One of my favorite things to do is to use a photograph that is only taken in passing, as my palette for a new piece.
This is a wonderful example of how I play in my spare time.
This photo was taken while I was metering light.
I was out on a hired shoot for a young couple, taking engagement portraits. They wanted a shot with the Caveman Bridge in the background. Lovely shot. To get the portrait we walked out on another bridge, one of my favorites in Grants Pass, Oregon, that stands parallel to the more historic Caveman Bridge. Here on this side is positioned the Lodge at Riverside, a fantastic tourist resort, home to the famous Hellgate Canyon Jet Boats.
I’m looking through my lens and snap this landscape without a thought. No true vision of composition in mind. Months later, while cataloging some of the hundreds of raw shots I store, I stumble upon this and start to play.
There are a variety of effects in this piece. Along with my standard vignette and radial gradient overlay (that I’m slowly becoming known for), I’ve done some very simple painting with the preset smart brushes. I really feel that anyone could do this, given the skills to navigate PSE. Elements has done something so spectacular by making my beloved Photoshop into a program that most scrap-booking mothers could control.
I used the greenery, cloud contrast, sunset, and high contrast smart brushes in this transformation, tweaking and adjusting the settings and gradient styles on each. I found the reflected style gradient to be quite useful here, especially with the river surface. I do very little not in excess so as is my standard I have upped the contrast and saturation levels to my style.
There are a few more complex things in play with this piece, including hand painted greenery and mountains and some texture changes. If you would like specific details on what I’ve done, please message me here at the site, I am happy to share.
This photo can also be found in my gallery with #KapowNotes here.
Cheers,
Katie
