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If Only We Could See the Whole
Iceberg... July 18, 2008 BistiArt Blog, 2008, V 2.,
#6 Tip of an iceberg... down below, there's lots of stuff you put together about
Photoshop. After a while, your skills
all begin to come together; you start to sense when you can capture single,
perhaps mundane images as building blocks then create a unique collage. The Columbia Encyclopedia
defines collage as 'technique in art consisting of cutting
and pasting natural or manufactured materials to a painted or unpainted surface—hence,
a work of art in this medium.' I read something in a Dave Cross guest blog on Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider the 16th of July, "Mastering any
tool (especially Photoshop) means more than knowing how to use it; it means
knowing how to apply it to achieve specific results. You first have to know
what you want to achieve - and why." By the time I entered my response, Dave's blog created 62 rather
thoughtful responses from others around the Photoshop planet. My enjoyment reading the blog centered on
diligent care and thought put into many Photoshopers response. If you'd like to see my response and much that
preceded it, take a look here. I also offered Photoshop Insider readers an opportunity to see how I was using the suggestion Dave made
in my prior work here. We've all searched for new
ways to express ourselves in photography.
We've learned how to use Photoshop to reflect single image
captures. We've stepped into high
dynamic range (HDR). But it's a skillful composite of multiple images which can set us
on a completely different path. Consider
these examples:
Anasazi Moon was
on the launch pad for a couple of years.
I needed an off-world foreground, a soft yet spectacular pastel sky
showing a diffuse Edge of Light, and a surreal moon. I also needed to add Photoshop's skillful
Blend If capacity.
Let Freedom Ring resulted from an almost chance capture at a 4th of
July fireworks. By chance, I mean we
didn't have thunderstorms that evening, so we only shot fireworks. I also mean I'd also just read a Kelby blog describing how to shoot fireworks. The creative juices for the tree shape
followed; and, it was only after developing all individual bursts, that we knew
the keynote would be placement of the American flag. While one collage is simply a natural landscape, the other collage
combines truly symbolic elements into a wonderfully memorable experience. In either case, we found new meaning in our photography - "... means knowing how to apply
Photoshop to achieve specific results. You first have to know What you want to achieve - and Why." We hope these visual examples aid your perception of new creative
photography paths which are unique to your growing skills... Thanks for the germ, Dave... or was it just that tip of an iceberg? Tags:
creative Photoshop, collage, edge of light, 4th of July, new
directions A Brief History of Fireworks... July 10, 2008 BistiArt Blog, 2008, V 2., #5 Would man just be a primate without his innate curiosity? An idea nagged me before the 4th of July. If weather would just cooperate, I could
shoot my first fireworks. Some 140 images
later, I had a firework cache. In the
next day or so, a PBS piece on fireworks partially caught my notice. Meanwhile, I began putting fireworks together
in my first structured collage using a Christmas tree format. To my surprise, this curiosity would
ultimately lead to a visual and emotional awareness of the history of
fireworks... The TV show, set in Making a collage just from fireworks is quite a challenge. If your curiosity has not captured fireworks,
selected the very best images, and coordinated production of a collage, I
suggest you check out workflow between Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw, and Photoshop
CS3 for such an endeavor here. With the collage partially done, PBS replayed Nova's
Fireworks. This time, I watched a green
man twirl an English firework in 1533.
In Shakespeare's theater, I got to watch a dragon breathing fireworks
descend to the stage (early 1600s). When
I went to the PBS Nova site, I discovered the Chinese used fireworks a thousand
years ago. You can find the Nova site
here. But watching the historical aspects of Nova's Firework Special
made me finally realize my collage could embody a true spirit of independence ~
this collage just needed warm, provocative red, white, and blue colors of our
American flag. Here's
an early result! As Robert Frost said, "I
took the road less traveled, ...and that has made all the
difference!" In keeping with Tags:
fireworks, history, patriot, patriotism, collage, Frost, Jefferson Let
Freedom Ring… July 4, 2008 BistiArt Blog, 2008, V 2.,
#4 Fireworks
Revisited... …several years ago, I saw a remarkable
fireworks collage. In a blog before the 4th, a reader jogged Scott Kelby about taking fireworks pictures. Scott reproduced one of his famous tips in
the blog for July 1st ~ really, Scott said, "It only takes
about five easy steps for your set up to capture fireworks...".
Half a million people come to Nearly 500 years ago, history records fireworks in medieval "WE hold these
Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Can you imagine the emotional and spiritual fireworks before and
after In that eternally splendid, provocative spirit, we present Let Freedom Ring... Tags:
4th of July, fireworks, freedom, independence, Creator, equality, happiness Tradition... July 4, 2008 BistiArt Blog, 2008, V 2.,
#3 Fireworks,
…and, for me, a new
digital imaging freedom while playing with a friends print-on-demand captains
log for worldwide yacht cruises. He showed me a printed
page with a life style text quote put on top of a yacht. As I read through the quote, I had a visual
conflict with black lettering and some dark yacht features - I simply couldn't
see the words. As the Admiral and Captain of the
Patricia J. sail wide oceans, point-and-shoot cameras capturing JPEG's, they see quotes on T-shirts, and they want to make
photo books as mementos. Visually, I
knew this quote format really couldn't
sail... Enter Photoshop CS3, Smart Objects,
Smart Filters, and Shadow/Highlight adjustments. A little CS3 JPEG color
management set up the theme; "Can we reduce central shadows cast by the
boat's sun awning which conflict with a lifestyle quote?"
Here's our result! If you want to check out this intricate
yet changeable workflow, click here! Happy 4th of July all… Tags:
4th of July, yacht, life style, smart object, shadow, highlight,
embossed text Firefox 3.0 July 1, 2008 BistiArt Blog, 2008, V 2.,
#2 Are you riding the accelerating Firefox
bandwagon? June 17, 2008, Firefox released version
3 with 8 million downloads the first day.
Within the week, 17 million downloads (2.3 million per day) heralded
this surge. No wonder; Firefox is in 45
languages. The Pixsylated
blog shows 46% of photographers reading the blog use Firefox. Hidden beneath Firefox is an Add on capability. Hidden farther down is a preliminary Color
Management system (currently version 0 .4 beta). Naturally, you will use this capability on a
color calibrated monitor. Syl Arena (Pixsylated)
said, "The coolest feature, in my book ~ Firefox 3 can use ICC-profiles
embedded in web pix. This means if you’re looking at a portfolio site with
Firefox 3 with a profiled monitor, you’ll see color very close to how I see it
— because I embed an sRGB profile in my web images." The simplest way to add Color
Management 0.4 is to log on through Firefox here. After you've
registered and signed in, Firefox will install the add
on and you're image-ready from Photoshop to a photographer’s web. May I add another photographer's grateful
thanks... Tags:
firefox 3, color management, icc profile Books, Workshops, Slideshows, and
Articles June 10, 2008 BistiArt Blog, 2008, V 2.,
#1 Our banner stirs so many thoughts and
feelings... what are secrets to capturing such evocative light, where do you
go, and can someone help you learn to create such award-winning shots? “Writing can create new avenues
of inquiry for the viewer. In so doing,
writing enriches the entire viewing process, including later viewing of future
works by other artists. Writing is a
process of revelation. It makes thought
visible. It clarifies a thought process.
By making intuitively sensed scenes visible to the conscious mind, the familiar
is clarified; the unfamiliar is brought to light.” JP Caponigro, guest
blogging in Visual Verbal for Scott Kelby’s Photoshop
Insider, 4 June, 2008. “Photographs are visual poems; what
better way to practice visual poetry than with written poetry? What better way
to add clarity to your personal art world than through use of words as a lens? The written word is a muscle we flex on a
daily basis. Writing is key to deeper understanding as
a visual artist. While we can touch, taste, and feel – writing brings deeper
understanding in our grasp when we write.” Vincent Versace, responding to Caponigro
in Comments, 4 June, 2008. These credos support our view of nature
photography’s future…
"Light, not an Object,
is the Source of Color!" Most people think of White Sands as just
that ~ white; this predawn shot, Lavender Dawn, clearly supports In these dawn and dusk shots, the
evocative ambience is a result of indirect light. Blue, lavender, pink, and rose ~ soft pastel
colors, part of the natural pageantry when light first touches or finally departs
our land. We provide fine art photography books,
Photoshop workshops, slideshows of award-winning images, and a series of
articles defining emotions associated with such a sweeping range of photography.
Articles - While photography is a prime
passion, its sister, writing, helps
me add balance, depth, and perspective. I
find I need to take a picture, see if it's worthy of merit, then express my
feelings about the picture's visual and verbal poetry. We invite you to peruse: Light’s Magic
Hour Kaleidoscope – a
brief explanation of how dawn and dusk light color our view of gorgeous
landscapes. Light's Passion
Play - a
visual/verbal take off on light from the focus on light spurred by Shakespeare in Love. The Subway - a visual interview of the ever diligent
David Lyons and his repeated efforts to capture a truly classic photo using
natural light as focus. Bosque Impressions – winter at Bosque del
Apache is a time when sand hill cranes dominate. Sky colors add a velour-like drama with a
remarkable ambiance of color. Dare to be Blessed – a chronicle of 24 magical hours when nature
and thunderstorms were at their very best.
Several of these images fared well in judged and juried competitions. Welcome back; we are excited about all
these new directions! This blog is to let us talk...
Periodically, when I'm not out shooting, digitally enhancing, or writing, I'll
try to keep you abreast of new and exciting changes from Bisti Art. See you at BistiArt… Joe Books, Workshops, Slideshows, Articles, Awards, People’s Choice, Fine Art Photography Tags: books, Workshops, workflow, articles, light,
HDR, high dynamic range, digital tours, fine art photography BistiArt@geocompa.com ©2006-2008,
Chopawamsic LLC, All Rights Reserved
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