As this is the last article in this series, and I have covered many important aspects of working with models, it’s time to let your imaginations run wild! Being creative hasn’t always come naturally to me. I remember many years ago, viewing the girls at my school who attended art class with such great envy. I could not draw or paint, and although the art room at school fascinated me with its wide array of creative tools, I felt I didn’t have a creative bone in my body. Indeed, it wasn’t until I started my hairdressing career (photography still being an inaccessible yet coveted medium back then) that I found a way to express myself creatively. Through make-up and clothing, I discovered I could show the world a creative side of myself that I never thought existed. Still, it wasn’t until nine or so years ago, when I went back to high school as an adult student to learn photography, that I started to realise the limitlessness of the art of photography and the fun that can be had in the digital darkroom. I believe that today, my photography is made 40% incamera and 60% in-post. I always work in Photoshop and have the Nik Filters by DXO Labs plug-in. I love the use of textures in photography, the way a texture can create more depth and interest to my work and lifts it from snapshot to fine art. Combined with image manipulation, this can transform an ordinary image into an artwork that begins to look and feel like a painting. APPLYING TEXTURES Over the years, I have created a large file full of textures that I have harvested with my camera of many different surfaces, shapes and subjects. I have certain ‘go-to’ textures which I know will work well, but more often than not, I spend a lot of time playing around to find a texture that will suit the individual image I’m working on. Using your own images as textures is essential because if we take one from the internet, we can come up against copyright issues. Also, if you are competing in exhibitions, all images must be generated by you. So I invite you to grab your camera and start shooting concrete, wood, and fabric, never letting yourself walk past a textured, weathered wall again without taking a photo of it! One of my favourites is when my dog licked the window during a really good frost, and the sun hit it, giving me a great foggy streaky texture. Another texture I use was captured a few years ago, at Christmas time. I sat mesmerised by a snow globe lit inside while a motor constantly whirled glitter up and around inside the globe. Taking this opportunity, I took some images of the glitter, purposely shooting it out of focus as this produced a stunning Bokeh effect. To give you an example of some of my workflow, in my image, ‘You Cannot Read Me’, I first covered my model in wet newspapers to create a contrast to the softness of her skin. Partway through the session, I asked her to start peeling and ripping at the newspaper to create more of a back story to the image. I set up this session using a white gazebo and natural light, with the model raised off the ground on a short table. The original RAW image is somewhat uninteresting and appears a little like a snapshot, but I knew I could take it to a fine art level by utilising my post-processing skills. Dog Licked Window Snow Globe
You Cannot Read Me Nikon D810, 24-70mm lens @ F2.8, 1/800s, ISO100 <strong>NZPhotographer</strong> <strong>November</strong> <strong>2022</strong> 33
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WINDY SOUTH Wind-affected trees at
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GROUP TALK I took this image at a l
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DRIFTWOOD ON FAREWELL SPIT On a tou
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REFLECTIONS Urban Landscape taken i
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SHOOTING HOOPS ON A FOGGY MORN It w
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STRAND ARCADE, QUEEN STREET, AUCKLA
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BAREFOOT DANCER A beautiful barefoo
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LAKE MANAPOURI I arrived at Lake Ma
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