This thing called digital photography...

It is said that a good photographer can make beautiful images with any type of camera, be it a $10 disposable, or $10,000 top of the line full-framed digital. I agree.

But the advent of digital photography has done wonders for improving the art--making it accessible and affordable for more people, and encouraging their creativity. Take me for instance. I had always considered myself a serious hobbyist when it came to photography, I used an SLR, but usually had it set to auto to make sure I got the shot. That meant that all I needed to do was compose the photo. The camera would do the rest.

However, when I went digital, I found that I could learn how to control the features manually much more quickly because I could see my mistakes and keepers right away and make the adjustments on scene. I'm sure many others experienced the same. So the learning curve improved, and I found myself anxious to produce more creatively rendered images.

One day while surfing the 'Net, I came across a tutorial from Wacom (the stylus tablet maker). It showed how to turn a photo into an image that has a painterly effect. Even using Photoshop Elements, I was able to produce something half decent in only a few minutes. And an idea was born...

I could take photos of local scenes, turn them into these "painted photos", and offer them for sale to local tourist shop as post cards or wall art.

Well, this idea has been tweaked quite a bit, and I have refined my technique both in photographing the scenes and preparing them so that they are really something marketable. And now I have something to show for my efforts.

Here is one of my favorite pieces produced from a photo of a sunflower:



Here is the original, titled "August Sunflower"








Here is the "painted" version, titled "Solitary Sunflower"
















(Please note that all images on this site are Copyrighted, and may not be used without permission)


I really loved the finished effect, and so did many of my friends. They encouraged me to produce the "Painted" Sunflower as a notecard or as a framed image. I took their advice, and my photo hobby took on a whole new dimension. The best place to see other similar images is here. There are many selections of flowers and garden scenes, as well as beach scenes from Long Island, and Fire Island.

And, let me know what you think. Is there a particular type of image you would like me to try? Let me know, and I'll give it a go!