Chapel Hill Murder Victims: Their Beautiful Life

Three young adults were victims of a hate crime. On Feburary 10, 2015 Craig Stephen Hicks (46) broke into a home and killed Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife, Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19 execution style. They were known for their love and kindness towards other. Deah and Yusor were newly weds that had their future stolen from them in a violent rage of hate. Craig Stephen harassed them before but nothing was done about it, in some cases his gun in clear view.

One of the last posts made by the victims was one were they were feeding the homeless. A funding page for Syrian Dental Relief was made with Deah Barakat as one of the organizers that would benefit Syrian refugees in Turkey.

In memory of Deah, Yusor, and Razan and the goodness and light they brought to this world I would like to help spread the word of this fund. Here is the link to the page:
http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/syrian-dental-relief/206249

Watch the video below to hear in his own words what this meant to him.

Deah Barakat - Dental Relief in Tulkarem from Abdelfattah Nimer on Vimeo.





An interview Yusor had with StoryCorps:
http://storycorps.org/listen/yusor-abu-salha-and-mussarut-jabeen/

#chapelhillshooting #StopHate #OurThreeWinners

A Project to Raise Awareness and Self-Esteem of Those Inflicted By Bullying

There are many awareness campaigns, however this Project is a little different. I am talking about the I Am Beautiful Project.

This Project was started by a simple post in a photography group on FB by Tiffany Finely Moon in South Carolina (USA) that soon exploded within a few days.

The general idea is that people can send in their nominations to a participating photographer for a child (male or female 18 or under) that has been dealing with bullying. The photographer reads through the nominations and selects one child to be an IAB Project Ambassador. They will receive a free photo-shoot, as well as a token amount of free photos on USB, or CD.

Photographers from all over the world have joined in to do what they can to help a child that is struggling with bullying. Spreading like wildfire from the USA to Germany, Paris, and Palestine this Project has picked up speed and continues to do so. I am happy to be a part of this to do what I can to help when and where I can. If you would like to read more about the Project and any of their updates please like and follow their page on Facebook. If you are unsure what photographer in your area is involved in this Project send a message to their facebook page and they will let you know!

Sometimes all that is needed is a boost in self esteem to help a child going through bullying to hang in there. With the advancement in technology bullying is no longer within the walls of school... social media makes it easier for children to get bullied even at home.

• Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University
• A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying

To read more about the correlation of bullying and suicide as well as more statistics check out Bullying and Suicide - Bullying Statistics.

USB Flash Drive Woes

Because my husband has a habit of "borrowing" my flash drive tends to return with a free gift. A gift that keeps on taking. Viruses and God knows what else. By the time I "finished" multiple virus scans and malware removal programs I estimate that well over 400 threats were removed. I don't know how he got so many on there. Did he dip it into a virus vault as one dips a cookie into milk? I am unsure. Anyways, onwards we shall march.

So. I disabled auto-run so the USB doesn't automatically open to show the files (some viruses simply VIEWING files on the USB activates them). Then I tried to right-click to scan with my anti-virus and that's when "My Computer" file explorer froze up insanely... to the point I just tried to close the window which resulted with the desktop disappearing. I restarted. I got a windows error saying the USB was corrupt. Error checker would keep freezing up. After failed attempts I got to the anti-virus scan screen for it to lock up again. If this sounds even remotely familiar keep reading.

Then I found UsbFix. A great little program that helped do wonders. It asks you to disable your anti-virus since it could hinder the process. I got a warning that all NON-vital processes would be stopped... it found over 100 threats.

I restarted my computer afterwards, and ran my anti-virus program. Yes it lagged a bit (right-clicking on the drive in My Computer) but my system didn't lock up as before. So far my virus scanner has hit 90% and has taken an insanely long time to reach that far. Be patient. If you have other things to do and want your computer to NOT go into sleep mode or shut down due to inactivity mute your volume and select any song let it play in a loop. However, mine did stop at 93% but another drive that had the same issue was resolved and the "locking up" issue was handled.

Researching Made a Little Easier

I just started my Master's program.. it is a much welcomed challenge. However, I haven't done much research during my time at home other than the odd curiosity based inquiries. I have found a wealth of knowledge online.. but find it tedious to say the least to read pages upon pages of documents online on my laptop. Here are a few things that I'm doing to make the best of it.

• Most people have a tablet of some sort, either an iPad, Nexus, or Kindle. Get your tablet out and get it charged. Holding a tablet rather than sitting in-front of a computer screen is less strain on your body and eyes.
• Many older books have been put into PDF format. Search for them and you shall find. Many are for free!
• When conducting your search limit your search to PDF files. Even if it is 100+ pages it isn't so bad since now with your charged tablet ready to go... transfer your files and read away!
• Jot down notes. I find reading and trying to pick out the most important and relevant parts of the PDF is more worth while when I can go back to my notes. That way instead of trying to remember things after skimming/reading so much text.. I can look back at what I wrote down and it'll be much easier. 

These are the basic 4 ideas I have when it comes to making reading additional select text easier and less of an exhausting task. Each person has their own learning style. Mine is repetition and visual learning.. so I read, write, and re-write a "less messy" version of my notes (the repetition portion).

I found it much easier to read text in PDF format on a light tablet compared to on a laptop or on a desktop computer. If you have any other ideas/tips comment below and I'll add them!

Just a hello

I have a few ideas for some upcoming blog posts. However, simply wanted to give an internet hellooo to anyone who reads this blog. My blog is a loner... no one likes it or comments on it. It feels unappreciated the poor thing. But it is stubborn. When you least expect it a post will pop up.

So...

Helloooo!

Oh and please do check out my website!

http://nedaazayed.wix.com/saowsaowingstudio

I used to exclusively post on Facebook at this page:
www.facebook.com/saowsaowing

However, since their Terms of Use changes I've taken to updating my website and working on it. These are links to my photography related pages.

January is almost over and it is starting to warm up... but I am weary. Mother nature teases us releantlessly with warm stints to lull us into a false sense of security. I worry what "HAHAHA GOTCH YA" awaits us when we are plungged back into the icy cold clutches of reality :(

Help the less fortunate

A new year and the start is a chilly one! Freezing temperatures have claimed lives of those less fortunate around the globe. If you have the modern day blessings of heating, warm clothing and a roof over your head pass it forward by showing some goodwill to the following fundraising drive a friend of mine is putting forward. He is aiming to raise funds to help the homeless get warm jackets also to help orphans in Indonesia.

My friend John Mcardle wants to help the less fortunate and so can you. If you are unable to donate then at least share his page in hopes of helping spread the word around!

Please visit his GoFundMe page and show some support!

Gaza: Even Love Has Been Blocked

Two friends of mine have through pure chance met and fell in love. The tough part both of their folks actually liking the person their loved one of their son/daughter was not a hurdle. Instead the insane restrictions on movement has almost derailed their quest to live out the rest of their lives together.

Click HERE to read about Anne's and Yousef's story in her own words. As if israel's restrictions weren't enough, Egypt joined the fold. Then false accusations threatened to shatter their world. No matter HOW I would like to share their story with you directly, I can do it no justice like those who actually LIVED it. So please drop by and read their story and help contribute to try to help the rising costs they are incurring to try and make their dreams into a reality. Click here and please give it a read. If you want to help but can't help fund their happy ending then share their story with others to spread the word.




In her own words posted on Facebook:

I have a story I would like to tell. It is a story of love and hope against a backdrop of brutal occupation and oppression.
My husband lives in Gaza and we have been separated for 14 months by the israeli occupation of Palestine, the closure of the Egyptian border and the discriminatory immigration restrictions the UKBA places on applicants from Gaza.
We have applied 3 times for him to visit the UK and the final appeal left us in a catch-22 situation with the original refusal being based on us not knowing each other well enough, to the final ruling that we know each other too well!
We are unable to apply for the spouse visa without meeting the English language requirements which are very basic. However the only test available in Gaza is the academic test.
he has been refused a visa to other countries on the grounds that the UK has refused him 3 times.
We have finally secured a visa to Malaysia for 30 days. Now the issues are cost ( flights and accommodation, £855 for visa application and £2000 for legal fees).
You can read more on our fundrasing page.
http://www.gofundme.com/6q4yqo

Using Textures and Overlays in Photoshop Painting

I started to experiment more and more with the use of textures and overlays when it comes to working on different photos. Got to tell ya' totally loving the results. I have started to experiment with making some of my own and with different brushes to get different looks and or effects. Watching several Youtube videos and reading different things on how some like to use them. Here are a few examples with before and after.

Textures and overlays help enhance an image or help you get closer to the look that you want to achieve. I used several textures which I made on this image. I was going for a slightly vintage painted effect and the filters with some textures that I removed from some areas using a watercolor brush tweeked to my liking really helped.

The best thing I found was to experiment with different blending modes with textures as well as opacities. Add a mask and paint them off or on the image. Play around with brush opacity as well. It takes some getting used to and trial and error but it is through trial and error you will most likely find the result that you like. Each time I tested another filter I would duplicate my original image and create a mask. Painting off the effect on certain areas. I would increase contrast or saturate the colors where needed and desaturate them in other parts of the photo.

 

Some filters to mess around with would be paint daubs, watercolor and find edges. The above before image is without any adjustments. Before starting with the "painted" effect I did some basic editing. Reduced noise, sharpened, used a level adjustments layer to give it a bit more pop. Then I played with the hue/saturation adjustment layer among others to exaggerate the colors a bit more to help with the painted effect. The beauty of working with layers, masks, and adjustment layers? That you could go back and make changes till you felt happy with the final result.

This next one is with basic edits (sharpening, noise reduction, etc..)

This is with one textured overlay that I made and filters within photoshop.

For the above I followed along with this video on another image and then changed it up to make the end result a bit different and in a sense my own. A great video just to get familiar with some of the basics!

Watercolor 101 by lpswampy

Here are some great textures to check out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chorando/sets/72157607835630011/

You are sure to find something that you will like. A texture as you can see in my two examples can be used as a background or as an element to alter the entire image. My first example I used several textures some rotated some flipped around to get the look I wanted. Textures MADE the image. While in the 2nd example the texture was used to add depth to the blues and masked out on certain parts using different opacity watercolor brushes.