Turning a photograph into a painting!

There are many ways to do this. One way is to just paint right over the print of the photograph. That requires a lot of time and some painting skills. When using this technique I recommend using lager prints to paint. This is kind of like paint by numbers. You can paint your image in any style you like. Painting over a color print or a black and white. Using a black and white print you could just paint parts of the image for a selective hand colored print.

Another way is to use Photoshop® They have some pretty cool built in filters that can turn your photograph into a painting. Photoshop® is a very powerful tool to have. I think it is the standard for photographers. You can create great works of art using Photoshop®. You could take one of your photos and turn it into the painting style of Georges Seurat or how about Salvador Dali and many more Artist and painters using Photoshop®. Check out the author Steve Caplin his book from Focal Press called Art & design in Photoshop he has a whole chapter about this. The whole book is great for how- to and will inspire you in a new way to transform your photographs into art.

Lets look at Corel Painter Essential. I have used this for many years to turn certain photographs into painting. It actually came with my old Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet that I still use. I need a new one. If its not broke why replace it. Lets get back to Corel Painter Essential 4 its kind of outdated but still works for me. It have different types of brushes,pens,wet and dry mediums. Different painters preset styles from water color to oil painting. Corel Painter Essential 4 also has a auto start button so you don’t have to even make one brush stoke it will do it for you. I prefer to be more creative and do it by hand. If drawing is more of your style. You can use this to draw also. If you needed help with using Corel Painter Essential 4. The cool thing it came with how- to videos.

There is probably many more different other apps to turn your photographs into a painting. I just never used them.

NEVER STOP IMPROVING!

Photo Projects!

Lets stay inside to stay warm for this project.

This is a variation on the water drops. You are going to need some water base paint, for easy clean up. Two large white ceramic tiles. They are easy to clean also. A eyedropper to drop the paint on the tile. A flash to stop the motion of the paint splatter. 

Here is the setup angle one of the tiles against a backdrop. Use the other tile flat right in front of the angled tile to make kind of a seamless backdrop. Mount your flash and your eyedropper above the tile. Try to keep the eyedropper in the same spot every time to get the best results.

Use a small bowl to mix the paint with some water. The paint needs to be thinned out to create a better splash. Use very colorful paint also help improve your images. To find the focus go ahead and load the eyedropper with paint. Drop one to two drops of paint to find focus. Keeping the drops on the tile will help make bigger splashes. Every so often you will need to clean off both tiles and keep shooting. Timing is the real challenge again just like the water drops projects. Use a tripod!

Lets do one more indoor projects. This time no timing is required. Lets mix water and oil for some interesting photographs. Using a shallow bowl add water and oil. Stir up the mix to get different looks. Place to shallow bowl above some colorful wrapping paper to get some cool images changing out the wrapping paper for different color variation. You don’t even need a tripod for this shoot. But if you do use a tripod just snap away its that easy. If you add a drop of dish soap this changes the whole dynamics of your shoot.

Photography Projects!

Its cold, its wet, and its nasty out side. Other than being nasty and cold outside. This could be the perfect time to shoot. We are going to stay in and shoot different projects inside.

As I am writing this its winter, the snow is melting away but now they are calling for another winter storm. The sky is grey and nasty. This is the perfect time to shoot these indoor projects.

Shoot water drops for some fun images. Using colorful wrapping paper under a clear bowl and as a backdrop. Will give you awesome looks. Just change out to different color wrapping paper will give you a new look.

 Start with one flash then add another one. I would not go over using three flashes. By trying different flash location will also change you look. You can direct the flash at the bowl or bounce the flash experimenting alway to see what works the best.

Timing is going to be your biggest issue. This will require you to take a lot of photos before you end up with a winner. Don’t give up. It may take you up to 100 bad shot to every 1 winner.  I did not say this was a easy challenge.

Just about using the same set up! Drop something in the water and try to capture it at the perfect time. A small aquarium works better then a bowl for this. Here are some different things you can drop in the water and photograph. Dice,balls,vegetables,and fruit. What other items you might have that would work? Timing and focus can be tricky but still a fun project.

Use a tripod for both of these projects!

I will have more indoor projects for you in the future!

Understanding Composition Part 2!

Shapes in a photograph actually has two shapes. The shape itself is known as the positive space. The shapes around the object, thats the second shape. Is called the negative space. So shapes in photograph where it is and where isn’t. This is two ways shape affects structure of a photograph.

Shapes also asks what is it like. Is it big, small, light, heavy, beautiful, ugly, interesting or plain. Shapes also ask question about which object is biggest, closest, most important in a composition.

If someone ask you to describe something , you most likely start with the shape. Shape is very important in a composition weather its the positive or the negative space.

Humans can identify the shapes they recognized even as a silhouette. They need no detail for a viewer to recognize what the shape is. The reason I put this in here read my section on Science! Secrets To A Great Image! In my free PDF Book to learn more.

Positive Space of a shape is very easy to work with in a composition. The shape is easy to see and understand.

Negative space is much harder to see and understand. Negative space is defined by the edges of the frame up to the the shape or shapes itself ( Positive space ) To make negative space interesting in a photograph requires very careful compositing. This will take lots of practice as a photographer to improve your composition.

Lines in photograph will give you perspective in a composition. Line also strengthens  weighting to achieved positioning. Lines gives you the impressions of distance in a photographs. Lines can give pattern,direction,and structure to a composition. Movement or lack of it in a photograph.

This is all I am going to go into about composition. But each part of composition could fill many chapters of a book if broken down into sections. Shapes and lines each have chapter filled full of information. I think you can get the just of composition from this. This was a good starting point. If you want more in-depth understanding you might want to check out some photography books. If you can get your hands on a teachers curriculum photography book. You will learn way more in depth about composition. 

Understanding Composition Part 1!

What is composition? In the frame of a photograph, visual elements are arrange in a pacific way in a photograph, this is composition.

In a photograph the most important visual elements are line,shape,light,texture,motion and perspective. In a photograph you may have all or several of these elements to create a compelling composition. To create a memorable photograph you need to use just the right amount of elements to create the best composition in each photograph you take. This can be just a matter of trial and error in the beginning photographer.

To make a whole composition of a photograph, you need structure,balance, and dynamics. If your photographs doesn’t have structure,balance, and dynamics your photograph would just be random objects that lacks or makes no sense.

Lets take a look at structure in a photograph the basic structural elements are line,shape, and position ( the objects placements in a composition ) These elements hold the photograph together. Just like post and beams of a building holds the building together. Buildings also has walls,doors, and windows that help determine how the building will look and they are non structural elements. 

In a photograph light, texture, motion and perspective are all non structural elements. Using these non structural elements will complete an image just like in a building. Also like in a building a wall could become a load bering wall that holds up the floor above it. This is the same for a photograph. Texture or light that is considered non structure can become so important without it your composition will collapse. This is just not for buildings or photographs This also works for paintings. 

Lets look at balance. Balance is an equal relationship between two or more objects being balanced. Using various elements in a photograph trying to balance the elements equally. They do not have to be the same size and they don’t have to take up the same amount of space within the frame. 

Lets take a look at each of the diagram and break it down. Lets look at 1.A first. This has one subject the tree. The sky is just grey and boring. The foreground is just grass nothing interesting to add the image. Fill the frame with the only subject worth using is the tree.

Looking at 1.B  Now you have two subjects. The tree and a girl is the most important part of your composition. There may be many different ways to balance the composition depending on what is outside of the frame that you don’t want in the composition. What I mean is you can weight the tree to the lower left just like 1.B 

Now lets move onto 1.C In this diagram the sky is very intersection because of the clouds. So you would want to weight the tree in the lower frame to show more of the sky. More sky less grass makes a better composition.

Last but not least lets look at diagram 1.D  the foreground is way more interesting then the sky. So you would show as much of the foreground that will give you the best composition by weighting the tree in towards the top of the frame. 

Weighting a photograph is when you position the dominant subject in different areas of the frame. There are 9 areas or zones in a frame. Thats why rules of third are used by photographers most of the time. ( 3 x 3 = 9 ) We will take a look at rules of thirds little later. Any photograph can be weighted towards the top,bottom, center or to either side. It may also be weighted toward any combination of these directions.

Using any of the top 3 areas to put your main or dominant subject could make your image appear top heavy. Also your subject will feel far away.

Take a look at the center area or zone. Putting your main subject there will make it anchored down, stagnate,static,motionless and frozen. This area is used very rarely because if you looking at a photograph your eyes will look at the main subject and your eyes will be lost or will not see the rest of the photograph. Using the right subject in the center can make for strong image. You are also breaking the rules of composition using this area of the frame.

On the other hand putting your subject in the bottom areas of the frame will give you the feel of being firmly grounded also. Your subject will feel close. Not far away like using any of the three top zones. 

Lastly weighting a photograph to either side will seem to suggest movement. A persons face or a car could look like its moving into frame or its leaving the frame. A quick note about faces. We as humans will follow where someones eye are in a photograph. So if you want someone to look off the image have him looking out of the frame with there eyes and so will you. Example: weighting your image to the right side of your frame with a persons face looking to the right.

How do you want a viewers eye to move around your photograph? This is dynamics of composition. You want the viewers eyes to start with the most important subject or objects to the least important ones,and ideally to come back to the main subject for full circle. If you are able to do this. You will have a strong composition that will keep you viewer eyes longer on your photograph.

You want to keep your viewers eyes moving around your whole photograph not to get stuck on a secondary subject or even worse let the viewer leave the photograph completely and move onto another photograph. Thats a poor composition. 

Ok lets take a look at rules of third on a very simplest form because with understanding weighting you should be able to understand that the best placement of a subject is to try to get the subject close to one of the 4 intersecting lines on the 9 zone or area. Until you know the rules. You cannot break the rules. Most photographer will say this will give you the strongest composition possible by using rules of third and putting your subject as near or on the intersecting lines. Check out the diagram 2.A  and 2.B. This works for either holding your camera in horizontal ( Landscape 2.A ) or vertical ( Portrait 2.B ). 

I am not going to discuss the golden ratio of photography. If you want to learn about the golden ratio or the golden rule. Look it up online just like I would have to do because I don’t remember it enough to write about it. I don’t think many photographers use the Golden Ratio/ Golden Rule.

Next time we need to dive into shapes,lines, and positive space. We also needs to talk about negative space of a photograph to conclude composition. You will not learn as in-depth as I went into composition from a photography magazine. I hope this is not to boring for you.

Imagination!

Albert Einstein offers this “Imagination is more important than knowledge”

Sculptor Henry Moore Said it best: Art is expression of imagination, not the reproduction of reality” 

Why did I use the two quotes for photography. Photography can lie by not showing what outside of the frame. So in a photograph anything that was outside of the frame does not exists even though it does in reality. We as photographers by using focal lengths,angles, and composition changes reality. So our photographs are expressions of imagination. That means that my photography is my art and you as a photographer its your art also.

Grab your gear and start creating art. 

Everybody's got a story to tell!

Everybody’s got a story to tell and as photographer we tell stories using photography.

Some people tell stories through drawings and paintings. Other use words to write literature from stories to poems. While others make videos and movies. Everybody in the world has stories to tell. Now as a photographer go make some stories with your camera and share what you goto tell.

Critiquing vs. Criticizing!

Critiquing vs. Criticizing! 

Critiquing vs. Criticizing! Do you know the difference? Critiquing the works of other photographer requires you to comment on the positive and the negative in a balancing act. So you give the good with the bad in equal parts.

Now if you are criticizing the work of a photographer all you are doing is giving negativity comments about the photograph. You are not offering any positive feedback for the photographer. Criticizing someones work is so unprofessional. Kind of a dick move also. So learn to critique not to criticize someone’s photographs.

Critiquing someones photograph and critiquing your own work. Will help improve your photography. You will start to analyze your composition through the camera before you even touch the shutter button.

When you want to critique a photograph do you know the three basic questions to ask yourself? Lets start with the positive. What is good about it? What is not good? How could it be better? You are training your eyes to see like photographer. 

Explaining Raw Compared to JPEG!

Explaining Raw Compared to JPEG!

I am going to explain Raw compared to JPEG as simplest as I can using my own words as best as I can. I will start with JPEG because its the fastest way to a finished photograph. A JPEG photograph is like a TV dinner. Where your camera cooked you image in camera like a microwave. Yes its fast. Your image right out of camera can be printed without doing anything else. I don’t recommend this at all. You still need to use a editing app to make the best image you can even using JPEG. The problem with JPEG photographs is your camera cooked in your raw ingredients and left out some ingredients ( Data ) to make a smaller file and is ready right out of the camera. 

Now lets look at Raw image. Raw is like a uncooked meal that will use all the raw ingredients like a chef. Now your camera is like a whole bunch of different bowls with all the raw ingredients left uncooked. Because nothing was cooked in the camera. You have all the raw ingredients ( data ). You cannot print right out of camera. Thats why I said a raw image instead of a raw photograph. So you in an editing app, using all of the raw data you becomes the chef to make the best meal ( photograph ) possible to your taste. Like a chef a photographer will add or minus the amount of ingredients to their taste. This take longer to create a photographs because you cooked the photograph in an editing app without the camera ( fast microwave ) to your taste like a true chef would.

What kind of meal ( photograph ) do you want? A quick TV dinner or a chef cooked meal. I know what kind of meal I prefer and thats a chef cooked meal. You need to figure out what kind of meal you prefer.

I went from a instant camera as a little kid. It was my mom’s camera with no options. To a 35mm point and shoot still with only one option and that was what film speed ( ASA/ISO ) to use. I still was not happy so I got a film SLR camera with many options. I now use a DSLR with many options. I like options for my photography. So I shoot with Raw. If you want as much options for your photography like I do start shooting RAW!  

Photo Assignment Show Feelings!

Photo Assignment Show Feelings! 

I want to start to give out some photo assignment once in a while! I hope you will give them a try? I would like to see your work from the assignment. I think you should share your best Image. Just to see what you did compared to other photographers. I want you to show feelings in a photograph. As a friend to be the model and pose for you. Grab a handheld mirror, set up your tripod and you be the model. Practice different emotions using your mirror just like actors do in Hollywood. When you found that perfect emotion set your timer on your camera or use a shutter release to capture that emotion. If no friend will do It and you don’t want to be the model see if you can find a amateur drama society thats local. Head over there to capture the actors emotions. This is not the easiest assignment nor the hardest. This is a fun assignment. Here are some emotions you can try or all would be best. Joy,Fear,Love,Sorrow,Isolation, and Confusion! I will end this with: 

 NEVER STOP IMPROVING!

This is not about photography! But it is funny!

How do you burn water!

A friend of mine told me that his wife could not cook. Matter of fact she could burn water. Well I thought he was just joking but its true his wife could not cook. She was a very bad cook. Lets get back to burning water. He was serious about her burning water. For years I thought how in the hell do you burn water until a few days ago. If you start fooling around with your girl friend and forget you have water on the stove. Or you just fall asleep waiting for the water to boil. Guess which way it happened to me? I fell asleep. Now I see how you can burn water. Don’t burn water! Some pot somewhere will thank you.

With the smoke detector going off and being completely freaked out. I for got to take a picture of the pot! Way to go photographer. 

I hope this never happens to you. If it has you know how I feel about the whole thing.

The magic button. 

This is the magic button that some photographers
wants to have in photoshop to make the perfect image.
I am sorry to say the magic button is not in Photoshop®

Every photographer wants a magic button in photoshop®. To make that perfect photograph that every photographer wants. Im going to show you the magic button but its not in photoshop. The magic button is on your camera. Its the end all be all button. Do you know what that button is? Its your shutter button. To make magic you need raw ingredients. 

Here are some of the raw ingredients you will need. Lighting,composition,timing,subject,exposure,vision,angle,close,framing,rules,focal length and most of all practice.

If you use all these ingredients together they equals magic. So now your Magic Botton aka your shutter button is ready. Now you can start to make images that are magical. The images that will stand out. The image that will get likes.

This is your magic button!

So start making magic! Get out snd shoot!

Is video going to kill still Photography?

Oops I forgot to talk about this in my last blog. Sorry I made a mistake. I am going to keep this short because Valentines Day is tomorrow. Movies is big and now with DSLR cameras that can shoot quality movies that feels like a real movie not like a camcorder. Some commercials have been shot solely using a DSLR camera. Movies will get bigger and bigger. Clients are wanting movies more and more. So don’t get left behind or you may be leaving lots of money on the table that could be yours. You  should learn to make movies with your DSLR camera or your mirrorless camera. Here it is boys and girls stills images has been around for a long time in different formats. The big two is Film or Digital for most of us. Some photographers still shoot in film for nostalgia,and as a niche. Digital Photography is the newest technology. I don’t know where technology will take us into photography, but photography will still be a big part of the future. A wedding album is more important than the cake. The large wedding print on the wall. Is going nowhere. They will be on the wall in some type of format in the future. Photography did not kill out Artist who paint. Movies will not kill out photographers who take photographs. The way technology is improving. We have 3D printers now. Who know what a still image could be in the future. But it will be there in some type of form.

Very little people print pictures anymore. But when you print a image that you photographed and you have it in your hand that is a large print. It just feels real. I have went off topic. start to print your best of the best images. Because when someone sees that killer image on the wall and you tell them its your own photograph its so much more rewarding than a thumbs up or a like. I want someone to spend time to say a word or a short sentence of what they think about my work when its online….

 To the ladies I leave you a beautiful rose! To all photographers I leave you the same rose that I photographed.

 Happy Valentines Day.

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The Camera Drones Dilemma.

No News Is Good News. Unless Its Photography News!

The Camera Drones Dilemma.

With all the drama about camera drones are they even worth owning one? All I here is rules and regulations. Being completely banned in some areas. Operators of drones are crashing into people causing injuries. I was wanting to buy one up until now. I love the way you can get some cool video and still images using a drone. Until they set all the rules of operating a drone. I will hold off and I don’t have the money for one right now.But if I did I would wait. With all the bad publicity. Is the camera drone manufactures loosing sales? What do you think about camera drones? Do you think they are dangerous? Should you have to take a training course before you can fly one? Should they have some safety type sensors form hitting into objects? I mean people.
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Mirrorless Cameras Is the future or is it?

NO NEWS IS GOOD, UNLESS ITS PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS!

Is Mirrorless cameras the future? In the future maybe but right now DSLR cameras are more well rounded for a variety of different types of photography. I don’t see a mirrorless camera being as versatile as a DSLR. In the future they will be the goto cameras. They are lighter. Some can use other bands of lenses. Some even let you use speed lights from other manufactures in manual mode. I bet in the future TTL might be possible. When they can make a mirrorless camera be as versatile as the Canon 5D mark III and be a superb build quality. Then DSLR cameras watch out. Because technology is moving so fast Who knows if a new type of camera to come along will outdo DSLR and mirrorless. Who knows what the future will hold. What do you think about this blog post.

Next time lets look at a question people been saying is video going to kill still photography? 

If you like to contact me. 

My email is pictureeyecandy@gmail.com

The new 5Ds & 5Dsr cameras!

 No News Is Good News. Unless Its Photography News!

What do you think about the new 5Ds & 5Dsr canon cameras. The original 5D camera was one of the best all rounded cameras. The 5D was very versatile. You could shoot just about anything with it. Great for stills and movies. Do you think they ruined the reputation of the 5D. With the newest 5Ds/sr cameras. The 50 megapixel sounds like a great thing. 5FPS is not all that bad for such a large megapixel it produces. The ISO seems to be set up for controlled lighting like in a studio. It can make movies but its not intended for movies! If you are not going to do it right why do it at all. Having a movie feature but is inferior seems kind of useless. Completely remove the movie feature and concentrate on still images. I think they should not have called this any type of 5D because its not well rounded like the other older 5D was. I think in the future people will be talking about the older 5D cameras and saying how good they used to be. I do not think this camera is for me. I going to leave you with some positive aspect of the camera.The price point of the 50 Megapixels still camera with 5FPS. A built in intervalometer, Canon users has been wanting this for years. I don’t know this, could a intervalometer be added to even older Canon cameras using a firmware update? If someone knows the answer I would like to know. I am going to leave you with a motto for canon and my readers: NEVER STOP IMPROVING!

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My Philosophy On Photography!

Photography is an art. My camera is like a paint brush with unlimited colors, shapes, and textures. My eyes are used to see the art and to find the subjects. Over the years of learning photography and understanding different techniques. This is a must for my art. Yes anybody can take a photo or a snapshot using the cheapest or the most expensive camera. However You must be able to see the art in your subjects. Also have the skills to create your artistic vision. You can learn the technical part of photography.  Understanding all the rules is very easy. Seeing the art can be learned but it much harder.

Photography is an art! My camera is just a tool to create my artistic visions.