colinmacarthur.ca

If you can imagine it, you can create it. Gone are the days when the photographic medium restricted what you could achieve in your pictures. Now with the use of Corel Photopaint or Adobe Photoshop, even Photoshop Elements, the only limit is you.

In Faerie on a Hydrangea, the model was photographed in the studio against a plain background. Her wings were attached to a lighting stand and placed directly behind her. The Hydrangea was photographed later, outdoors. Then using layers and objects the picture was pieced together.

The Hydrangea was cut away from its background and used as the base layer. The model was separated from the background and placed above the first layer. The wings were masked and then solarized to add interest to them. Finally a dark sky was created in Photopaint and stars were added. One star was placed on the very tip of the wing and the transparency was adjusted to allow the Hydrangea to be seen through the wing.

Again in Spring Blossom the model was photographed in the studio and removed from the plain background. The flowers were photographed and used as the background picture. The cut out portrait of the model then became the next layer and finally a couple more flowers were added and blended in to the picture using feathering to soften the edge. The eraser tool to remove some unwanted areas and an adjustment to the transparency of the upper layer objects.

Layers and Objects take a while to master but it is well worth the effort. understanding those two concepts and how to create and use masks, will take you a long way on the path to becoming a truly creative photographer. Enjoy the journey.

It is all in the light. Yes, you need the focus and the exposure, the composition and the subject matter, but it is the light that really makes or breaks the final image. Outdoors you are relying to a certain extent on the weather. However you have to set out to create the shot you want, even if it means waiting for the right conditions and going back to your location when all of the elements are right. This picture was taken just inside a wooded area with the sun shining down through the leaves of adjacent trees. The biggest challenge was to control the contrast. Don’t burn out the highlights but keep some detail in the darker areas. This was shot on film, however these days you can choose to turn down the contrast on your digital camera if you are shooting jpegs or shoot raw and control the contrast as you process your files. Don’t forget to check your histogram to make sure your exposure is spot on.

Girl on the Red Couch was shot in the studio, were you have full control over the lighting. This means that you must also take full responsabiliy for the lighting. The direction of the light, the lighting ratio and the contrast and exposure in your picture. Here I placed my main light behind the couch lighting the wall, but spilling over onto the models back. I then used a fill light in front of the model, adjusted to just give me some detail in the blacks and I used cards to limit the spread of light. Leaving the corners of the picture to darken and keeping the main focus of attention on the model herself. This shoot was planned and I took very  few pictures to achive this final image, but often ideas present themselves during a shoot, so keep shooting and develope your technique.  Colin Mac Arthur