Photo Experimentation

This page provides examples of photographs taken that experiments in a finished product yielded interesting and sometimes bizarre results. Different photo programs provided different results, some good and some not so good. It is fun to experiment to see pops up on the screen and modifying. Check these pictures out and see how they affect your viewing perceptions.




If this picture looks familiar, it is a variation of the one on the first page of this site. I simply turned it on its side and then added a vignette process. The picture works well in either direction. Some pictures do in fact have this capability. It adds to the fun. You can envision climbers with their ropes moving up the structure to see the world that surrounds them. This is another pictures to do in Metallic. I have several I wish to do this process. Of course, I may have to sell a few possessions to get everything I want completed. When you view the larger 

version, it invites you to see what is at the top.




Red Snails In The Sunset

My granddaughter painted this a few years ago. I happened to take a picture of it, and it's a good thing. She lost the original during several moves. She excels in the abstract and I enjoy the picture immensely. My plan is to have it printed on canvas. I've used this technique before and it works well.  First, I resize the picture in Photoshop to the desired size. I also take a colored print with me so the person making the canvas print gets the colors correct.



SVEN

This is my manikin I bought him to use at photo shows. He's been everywhere with me. I put him in the passenger seat of my car just to watch the reactions. It is quite amazing. I also took him to a class reunion and he was the hit of the event. I dress him in different outfits throughout the year. He is over six feet tall. In this particular photo shoot I did it in the living room of my house. I adjusted the light in the room, shot him from different angles and with different body parts. I liked this head shot because it brought out his excellent features. It was an ideal subject as he never talks and I can concentrate. So, if you happen to see a manikin standing on the corner with an art show sign; check it out, it might be Sven.

The Consummate Cadillac Hood Emblem

The crest and the "V" are on the front of a 1949 Cadillac. I shot numerous pictures of the car and thought the condition was such that it deserved photographing. I did this in a friend's garage in Tallahassee, Florida. He had just recently purchased the car in original condition. It magnificently stated its place in the cars from that era; long, stately and elegant. I've always liked the Coat of Arms that Cadillac uses. It says a lot.

                                                                 

 It does indeed snow in Arkansas. This snowstorm a few years ago   bent and battered trees in my yard. I took this shot at night while   the storm raged. In the aftermath, I trimmed and removed tress and bushes. I like the photograph and the way the different shades of l light reflected on the snow. This is located on the back of my house. The artificial palm tree survived without a problem. The snow on the table gives an idea of how much snow had fallen. We were housebound for a day or two. The Jockey is named Joe. He came from Rhode Island and is over 100 years old. I talk to him all the time and he has some great ideas. 



I was in Austin, Texas staying a few days with my granddaughter. I went out to explore the neighborhood and found this neat bridge going across a canal. I set my camera up on a tripod and simply tilted it for the shot. It nicely picked up shadows, had a nice depth of field with a exit that allowed for my imagination to exploit the picture as a dangerous path to follow to get to safety on the other side. With its tilt, the person needed excellent balance to compensate and not fall. It was a great location to photograph. One has to open their eyes and take in everything.

The Crookedy Bridge

Clinton Walking Bridge

This scene allowed me use verticals, horizontals and diagonals. The curvature of the bridge provided a good depth of perception. I selected Black and White as the media. I also have a color version, but I thought the B&W help capture the era the Railroad built the bridge. I took the picture early in the morning where there minimal pedestrian traffic.

This is the Clinton Walking Bridge in Little Rock, Arkansas. It's an old Railroad Bridge converted for pedestrian use. On a cool fall morning it is fun to quickly walk across and view the Arkansas River in North Little Rock.

 Find the picture

Taking an existing photograph and tweaking in an editor is an opportunity to bring more life to an existing work. Why bother when Mother Nature does such an excellent job. This the Bridge of Roses in Shelburne Falls, MA. I stood on the traffic and pedestrian bridge and caught this neat reflection. It sort of a reflection of a reflection of a reflection. The water was dead still and aided in my effort. I did cheat and used my tripod and it made the picture better. You can turn it upside down and gain an entire different perspective. 

The Enigmatical Girl ~created in a virtual world by her intergalactical A & B Creators. Circles and Ellipticals make her world a reality among the human things seen on the blue planet. We earthlings remain confused about the reality of what is seen. It learned to speak and now complex conversations computed in cubes and geometrics allow thought patterns to form. The colors constantly change as well as the size of the orb or ellipses. Enigmatical Girl has discovered that humans thrive on sex and inside the complex contents of her body sexual urges are developing. She has learned to modify the shape of her created body and is sending signals to the human males for them to ponder. What now you say? Is there pleasure or is it a trap to control the human male mind. Only Enigmatical Girl knows the answer. 

I found a picture using ellipticals and liked the concept so I played around with shapes and and created the full color picture. I gave this picture to a dear friend. I've known her for several years and we jive in our conversations and viewpoints. She and her partner are both very close to me. It provides me an opportunity to express my friendship through art.  

Might as well experiment with how to show the Enigmatical Girl using different effects. On the left I used the InfraRed Setting and liked the way it changed the impact of the photo.

Perhaps this makes her more believable using this concept. After all she is not human and no matter how you perceive her, she has a hidden beauty. I liked the way the black and white  showcase her shape.

The last change on the right features a Holgalish concept that not only changed the photo to Black and White, but toned the edges. Once again the blacks and whites made the photo pop and her shape appears more evocative to me. All the copies frame well. A real fun project.

This is the picture of the car (The Visit) from the home page with some Photoshop chicanery. I like doing this process and keep a small collection of offbeat pictures. The actual photo is exotic. I've done it on semi-gloss paper. I intend to do a version of glossy and then compare to see which version pops better. I draw and paint the picture and then play with photographic possibilities. The photos sell well at shows. I have the original (full color acrylic) framed and in a local gallery for display.