Sometimes images can gain a dramatic effect adding sunrays. First, I selected a sky that had potential and increased the canvas size to accommodate the foreground. I then found a landscape image that was taken at sunset but lacked a pretty sky. In that image I selected the sky with the magic wand, then the inverse and used the move tool to drag the foreground into the composite. I cleaned the horizon using a 5-15 pixel eraser at about 80% […]
Several years ago I visited numerous tutorials on creating lightning in Photoshop. I recently revisited them to see if things had changed, but for the most part lightning tutorials render the effect from clouds, and go though numerous steps to get to the finished product. Unfortunately, when you are done you have created something that looks similar to lightning, but it’s totally random. If it doesn’t fit your needs, you have no choice but to try again. With my method, […]
3d effects are always fun with Photoshop. Some images are already so sharp you feel like you can jump right in, but the illusion of an image extending beyond the frame adds that third dimension even if the background is blurry. With this particular dragonfly, I had already spent a painstaking few hours separating the wings and cleaning up the translucency, which was dappled from a multicolored background. This was not a task I’d wish on anyone, but it’s a […]
Reflections are tricky. It’s easy enough to fool someone by adding a reflection, but if you’re serious about doing it right, you have to study real reflections. The elevation and angle of any shot determines the reflection you would see. Recently while in Moab for a photo shoot, we were fortunate enough to have some rain that filled numerous puddles in the rocks. The funny thing is that you can walk past the puddles and see nothing but blue, which […]
In October 2010 we led a group to Moab. One of our workshops started at Gold Bar campground where we took sunrise reflections of the cliffs from the bank of the Colorado River. While we were there a group with motorized paragliders took off from the parking lot and flew up and down the canyon. It was a real added bonus for our photographers. From there we hiked to Corona Arch, and if you’re into Moab lore you might have […]
There are places in the world where rail lines pass through exotic places. I’m always interested to see how often such locations as the Glenfinnan Viaduct or the Arten Gill Viaduct show up in films. Since I’m not planning any trips to Scotland or England in the near future, I have to manufacture my own exotic rail lines. The UP engine was shot at the Cheyenne rail yard during a fieldtrip with the Loveland Photographic Society. The landscape is west […]