Let It Snow!

This is the latest creation for our friends at Insight Magazine. The gentleman in the snow globe is Dan Ariens, CEO and President of Ariens Co., a manufacturer of snow removal and lawn-care equipment. Of course he wasn't in a snow globe but we sure thought it would be cool if he was.

Winter Wonderland

I really enjoy photographing winter scenes. It's a time of the year when everything is quiet and still, a time when the tourists have gone and all that is left is you and the canvas before you. The image below, "Luminary Exhibition", was one of those scenes captured on a frozen winter morning. With temperatures below zero I set out to photograph a scene that I had captured years earlier using film. Now with the age of digital photography, I was able to capture it in ways I was unable to previously. By bracketing the scene using multiple exposures, I was able to shoot directly into the sun and combine those exposures using a program called Photomatix. This technique is often referred to as HDR "High Dynamic Range". The result is an image that represents a wide range of detail in the shadows and highlights of an image, giving it that painterly look. The best part of it, is seeing the result once those exposures have been blended together, adding a whole new dimension to photography.

The Mystery

I discovered this shot while strolling through a cemetery in Louisiana this spring. Looking at the image you might have thought I took this shot at night or in the evening. By rolling over the image you will see it was far from dark outside. By using some techniques and Photoshop filters, I achieved the illusion and mystery of being shot at night and also created an image that is much more interesting than if it was shot at night. As it turned out, this ended up being one of my favorite shots. With just a little imagination and know-how, you too can discover a whole new world of possibilities with your images.

Barbicide Photo Shoot

Challenges often are a step toward personal growth. If we look back in life it is easy to see how much we have developed when faced with challenges. This image was a challenge for our photographer and for me as a Photoshop artist. The goal was to make this model appear as if she was underwater. The end result is quite convincing but took many steps to get there, from setting up the shot to layering all the pieces of the puzzle together. The shot eventually ended up being used on the website for Barbicide and in the process I learned new blending techniques which have lead to the discovery of new and interesting ways to apply these. What seemed to be a real challenge actually was an opportunity for growth. The next time you are faced with what seems to be a difficult situation, remember that in the end you will come out the better for it.

Senior Photos

I had the "opportunity" to photograph my nephews for their senior pictures recently. I asked them before we went out shooting to think of some areas that would be some cool spots to take their pictures. Of course when I got there they really didn't have much of an idea as to where they wanted to go. As a result, I had to put on my creative thinking hat and come up with some creative shots. I was pretty happy with what we were able to make happen but I thought it might be even more fun to take the shots I had and find some different backgrounds to drop my nephews into. here are a couple of examples of what you can do with a little creativity and the ability to make it happen. Scroll over the images below to see the originals.

The Hulk

First and foremost, I have to thank Shane Van Boxtel for letting me use the portrait he photographed. It was originally used in an advertisement for a financial institution. They decided to convert the image to black & white and give him green eyes. I mentioned to Shane that I thought this image begged to have more done to it so we decided to have some fun with it. Shane went in one direction with it and I went in another. Both images ended up kicking some serious hulk. If you scroll over the image below you will see the original that we started with. The final Photoshop file had 69 layers for a total file size of 300 megs. I started first with creating the Hulk figure by changing him to green, adding motion, and dirtying him up a bit. The next part was trying to figure out what background to put him in. This is where Shane and I went in different directions. I decided to play off of the energy that there seemed to be with the image. I had taken some storm photos last summer and decided to use that as the backdrop. I also photographed a couple of wind farms last summer. The wind turbines are quite fascinating in that they are so immense. It really makes you feel small in comparison. They are a representation of how we try to harness the energy around us. I added lightning and then decided it would add a lot of drama if it looked like everything was starting to overload because of the energy the Hulk was creating. I also applied some dramatic contrast and color tint to give it that extra feel to it. I hope you have as much fun viewing it as I did creating it and hopefully you will be inspired to create your own "Hulk".

"Tricks Are For Kids"

People often ask us if we know any new tricks or what tricks we used on a project. Well there aren't any. Most people can't believe it but there are only techniques, no tricks, that help make it look like magic. I like to tell people "tricks are for kids". If you work hard and know the right techniques you can create the illusion that you did something magical.