Tag: #watercolor

Monterey Bay in Watercolor

Just one year ago, I stood on Hurricane Point looking north into Monterey Bay, admiring the white Cumulous clouds and the boulders offshore. I shot a wide angle landscape photo, so I could remember the beautiful scene.

#montereybay, #hurricanepoint, #route1, #california, #iconic, #cost, #seascape, #clearday, #september
From Hurricane Point on this clear day, the offshore boulders form leading lines to the most prominent boulder.

A year later, I processed the same image in a new way to simplify the shapes and colors with a watercolor effect. What do you think?

#topazlabs, #simplify, #processing, #montereybay, #bigsur, #routeone, #route1, #seascape, #california, #westcoast, #hurricanepoint
I gave the image a dynamic boost and simplified the details to create a watercolor effect with Topaz Simplify.

 

Beach watercolor

#florida, #Naples, #leadinglines, #beach, #horizon, #softcolors, #painting, #iphone, #palm, #symmetry
Digital processing made this photo look more like a watercolor.

It would be really cool if I were this good with watercolor painting. In truth, I make images that start as photographs, then apply my creativity with digital tools, and sometimes the end result looks very much like a watercolor. As a photographer, I look for dynamic compositions in nature. Walking on the Naples beach recently, I found this one.

The tidal pool formed a leading line to the horizon. Then, it seemed to bisect the horizon, revealing a green wedge on the land side and a blue wedge on the water side. A few interesting details offset the symmetry: the palm tree on the left side, and the tiny bird on the right. The watercolor effect smudged most of the detail in the image, and emphasized the compositional lines and soft colors. I added some finishing touches with dodging and burning in Photoshop — the digital equivalent of the old darkroom technique. I cropped the image square to eliminate what seemed like too much foreground.

“Et voila!” An iPhone photo transformed. Do you like it?

Queen palm in watercolor

I see a new series developing. It can be rewarding to play with some painterly effects in Photoshop after shooting the diverse shapes of Nature in Southwest Florida. On a walk through the Naples Botanical Garden recently, I tried to see and photograph something different this time. The Queen Palm looked so pretty with its overlapping leaves sunlit along the lake.

It was a Friday afternoon well spent. I recommend a visit to the Naples Botanical Garden, Gardens with Latitude.

 

#palm, #queenpalm, #naples, #florida, #watercolor, #tropical, #topazlabs
Queen Palm on sunny afternoon, photograph with watercolor effect