THIS PHOTO WAS RECOGNIZED BY PPSDC. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY.
IT RECEIVED AN AWARD OF MERIT
I created this image in January of 2019. It is a composite of 5 different photographs. I had been doing a lot of composite work, mostly with my newborn/baby clients using digital backgrounds. Photoshop has always been a tool I've enjoyed. So, I decided to have a little creative fun with my boys.
It was an overcast day with light showers. My boys and I were home for the day enjoying our property and playing in the field. Me, with my camera and brand new TAMRON 90MM MACRO lens I had just bought and was super excited to play with. And the kids with their rain boots and raincoats.
Since the earth was damp from the light showers, snails were out and about. I decided to grab a few shots of the snails and play with different aperture settings. You may not realize it, but the snails in the photo are actually the same snail. Different photographs which were taken seconds apart from each other. The only reason they look different is because I flipped one image and photoshopped the shell so that the imperfections wouldn't be a giveaway.
This is the snail pictured on the left |
This is the snail pictured on the right |
The Composite just kind of unfolded as we went along. It wasn't planned out by any means. As I was photographing the snails, I thought 'i should photoshop the boys sitting on the snails'. I started with Liam. I had him sit on a bench and hold his hands like he was holding reins. My original idea would be that the snails would have reins lol. So he held up his fists and make an expression of excitement. Next, it was Levi's turn. He, being 4 1/2 at the time was a bit more rambunctious and impatient for following directions. I got what I could. With children, you got to roll with the punches. The stick was a way to make him keep his hands up which originally I thought I'd photoshop out and put in the reins. But hey! It's how the creative process works. Here are the two images of my boys:
It was now time to make the composite. Alot of selecting and masking, rotating and adjusting, dodging and burning, blending and cloning. I then decided reins would not look right. I looked through images and found a perfect blade of grass to photoshop into Liam's fist. and Tuh Duh! |
My boys are very competitive. Liam was not happy that he had a blade of grass and his brother had a larger stick. He complained sadly that Levi was going to WIN. I told him I will keep this in mind for future composites.