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May 12 2013

Gold Award from the SWPP!

Posted inFine Art Portraits,News,Photoshop Composite

I am really pleased to announce that I have just received a Gold Award from the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers for this image which I took recently.

The image won the award in the Location Portraiture category, which makes it even more exciting for me as it is a composite image. Although not strictly taken on location, I am still justified in putting it in the category because the finished image depicts a location portrait. The background, which is a 5 exposure HDR image that I took on location in Gravesend, is an important element in portraying the character of the subject. As with all my portraits, the subject was then photographed in the studio and introduced to the background in Photoshop. This allows me absolute control over every element of the finished image and it is particularly satisfying that it should therefore win in the Location Portraiture Category as it shows how convincing the technique is.

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Apr 08 2013

‘Fallen Eagle’ – Photoshop Montage of Duxford’s Messerschmitt bf109E.

Posted inFine Art Portraits,Photoshop Composite

‘Fallen Eagle’

Messerchmitt bf109

I am very pleased to upload my latest photoshop composite image which has been some time in the planning.

I photographed the crashed Messerschmitt bf109E at Duxford Museum, which is not far from my home. I then walked up to Rivey Hill to get some landscape images to put the Messerschmitt into, but it was a sunny day, which is never very good for montage work as I normally need to align the sun in all the elements that I put into the final image. This time though, it wasn’t too much of a problem as there is very little detail in the landscape to give the game away. What I was looking for was a suitable landing spot for a damaged aircraft and being a pilot myself, i knew what to look for. I also wanted some tractor trails which i could manipulate to look like the aircraft may have made the marks in the mud.

Once back in Photoshop, i replaced the sky for something more dramatic and faded the horizon slightly. I put the aircraft in and added shadow, smoke and bullet holes. I then played around with various colour tones and sharpening techniques to achieve the look i wanted.

I can well imagine that when this Messerschmitt crash landed during the second world war that the pilot would have undoubtedly said,  ”Gott in Himmel, I am done for, but at least the aircraft will end up in a photoshop montage!’

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Apr 04 2013

The Making of ‘Guitar Practice’ – A Photoshop Tutorial.

Posted inPhotoshop Tutorial

I have just uploaded a new tutorial video to you tube which features an image that i took in the studio along at the weekend.

In this video, i explain a technique used to overlay layers of texture onto a plain background to create the impression that the portrait was taken against a grungy textured wall. Here is the original image taken in the studio:

Photoshop tutorial Before image

And after a few techniques, an action and the use of NIK Color Efex Pro, the final image looks like this:

Guitar Practice

 So, check out the video to see how it’s done. It’s a slightly easier technique than what I would normally use, but hopefully you will find a few useful things in there. Please leave a comment if you like, as I am always pleased to hear from other photographers. And if anyone would like to book a days one to one tuition, please contact me to arrange something.


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Apr 03 2013

Latest Photoshop Composite image ~ ‘Dereliction’.

Posted inFine Art Portraits

Firstly, can I apologies for not posting on the blog for a while, but unfortunately my father passed away after a long illness. This put a strain on our family and everything else sort of ground to a halt.

But life goes on and so now the blog is back up and running again. I spent last Sunday in the studio and have a couple of new images to show you. The first one is called ‘Dereliction’ and features my daughter’s boyfriend who modelled for me. As usual, the portrait is taken in the studio using three lights and the background was an HDR image I took in a disused workshop in Gravesend last year.

Photoshop composite portrait

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Jan 16 2013

Photoshop Composite One-to-One Workshop.

Posted inPhotoshop Workshops

Photoshop Composite Portrait

Hi Everyone!

I had a really good day yesterday running a One to One workshop on Photoshop Composite Portraiture which resulted in the picture above which I now call ‘Portrait at Rannoch Moor’. Now of course the title, as well as the picture itself, is an illusion. Yes it’s a portrait, but it definitely wasn’t taken at Rannoch Moor! But that is what I love about photoshop composite portraits – the fact that it is a process made to look real, but is of course a fake.

So, you may ask, what’s the point. Why not go all the way from Cambridge to Scotland and do a portrait at Rannoch Moor?   Well, the answer is this: Photoshop Composite portraits allow the artist total control over the final image and without the cost. Let me explain:

Firstly, to do a character portrait like the one above would have meant that the two of us (photographer and subject) would have had to firstly travel all the way to Scotland either by road or by Easyjet and then hired a car. We would have then had to stay overnight and hoped for appropriate weather on the day of the shoot. We would then have had to set up studio lighting using battery packs and we would have to have got the pose, expression and composition right for the final image. (Not that that’s difficult of course –  we should all be able to do that bit as photographers – right?)

But, by doing photoshop composite portraiture, we have the following advantages:

1. The portrait can be done in the comfort of the studio with complete control over the lighting. (It doesn’t have to be in a studio though and can be done using speed lights if that’s all that’s available).

2. The speed of the studio light flash is so fast that it makes for a sharper image.

3. I can use any background I like as long as it was taken with a composite portrait image in mind and therefore using the correct lens settings, heights etc.

4. I don’t have the costs and inconvenience of taking the model or client to the location.

5. I have finite control over the background. I can even replace the sky or turn day into night, or whatever my imagination can think of.

6. They are so much more fun to produce in photoshop and I love doing them!

So, if you fancy learning the technique from start to finish and can head over to Cambridgeshire, please get in touch by emailing me at richsmartin135@aol.com

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