Vendor Spotlight - Wicker by Design

Just wanted to give readers a heads up on a vendor that has been used by many of my portrait and wedding photog customers for over 20 years, Wicker by Design. Be sure to check out their gallery of props in wood, metal, willow... and yes, wicker.... that can help enhance and simplify posing, maybe even give you some ideas on developing new, distinctive product lines or reach other markets.

I did a little makeover just to show you how Wicker by Design products can work in conjunction with our creative digital work to produce a unique style that can help distinguish your work from the competition. Here is the original image by Linda Durham using a window seat prop


Here is my "creative makeover"...

Here is the final print on a textured watercolor paper, finished in our "museum mount" which includes hand torn deckle edge and float mount, a true fine art look, distinctive and unique. Eliminates the need for expensive custom matting and framing, simply pop it into a ready-made frame with glass (try pictureframes.com for cost effective choices).

We have been using this method to create winning competition prints as well.
For more information on Wicker by Design products, be sure to call my friend, Susan Moore at 800-731-6666

Creative Imaging Video

Here is a little video I put together with ProShow Gold, "exploring" a number of variations on the same image; hope you find it edifying to your "creative vision"...

Need more info on our digital and printmaking services?... click here



You can see my other video here

Competition Printmaking Showcase

I just wanted to put up some before and afters to show you some treatment possibilities for your competition images. If you are considering entering, feel free to email me some images, and I'll be glad to give you some tips on the best choices and some ideas to help take your images to the next level. I can provide mounted,"ready-to-enter" prints, or do creative workups of your files to be printed yourself or by your photo lab. Call my office for further information, 631-874-3409. Here is our first image, before....




I added my own "glass plate" overlay (will be available in my upcoming actions collection, "Vintage Photo Borders & Textures). I used curves in a "split-tone" configuration to give color balance more like an old masters oil painting, burned the corners with a curves layer mask for the following result:


Original image:




I added a Polaroid Transfer overlay (coming in my second collection), along with muting the colors with a hue and saturation layer, then shifting the color balance with a separate curves layer. For the final competition image, I would print on textured watercolor paper, hand tear the edges, then mount onto another watercolor paper underlay....

This next image was scanned from an infrared negative (don't need that anymore with some of the new cameras...)
I used curve layers to darken and add contrast and burn down the corners and the sky; often, the biggest improvement in image impact comes from those 3 basic adjustments. The split tone was added with a separate curves layer; most of my color balancing is done that way, never with the color balance sliders.

the original image...

In this finished image, I used a scanned Daguerreotype as a texture layer, and left the clipped corners just as they appeared in the original. The texture comes from the irregular patches of mold bloom and iridescent tarnishing that took its toll over the course of 150 years. I would print this on our "Gallery" semi-gloss paper for maximum black density for the final comp image.

Here are several mounting/presentation options I typically use; the first is image only, floating in a black background. Notice the bottom margin is wider than the top for a more pleasing composition.

Here is the classic PPA competition presentation with black background and thin stroke border added. The distressed image border as seen above was removed and the corners burned down substantially...

This is a my new mounting technique with a "museum" or "exhibition" look and feel. I create a mount board with an "inset panel", then overlay that with a sheet of textured watercolor paper. The printed image is float mounted up off the inset panel giving a dimensionality to the overall presentation; kind of tough to appreciate in the photo below...

Here is a close-up detail of the inset panel:

I'm also experimenting with printed textures on the paper underlay before applying it to the mount board; obviously there are endless possibilities...

Hope this has been helpful. Be sure to visit my other posts for more "before and afters" and inspiration images. Also, note that we are running our 50% off Studio Sample Sale on prints 20 x 24 to 40 x 60, available on watercolor paper or Gallery semi-gloss. For more information on our Giclee printmaking, read the Giclee FAQ post.


Relevant Posts:Building Image Impact, Part 1

Building Image Impact, Part 2

Creating Distressed Image Effects

Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 1

Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 2

Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 3

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 1

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 2

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 3

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 4

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 5

Plus more examples in my video, "The Printmaker's Vision"

Distressed and Vintage Photo Effects, Part 2

Important note:

If you have not done so already, you should check out the fastest growing photo forum on the web, DigitalPhotoPros.....

Upload images and exchange ideas in a caring community of fellow photogs. You can also visit my own forum thread where members post their "before" image and I post the "makeover".

Sign up today (be sure to type "Jonathan Penney" in the referral box) and enter the latest image competition. I'm supplying a free 16 x 20 Giclee print to the winner....

Now, moving on to Part 2 in this series (read "Part 1")....

This image of a weathered old church was the perfect subject for one of my favorite effects.

From my collection of antique glass plate negatives, from circa 1900, I chose one with nicely distressed edges and a good amount of blank background, and did a high res scan on my Epson 4850 scanner, to produce the file below:
In Photoshop, I cloned out the subject to produce one large, blank area with just the texture, grain, scratches, dust, etc.

This file was blended with the original church image to provide the distressed texture and border effect; sepia tone was done with curves. I also blurred and vignetted the corners to simulate the inferior lens quality of the day.

Below is an actual print from a glass plate that helped supply some technical guidance:

The next image was given another "vintage photo" effect, by scanning one of my tintypes and blending it with the original in similar fashion to the above.

I desaturated the original image layer and added a "split tone" with curves to simulate the color of a tintype image; the highlight values were brought way down and contrast was lowered, again, using curves:

And here's an actual tintype that acted as a guide for color, contrast, and density:

For this final image, I reached back to the very roots of photography by using one of my badly faded Daguerreotype images as an overlay. By combining it with this image,

I produced this image, full of character and texture, tarnish, scratches, mold and vignetting:


And here is a typical Daguerreotype, used as a guide.
Although this is a fun excercise, I'm finding a great interest in these "distressed" or "grunge" effects among photographers in the senior market, and even some for the wedding market.

In the next article, I'll showcase some really wild effects inspired by "alt photo" processes such as Polaroid transfers, cyanotype, and bromoil.

AND... I'm hard at work putting these all into a collection for photogs to use themselves. Stay tuned for a release date...

Relevant Posts:

Building Image Impact, Part 1
Building Image Impact, Part 2
Creating Distressed Image Effects
Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 1
Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 2
Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 3
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 1
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 2
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 3
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 4
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 5
Plus more examples in my video, "The Printmaker's Vision"

Distressed and Vintage Photo Effects, Part 1

As I mentioned in a previous post on "Creating Distressed Effects in Photoshop", I have a special love for vintage photographic processes, which turns up in my imaging style. I feel like digital images are often too perfect, too sterile, devoid of the "character" that was inherent to the look of the early photographic processes. I also like the idea of reaching back through the history of photography to find inspiration for the craft.

Most of these border effects are scanned from actual vintage images from my own personal collection of glass plates, daguerreotypes, tintypes, etc.

This first image was shot by Portrait Photographer, Serena Charlebois; here is the orginal file:

I produced this border by scanning an old Kodacolor negative from the 1950's, then inverting it to make the edges clear. I cloned out the original image to leave just the film grain, texture, and yellowed edges. I used curves to skew the color balance toward that of a faded, color shifted slide, along with a small amount of desaturation. Here is an actual color slide from the 1950's that I used to help guide me for color balance and overall "feel".

This next image is from photographer Catherine Carter:

This version was inspired by one of the earliest photographic processes, the "calotype" introduced in 1841 by Henry Fox Talbot. The process produced a paper negative, which was waxed for transparency, then printed back onto another piece of sensitized paper to produce the final print.

Here is an actual calotype; to reproduce the effect in the above image, I scanned an antique photographic print for the border and texture, then added sepia tone using curves. I used levels to force the blacks to "block up", a characteristic of these types of images.

The next image is by Belliveau Photography.

I wanted to emulate the look of an "Autochrome" which was one of the first commercially successful methods for producing color photographs, popular from 1907 through the late 1920's. The method produced a transparency with muted colors and "pointilistic" style grain.

I applied a border that was scanned from one of my glass plate negatives from around 1895. I used "add noise" to produce the grain effect, curves to shift the color, and did a small amount of desaturation to mute the colors overall.

Here is an actual Autochrome, which helped as a guide to color, saturation, and texture.

Keep in mind that these effects, as with any treatment, are often "image specific", that is to say they work best on certain types of images, and would look incongruous and clumsy on others. Part of the art of photography is developing a coherent sense of style, bringing together all the image elements in a harmonious way. I think we all have some inuititive sense of what works and what doesn't. I may try to speak more to this in a future post.

Also, most of the finalized images would probably do best printed small, say 5 x 7 or 8 x 10, then matted in an oversized mat and thin black museum frame, an elegant and timeless presentation that treats them like the little visual "gems" that they are. Something like this:

For printing the Autochrome and Calotype images, I would choose a smooth matte or watercolor paper; for the vintage color film effect, I would print onto a semi-gloss or glossy paper that echos the feel of a 1950's snapshot.

In my next post, I will be showing before and after images in which I have incorporated borders from Daguerreotypes, Tintypes, and Glass Plate Negatives....

I am considering putting these and other distressed, aged borders and textures into a collection to make available to photographers for use in their own work. I will keep you "posted"...

Was this article helpful?... Forward it to fellow photogs by clicking on the "envelope" icon below:

Building Image Impact, Part 2

What exactly do we mean when we speak of "image impact"? By definition of the word "impact", it is implied that there will be a reaction of some sort on the part of the viewer. It can be on several different levels, including both emotional and physical. As image makers, we are all striving to "move" the viewer in some way, are we not? With that as our starting point, we can proceed to analyze the elements of visual presentation and how we can control them to tell our story clearly and concisely, in a visually compelling, interesting and unique way.

In part one of this series,we mentioned that there are six basic elements of visual presentation that we have to work with in telling our photographic story. As storytellers, we have the opportunity to very deliberately direct our viewers attention to the heart of the story as it is told within it's context ( In photographic terms, we would speak of the subject in relation to the background). One of the principles of human visual perception is that the eye is naturally drawn to contrast (either density or color contrast) and sharpness; in the series of images below, you'll see how I deliberately make use of that principle in the imaging process. and how the story (or subject) is made clear within the context (background).

Many thanks to a fabulous photographer and client, Kerry Brett Hurley, for supplying this image, from which we created a PPA competition print, which she entitled "Someone to Watch Over Me"; notice how, as printmakers, our decisions on image treatment flow from and enhance the story, as suggested by the title.

Here is the original image:

1. Composition

Although I don't mind images that are not necessarily "straight", in this case I felt the leading lines would be strengthened by straightening to the horizon line; I felt that a strong horizontal crop was more interesting visually, helped bring the viewer into the story, and helped provide a panoramic feel to this visual representation of "life's journey" as suggested by the title. This is a perfect example of how the printmaker's skills can be used to enhance the story as captured by the photographer. I purposely cropped with some extra image canvas, which would be cloned in later.

Here is the version with image "material" filling in the blank; I simply copied and pasted an adjacent section, then blended and cleaned up with the clone and healing tools.

Again, referring to the title, I wanted the "someone" to be watching "over" the subject, rather than preceding him. If left as is, a different title would have been needed, something about being "guided" or "led". But that was not the story the photographer wanted to tell. I also removed the second bird on the left side; here is the result:

2. Density/Contrast

Now that we were happy with a composition that was visually interesting and consistent with the story, we moved on the decisions about the density and contrast. Should it be flat, contrasty, light or dark? What would be appropriate to the mood? These decisions are mostly subconscious and intuitive, and only in looking back as I write this can I explain the decision. Some emotions suggested by the image and title would be "loneliness", "apprehension" and "foreboding", so it seemed that a dark and brooding presentation would be appropriate. (I must admit that my own personal creative style tends toward this treatment, and I need to be careful that I don't impose this on every image that comes my way!!!) I use Curves in Photoshop for all contrast and density adjustments; the only time I use Levels is to adjust the blacks to make sure that there is at least a few 100% throughout the image.

3. Burning/Dodging

I love the ultimate control that Photoshop provides for controlling the density of local areas of the image. This is where the printmaker can guide the viewer to the "story" and keep the eye from wandering aimlessly around the image. In human perception, the eye naturally gravitates to the lighter portion of the image. I routinely do a corner "burn" on most images. My preferred method is to "paint" in a darkened curves layer mask; this helps avoid obvious manipulation.
4. Focus/Sharpness

Although in this case, the photographer could not make use of selective focus on the capture side, I took some liberty to blur the corners very slightly; another method to direct the eye, which tends to seek out the areas of sharpness and avoid the areas of softened detail. This treatment also mimics the way that we actually see; our vision is sharp only in a very small section at the center; the perimeter is blurred. By using this effect in a 2 dimensional image, it helps give the impression of added depth by mimicking the experience of the 3 dimensional world. Obviously, this effect must be very judiciously applied; I simply used a rectangular selection with a high radius and applied a little Gaussian Blur.
5. Color Balance

Although I love the stark feel of the BW image, I felt that some subtle color would enhance the mood. By adjusting the red and blue channels in curves, I produced a "split tone" effect. This color balance provides additional image contrast through the mid-tones as they "split" between the two colors. I rejected a simple warm or sepia color balance, which evokes emotions of nostalgia, warmth and well-being, for the more provocative, disturbing and surreal feeling of the this particular tonality. (Again, these decisions were intuitive at the time, and only now on reflection can I analyze what subconscious thoughts were behind them). I think "duo-tone" reflects the "tension" that has been set up in the story between the safety of the past and the unknowns of the future, how small we are and how big this world is, etc. (Okay, now am I out on a limb here??? You guys would let me know, right???)
6. Texture/Border Treatment

I love grain; maybe it makes the image feel more photographic to me, I'm not sure why, but I enjoy the gritty texture. Or maybe the texture makes the image feel more palpable...just thinking out loud now. Anyhow, for whatever reason, I thought it a good choice...

And finally, because this was ultimately for a PPA competition print, I added a stroke border with a black background. In this case, I felt that adding a "distressed" style border would overdo the treatment and distract from the story (just 'cause ya can, doesn't mean ya should!).

Relevant Posts:

Building Image Impact, Part 1

Creating Distressed Image Effects
Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 1
Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 2
Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 3
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 1
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 2
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 3
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 4
Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 5
Plus more examples in my video, "The Printmaker's Vision"

Building Image Impact; Six Basic Controls

As we have discussed in previous posts, our goal in printmaking is to tell the photographic story through compelling images. Building visual impact is essential to grabbing and holding the viewer's attention. We use six basic elements that, when properly adjusted or enhanced, can transform your images dramatically. They are composition/cropping; focus/sharpness; contrast/density; burning/dodging; texture/border treatment; and color balance. There are, of course, other choices to be made in the display/presentation of the final printed image, such as paper choice and finish, print size, framing/matting, etc.

Here is the original image by Zeb Starnes, taken in flat, overhead lighting:

I felt the subject/story was better suited with a tighter crop to eliminate some unnecesary background elements. I cropped at an angle to give an added sense of motion.

Next, I wanted to focus attention on the subject, so I selectively blurred the background to simulate shallow depth of field/wide open camera aperture.

To overcome the flat lighting, I used curves to increase contrast, while darkening the entire image:

The heavy corner burn directs the eye to the subject by playing down the busy background elements. The burn comes from a separate curves layer set very dark, then selectively painted in just where I wanted it; this method gives tremendous control and avoids the "tunnel" effect that presets or actions sometimes produce.

For added visual interest, I added my "glass plate" border, which gives a nice aged, distressed edge, along with some grain texture. As with many of our texture/border treatments, I produced this myself by scanning one of my antique glass plate negatives, and combining it with the original image. (I also use scans from tintypes, daguerreotypes, aged papers and more)

Lastly, I wanted to "flavor" the image with a more interesting color balance; I used the red and blue curves to provide a subtle sepia/split tone.

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Relevant posts:

Creating Distressed Image Effects

Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 1

Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 2

Creative Vision and the Printmaker Part 3

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 1

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 2

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 3

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 4

Photoshop and Your Creative Vision Part 5

Plus more examples in my video, "The Printmaker's Vision"