Creative Processing

One Photograph - Three Images

Whether you are working with film and chemically processing your photos or are strictly digital, how you complete your post processing determines the final outcome of your photographs.

Original image

Cropped image

Artistic rendition

Sometimes I already have a plan for the post processing in mind when I take a photo and other times I just let the photo 'talk' to me. In this case it was definitely the photograph that inspired me to go more creative with the post processing. To me the original was nice but nothing special. The crop... well that is just boring! But this dark stroke artist rendition is eye catching and by far my favorite version of this photograph.

Seeing Cellular

Just as we often see hearts and faces in unexpected places I find myself seeing cellular illusions in odd materials.

In case you are wondering what on earth I photographed, it is a macro of a sheet of plastic on our front porch light.

Linking up with the 52 Photos Project. This weeks prompt is "The light arrived and opened like a rose garden ~ Pablo Neruda

Sioux Falls Sculpture Walk

 This momma bear with her cubs is actually a rather large sculpture.

At least this time it wasn't me convincing someone to do something silly to 'get the shot'.

Sculpture within a sculpture

While in a small shop in Keystone last month I saw these amazing sculptures within sculptures.

While I loved the tone of the original SOOC shot I am more partial to the following black and white version.

They had more than these three but these were by far my favorites.

Selective Color Good or Bad?

Recently I read a post on Facebook in which a rather busy and well liked portrait photographer made the following statement: " I do not and will not do selective coloring … I don't think I have ever seen it done where it looks beautiful."

I give her credit for saying hey I don't like this so I will not do it. Photography is an art and an artist must first off be true to themselves. Her work is beautiful with creative composition and style, so I highly doubt not offering selective coloring is going to hurt her business at all. However, while I wouldn't suggest or expect anyone to change their style or opinion just to please others, I was a bit taken aback by the second half of her statement.

I was even more surprised to read that out of the 12 comments only two people said they had seen a selective color image that they liked, and further surprised that four other portrait photographers (as determined by their business Facebook pages) had commented on the post, all of them agreeing with her original post. One going so far as to say "It's one thing that really bugs me.. Especially with professional portraits.. Makes them look cheap." Another individual commented that it "... was a trend a few years ago and some of the newer photographers still do it because they think it looks good and they haven't found their editing style yet." Now I am not sure if the last statement was made by a person that is a photographer or just someone who likes photography, but either way I  have to wonder if they look at photography as an art or a strict representation of reality.

I admit that I have seen more selective color portraits that I did not like than those that I like. I can also agree that depending on how it is done it can cheapen the look of the photograph. However, to say that all use of selective coloring cheapens the look of a portrait or that a photographer that does selective coloring does so because they are new and haven't found their editing style is just narrow minded. To me ones style is not a stone wall that one can not step beyond but is the foundation for future exploration and creation. Just take a look at the 50 examples shown in the article mentioned in the next paragraph.

In the article 50 Impressive Examples of Selective Color Photography  there are some beautiful photos that have been enhanced by the process of keeping part of the image in full color while the remainder is monochrome or black and white. Now while there are more in this article that I don't really like, I have to say there are others that I love. Of the 50 photos there are only 20 that I actually like and of them only three are portraits. Still, using selective coloring has in my opinion made some of these photographs more appealing than they might otherwise have been.

When I first started editing portraits I did a few selective color edits in which you turn the photo black and white and just keep a focal color, and while I did like a few done that way most just looked bad. But I had seen some really awesome photos with selective coloring so I didn't give up. I am glad I didn't give up because I have found that for some portraits the selective coloring can both achieve the look I am going for and be more stunning than the original color or black and white conversion.

Here is an example from the recent photo shoot with Emma. When doing selective color on portraits I have found that I prefer a monochromatic look for the bulk of the image rather than black and white. As with all photos on my blog just click on the photo to see the image larger.

I do like the full color photo however, the mahogany color of her eyes seem to get lost in this photo.  

The black and white is okay but I really wanted the brown of her eyes to pop in the photo. 

Tones on Tuesday Submission

To achieve this monochromatic selective color portrait I worked with three layers. The bottom layer is the original full color image. Over that I placed the above black and white. I then removed the iris and pupil portion of the eyes on the black and white photo, revealing the full color of the eyes. The effect was very dramatic but was not flattering nor did it enhance the image as I wished. Then I created an overlay with the full color photo at 24% opacity thus creating a more monochromatic image in which the mahogany color of her eyes stand out.

As with any art form there are always some that love it, some that are on the fence and others that can't stand it. What do you think? Do you like selective colorization, or do you think it cheapens the photograph? Go ahead don't hold back, I am very curious as to how many like it and how many dislike selective coloring.

Linking up with:

Please stop over at Scattered Horizons for Tones on Tuesday.

Have I lost it?

What woman goes to a unique shopping center and doesn't look at a single item that is for sale? Yep, that would be me. I know I should have my right to call myself a woman revoked or at minimum suspended. 

However, in my defense the architecture and landscaping at Tlaquepaque Arts and Craft Village in Sadona Arizona is so mesmerizing I was too busy oohing and awing to notice the many unique crafts items for sale. An absolutely amazing experience. Here let me show you.

The entire village looks like an old Mexican village possibly built as long ago as when Arizona belonged to Mexico.

Just look how the tree limb has grown into the outer wall as if the wall was there when the tree was just a sapling.

Wide staircases with beautiful elaborate tile work approached by worn cobblestone paths, led to shops unexplored. Enormous Intricately carved doors thrown wide in welcome . All set in stucco buildings that captured Mexican Colonial Architecture down to the very smallest detail.

Everywhere I turned my eyes were met with beauty and grace. I was led down winding cobblestone paths that opened into breathtaking courtyards.

Black & White Wednesday Submission

To find myself branching off onto paths through narrow shaded alleys with small hidden courtyards, fountains and intricately carved benches.

No area had been overlooked, it was all terrific, Right down to small delicate fountains heavily covered with moss like this religious shrine nestled against the stucco protected by lush vegetation and ornate ironwork.

If I wasn't entranced by the architecture I was captivated by the sculptures. Every courtyard, walkway and nook held some fantastic carving from delicate pots to elaborate sculptures.

The only thing that felt a bit out of place to me was the Zen Garden in one of the larger courtyards. Although, even that held my interest. 

I was not the only one that had eyes only for the beauty of the scene around me, this artist was creating a wonderful painting featuring the villages bell tower.

So what do you think, does my defense hold up or do I need to sign up for classes on how to be a woman?

Linking up with:

and 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: It's A Wild Life

Time for the fun Scavenger Hunt Sunday. This weeks prompts were so much fun.
Enjoy!

Sunset
I did attempt to get out at sunset this week but with the freezing cold and the wind I chickened out so my sunset submission is from my archives.

Black and White
Generally I shoot full color and then switch only a few shots to b/w during processing. However, I did set my camera to monochrome for a series of photographs this week. This was my favorite.

A Day in My Life
After a great deal of thought I chose to capture an abstract photo that depicts my rather wild, crazy and colorful daily life. Focusing on my rather wild bedroom curtains I used a slow shutter speed and manual movement of the camera to capture a number of really cool abstracts. This is the one that I feel most depicts my daily life.

Four 
When I read the suggestion for this prompt I was pretty excited because this is a prompt where I can share my passion for photographic art.  My submission is a composite multiplicity photo created this week using four different photographs taken specifically for this purpose early last fall.

Colorful

I just loved the look of so many of the shots I took trying to capture my wild life I decided to share another one as my shot for colorful. I call this one Wild Child.

Next weeks prompts:

Smile (Saun's suggestion)
Stand Alone (Saun's suggestion)
Rusty or Something Old (Saun's suggestion)
Artificial (Terrie's suggestion)
Repeating Pattern (Terrie's suggestion)

 

I hope you have enjoyed my photographs and will join us at Ashley Sisk's just click on the button below.

A walk through the Sculpture Gardens

After touring the National Gallery of Art, I had the pleasure of taking a walk through it's Sculpture Gardens. Here are just a few of the fun and beautiful sights I enjoyed.

view of the fountains and pool from opposite side.

In the center of the garden sits this peaceful fountain and pool. From what I understand, during the winter it becomes an ice skating rink. In the background of the first photo is the National Gallery of Art which houses many fantastic works of art.

I had to wonder if those birds realized that they were perched on a sculpture of a tree and not the real thing. It was magnificently formed and if it had been a material other than highly polished aluminum I might have mistaken it for a real tree.

This little house sculpture was a lot of fun to photograph. It is not as it appears here, but rather as it appears in this next photo.

When viewing this from the front it appears to be a box shape but when viewed from other angles you can see that it is not. Wandering through the garden discussing each work of art with my niece I am sure I could only have been described as animated, until that is I came to this next sculpture.

Coming upon this scene I came to an abrupt halt, both in movement and voice. Riveted in one spot, I stood silent until my niece said that she didn't know what the sculpture was suppose to be but it was titled 'girls'. To me it was a very sobering sight and I told my niece I thought the artist was trying to portray the horror and sadness of the Holocaust. I was not far off, you can read the artist intent here. Now on to lighter works. This one brought a big smile to my face, especially when I discovered my niece had no idea what this object was. Almost made me feel like I was ancient.

 My niece told me that the Sculpture Gardens was a favorite spot for many DC residents to enjoy a bit of peace while they eat their lunch. There is even a small cafe' within the gardens. This next photo is of a portion of the cafe's outdoor seating area.

All in all I had a very lovely time in this peaceful garden.