Joy for All

In my Photoshop Workshop this month I decided to share my newly devised knowledge on "grunging". There are several layers to this Christmas card including at least three unsightly surfaces (rusted metal, dirty leather and of course ransom note abstract). There is a nutcracker which is desaturated and made transparent. The text was heavily manipulated Old English font. And then to top it all off--a normal (yet feathered and lassoed picture) of a newly engaged couple!

Joy for All!

Tower of Babel

These serenity stones made a neat world for the actors. Using Photoshop and painting in appropriate shadows, Nimrod's vision of tower building comes to life.

Fisheye self portrait at he 8-28 Rally in Washington DC

Candle Light Photography

Here are two candlelight photos I took today (Halloween). The skull photo had two candles and one reflector (made out of aluminum foil). The only candle that is seen would be comparable to a "hair light kicker." The candle to the left (outside the frame of the photo) would be comparable to the key light while the fill in reflector (adjacent to the key) brings the right side of the skull out of the shadows.

The pumpkin of course had a votive candle inside. The stick candle acts as the key light. There is no adjacent reflector used in order to accentuate the illuminated eyes and mouth of the pumpkin.

Both photos used a blue hot light illuminating a hand painted background (simulating an autumn evening sky.)

To Kill a Mocking Bird

The opening photography of the movie "To Kill a Mocking Bird" had a series of close ups that I found poignant and fascinting. I emulated those images with this photo using a marble, paperclip and a volume of Plutarch's Lives. The paper clip keeps the marble properly sized even though the angle of the photo would dictate that the marble should be much larger.

This is my composite image. It would be hard to get a sharp image of the weather vane considering the extreme magnification of the sun. The photo is a total fantasy.

Anna Wineberry

Kaleidoscope effect

Photo Shop cut and paste. Artificial symmetry (four-way copy and fold over technique of wine berry background. 2-way fold over of portrait with reflection).

Fisheye photo taken with a very inexpensive 8mm lens purchased from Adorama. Sepia tone. Focus at 12 inches at f/22. Incredible depth of field from 3 inches to infinity.

The Minstrel sings as the folly of the world continues around him. Multi-layer Photo Shop fantasy.

Did you ever wonder whether planters have feelings?

Mr Natural

I thought it was odd for this machinery to be somewhat deserted in this idyllic setting. I enhanced the washed out sky to balance out the shot and to give it more drama. Otherwise it would be worthless. As a cynical slam at political correctness and over-zealous environmentalism I named the shovel Mr Natural because I felt the shovel looked good in that environment.

This was a favorite this year but it was simply done. I had photographed a little girl peering from behind a big beach ball. I isolated the the little girl away from the beach ball and the background and then put in a star background and a real picture of the earth. The space images were borrowed from NASA

Here Anna is playing around a moving locomotive. The Wilmington Western goes in back of our house. I photographed the train seperately than using the same location without the train I added Anna 4 times using Photo Shop.

This is an interesting combination. My daughter Anna visiting her Grandfather's home (which is now in ruins) as a Ghost. Image is called Blue Skies. Model was added as a semi-transparent layer so you can see through her.