Todays post is a bit of a departure for me…..
It’s still very much about photography, the image above is constructed from three different landscape shots I took while I was in Spain this winter, but it’s obviously more about what I’ve done to the photos since…
My buddy Scilla at http://www.scillagrace.com requested I come up with something with a feathered theme, and I got the impression she might appreciate something other than a straight photo as we’d been talking painting…
So Scilla, this is for you…
Apologies to photography purists out there…I usually use photoshop purely to get my raw files into ‘summat wot’ you can see on the web, plus a smidge of sharpening and some colour/exposure balancing…Standard stuff….but I do like some of the more creative ways photoshop can be used.
This is only the second composite piece I’ve done and I’m damn sure an expert could pick all kinda holes in it, but I really enjoyed the process, especially as it was raining outside and actually taking shots was a no-no.
All Images Copyright Stuart Allan Hyde.
stuart allan hyde ______ 
scillagrace
Just for ME??!! Wow! This is actually really cool. I highly appreciate the drama…very Lohengrin. It is quite a story shot, but if you hadn’t confessed to creating it, I probably would have figured it’s not quite natural anyway. What I really like is that it puts the swan into a much wilder context. After all, they are migratory birds and must have more substance than the placid decorations you usually see drifting around in corporate ponds. So, I like your “feather” inspiration very much. I adore Wagner, too.
Stuart
I’ve got to be in the mood for Wagner……but the thought of this swan dude doing a ‘ride of the Valkyries’ kinda thing, maybe chucking fireballs at fleeing villages in an Apocalypse Now stylee would make for another fine composite idea…
Or maybe I should just listen to something peaceful (cellos ?) and shoot a few nice simple landscapes….leave it to the camera?
Anyway…glad you’re happy with the results….even if the feather link was a little tenuous.
🙂
cmobleydesigns
I enjoyed your post. Thank you for sharing.
Chris Mobley
http://www.cmobleydesigns.com
Stuart Hyde - shpics
Glad you liked it Chris….great to see you on here!
🙂
elenacaravela
So well done!
Stuart Hyde - shpics
Thankyou.
It was fun to do, though my language did get a little colourful on occasions.
🙂
Helen Cherry
OMG WOW Stuart… How clever of you ! All you neesd to do to improve it in my eyes is to tone down the swan to make it a little less bright and it would be just pefect..
Stuart Hyde - shpics
I did do a more ‘true to reality’ subdued kinda version but it somehow looked less real…(I know what I mean, honest I do…)
I thought it looked like it was trying to hard to fool…
so I plumped for a kind of hyper-reality instead….
But you’re right of course…I am very clever indeed…and attractive……
Mr SHpics…Smarter than Hawking, cuter than Bambi!
Helen Cherry
and a wit to boot !
Stuart Hyde - shpics
Well..I’m half way there…
😉
tanya ellis
thats beautiful !!
Stuart Hyde - shpics
It’s a Greenhill swan…….
🙂
csd7227
Beautiful!
Stuart Hyde - shpics
Thanks…….
🙂