Stealing Beauty: Birds of Paradise at Centruy City Mall

[Asher Kelman]

There's a great place in Century City for the fish. Everything is fresh and cooked just enough to be a reliable place to celebrate anything.

While waiting for our table I often skip out to photograph whatever is blooming in the flower beds. Today the Birds of Paradise looked on fire in the rapidly fading light.

Asher Kelman: Evening Bird of Paradise

50mm Pentacon f1.8 with an helical mount on the Sony A7R​

Feedback welcome!


Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Again, I'm tempted to explore a graphic version using Topaz Impression.

Asher Kelman: Evening Bird of Paradise

50mm Pentacon f1.8 with an helical mount on the Sony A7R​

I myself am impressed at the scheme by which the software "knows" where to "fill in" and where to draw gracefully. At the least, this could be an aid in improving one's sketches! Let me know how you might like this preparation of the photograph.



Asher

 

[Jarmo Juntunen]

Asher, I'm usually not too interested in digital art, as it's called, but this one is a beautiful exception. I really like it.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Asher, I'm usually not too interested in digital art, as it's called, but this one is a beautiful exception. I really like it.

Thanks Jarmo for these words of support. I too have looked askance at willy nilly use of pre-made filters to generate something attractive out of something quite ordinary. However, it seems that we're entering an era of very smart algorithms which will allow certain ideas of abstraction and stroke rendering to work very well wii particular photographs.

If one starts with a great picture with fundamentally good composition, then likley as not, one of hte modern filters from Topaz Impression can be customized to bring out a new expression of the elelemnts within the picture. It's as if we now have a camera connected to a digital pain can thrower to a giant canvas - akin to inkjet but with purposeful inaccuracies of pain loading, dripping, projection or else ultra fine strokes and milky washes where a lot of color one was in the original.

While I still have an aversion for filters replacing artistic invention, one can now imagine a picture in far many forms than previously allowed.

Asher

 

[Maggie Terlecki]

Both images are lovely, Asher. The filtered one looks like a mixed media of charcoal and pastels. I know a lot of the filters do amazing things, and although I understand it, and I play digitally all the time, I just still push away from the one button approach. I used to paint all the time on canvas but hardly ever anymore except for some digital work and I still love making every stroke albeit with digital brushes. Guess it makes me feel like I have more control over my vision. That does not take away from the final result which again, is lovely.

Maggie

 

[Asher Kelman]

Both images are lovely, Asher. The filtered one looks like a mixed media of charcoal and pastels. I know a lot of the filters do amazing things, and although I understand it, and I play digitally all the time, I just still push away from the one button approach. I used to paint all the time on canvas but hardly ever anymore except for some digital work and I still love making every stroke albeit with digital brushes. Guess it makes me feel like I have more control over my vision. That does not take away from the final result which again, is lovely.

Maggie

Thanks for your kind words and input. I do feel that the pre-designed filters allow one to jumpstart the creative process and if one is careful, one will still make one's own marks.

I'm not sure how I will finally use the tools, but am interested in exploring further.

Asher