Jim bought me Photoshop CS3 for my birthday (I had PS 7) and I LOVE it. I have been playing around with actions and trying to create and save some of my own unique actions. The more I do picture editing, I am realizing that my love of fantasy extends to photographs. I love an ethereal beauty…for things to look surreal. I know that many photo enthusiasts criticize artistry that goes beyond the natural but for me, that IS the artistry. It is an artists fingerprints on natural beauty – enhancing it to their taste and style. I am also inspired by those who paint with light (Kincaide being the most notorious). I have seen some digital artists that are incredible with enhancing photos with light and a surreal quality and I aspire to work towards producing end products that are even a tiny fraction of what they can do.
Today while Tori napped I played with a picture that I took in November while we were in Cottonwood, AZ fishing. It’s a long way from my goal but forward movement.
The original picture is above.
This is a heavily saturated picture and I intended it to be that way because I wanted it to look on the “unreal” side. More like a painting than a picture. I wanted it to have dramatic light, have some color pops, and have an ethereal beauty. I like the color pop on Zandi but I over burned the background. I like the deep contrast but the color could use some work. Overall though, I liked the direction of it. Fits me. Bold, colorful and a bit over the top LOL. Fits my mood. Maybe I really am an artist at heart LOL – who knew? 🙂 (Of course REAL artists would probably say I just ruined this picture but I LIKE over the top) :).
This time I took the deeply saturated picture, desaturated it and then added a gradient map. I didn’t want it to be a simple black and white – I wanted to keep the ethereal quality.
Did you ever see the movie “What Dreams May Come” with Robin Williams? Very sad movie and also crazy theologically BUT the color saturations were awesome! I could watch this movie over and over just to study the use of color and the dreamy effects. Apparently the producer of this movie thinks like I do because I bet heaven is deeply saturated. I bet it has colors we haven’t even thought of yet. I think my love of supernatural beauty is simply a foreshadowing of what God is preparing. He put a little desire for it in my heart just so I would be excited. He thinks like that – I know it. 🙂
4 responses to “Painting with Light”
I LOVED THAT MOVIE FOR THE SAME REASON!!! OH WE SHOULD WATCH IT TOGETHER THEN EDIT ONE DAY. 🙂 DREAMING….
I also think your painting with light picture is beautiful! The water almost looks mystical – I could imagine a tiny mermaid, little dragon fish, sea horse, platypus, or a mythical creature swimming in it… maybe giant koi pond gold fish… and a unicorn in the background that she’s staring at… and a purple and pink sky… I love your artistry in photo – makes me dream. I LOVE work that makes me dream. It inspires. The softness you got on Zandi is beautiful!
And see that is why we are sisters….you get me LOL. 🙂 It’s funny though – when I think “fantasy” I don’t think mythical – I just think kinda other-wordly with a dreamy feel but if I am reading a book – then I LOVE mythical especially if there are creatures in it :). And I agree with the water looking magical – the color changes made the foreground of the water more transparent so it makes you wonder what is in there. 🙂 Are we weird Heidi? 🙂
Oooh aaaah CS3! There are so many beautiful actions you can download for free. Have fun, Doni!
my post didn’t come through apparently – but I had a dream with mermaids in this the night after I saw this… the dream was clearly about my wanting direction for our lives – but interesting there were mermaids in it after this conversation. wonder if it slipped into my dream because of this. 🙂