Scare Me!

These two cats were wandering in the park near the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and the cat on the bench was menacing the one below.

I've added blurring and texture to remove distracting elements.

Istanbul Harbor

We had surprisingly good weather on our cruise this past spring, with only one day of cold, rainy weather. Unfortunately, it occurred while we were in Istanbul, a port we had decided to tour on our own. Although the weather was a temporary setback, we did get out and experience most of what we had planned to do and see.

This image conveys the somber atmosphere of Istanbul harbor as we sailed into the great city. The tall building in the background is the medieval Galata Tower, built in the 1300s.

Hawaiian Sea Turtle

In the Hawaiian language, Honu is the name given to the green sea turtle that is commonly seen in the islands. They can grow up to five feet long and live to be 80 years old.

I took this photo at the Maui Ocean Center in Ma'alaea but the quality was blurry and left a lot to be desired. I added textures by pareeerica, borealnz and rinoshea and increased contrast with burn and dodge tools for the resulting image.

Cracking Up

This image began with my photo of one of the unusual sculpted structures atop Casa Mila, an incredible apartment building designed by the famous Spanish architect, Antonio Gaudi. These intriguing structures functioned as air ducts and chimneys and they have come to be known as "witch scarers."

I've added a crackle texture to the sky to lend it a surreal look.

Golden House of Venice

This cheery house was just a two minute walk from the Ca' San Giorgio, our wonderful hotel in Venice. I admired the beautiful faded stucco and colorful flower boxes every time we passed by. In this image I've enhanced the natural coloring with a gold texture from boccacino.

Clothes Drying in Courtyard

Walking through the narrow stone streets of Trogir, it's not uncommon to come across a tall and narrow courtyard with multiple lines of laundry hung to dry, such as this one.

I added an HDR effect and a texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

Head of a Young Woman

This sculpture is located in the Istanbul Archeological Museum and dates back to 27 B.C.  I've combined textures from Shadowhouse Creations to give it more visual interest.

Trogir Harbor

A graceful ship sits in the harbor of Trogir with its terraced houses. This image was taken during our brief visit this past May. A texture by cleanzor was added.

Seaside Village

I loved the weathered look of this building, one of several at Seaside Village in San Diego. I've added a texture from les brumes.

Morning Sky

Sunflowers against a bright morning sky. Most of our sunflowers are hanging on, but we've noticed that the birds are picking out the sunflower seeds before they even have a chance to mature.

Madonna Verona

The Madonna Verona is a Roman era statue that sits atop a fountain in the Piazza delle Erbe in Verona, Italy.While Verona itself is a UNESCO World Heritage city, this particular square is a feast for the eyes with its varied architectural styles, including these ancient maintained frescos in the background. I've used adjustment layers to enhance the saturation for a festive look.

Venice Door Handle

One of my great delights while visiting Venice is to wander the narrow streets looking for beautiful details such as this door handle that I found near the Ca' San Giorgio. I created a composite image by using a photo I  took near the Rialto bridge as background, as well as textures from Shadowhouse Creations and distressed jewel.

Dragon Lamp

This unusual dragon lamp near the Rialto bridge in Venice has always fascinated me. It holds three differently colored umbrellas in its mouth.

I added two different textures by Shadowhouse Creations as well as multiple adjustment layers to get the effect I wanted.

Portion of the Parthenon

The highlight of our recent visit to Athens was climbing up the many stairs to tne acropolis and the Parthenon. Although missing the frieze above its columns, it is still a very striking building.

Floral Tapestry

Some of the beautiful sculpture in the Istanbul Archeology Museum. I've added a grunge floral texture for effect.

Babulas Taverna

Babulas Taverna is one of the first eating establishments we saw as we arrived in Mykonos. The red fishing boat makes it highly visible, especially when you see the octopus, one of their specialties, strung up and drying above the boat.

I've added a postcard texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

Mykonos Cat

Walking through the narrow streets of Mykonos, I turned a corner and found this cat sleeping peacefully on a worn old chair near some discarded trash. I couldn't resist taking his photo.