Same Photo, Different Treatments

I started with this image:

and followed two different tutorials on it, both already tried and tested on this blog.

Firstly, it got the lomo treatment, the second of the two I tried.



Then I gave it the Orton treatment, which is my favourite of the two experiments.



PS.

More Orton Effect

I've been doing some more playing with the Orton Effect, and the picture above in particular has had some really good feedback. I like the effect and want to try it on different types of photos, as well as floral and pretty ones.

Photo to Drawing: Raspberries

Back to this tutorial, it's a bit tricky, but spending a little time can get really great results. I love it!

And the raspberries were tasty, too!

Create a Rainbow in Photoshop

A fun effect here, creating a larger-than-life rainbow on your photos or images.



The tutorial is here and is written for Photoshop CS but I used it with CS3 and there were only minor differences.

I found using the tab stops in the gradient editor a bit tricky, I didn't really know what I was doing, but other than that it's a nice tutorial to work from. Creating a good rainbow shape with the radial gradient tool can take a few goes, but ctrl-z is a lifesaver in this instance!

It's a nice effect and, though slightly tricky, worth a go.

The Lomo Effect

Lomography, an increasibly popular type of photography, is very much a back-to-basics approach. Cheap film cameras, often toy cameras, are used and there is a lomo aesthetic which is very appealing.

Lomography emphasizes casual, snapshot photography. Characteristics such as over-saturated colors, off-kilter exposure, blurring, "happy accidents," and alternative film processing are often considered part of the "Lomographic Technique." (from wikipedia)

I play with a Holga and other toy cameras, all plastic, to varied effects. One of the joys of lomography is indeed its very complete unpredictability.

The Holga's cheap construction and simple meniscus lens often yields pictures that display vignetting, blur, light leaks, and other distortions. Ironically, the camera's quality problems became a virtue among some photographers, with Holga photos winning awards and competitions in art and news photography. (from wikipedia again!)

The most faithful of lomographers despise digital attempts to reproduce the lomo aesthetic, so I avoided it for a long time. However, the unique beauty of this effect has led me astray and I have, for the first time, followed a 'lomo effect' tutorial for Photoshop. And I don't regret it. The results, above, are just fantastic.

The tutorial I used is here. There are probably hundreds of them but I like this one. Simple and effective.

Lomo links:
lomography.com
Lomography UK
A Guide to Lomography

Further Photo to Drawing: Sunflowers.

With further exploration of the Photo to Drawing technique, I edited this image:



and from it created this one:



With help also from here when trying to understand the gradient tool.

Photo To Drawing - Photoshop

Roughly based on this tutorial from Planet Photoshop, I turned this photo:


into this, where the image is the photograph on the left, graduating to a line drawing on the right.



The photograph is of a 'Nicaragua Must Survive' poster. The manipulation could certainly be improved, but am sharing my first attempt at a new technique.

English Tea Can / China Painting Effect in Photoshop

Following this tutorial, with a few minor adaptations to make it work with Photoshop CS3, I created these images.



The originals are this one and this one, taken on holiday in Edale last summer.

Obsessed with the City Farm? Never!

Heeley City Farm

Heeley City Farm 144, originally uploaded by incurable_hippie.

I went to Heeley City Farm yesterday and took lots of animal pics.

Elvis the goat was particularly photogenic, and totally played up to the camera.

BBC Britain in Pictures

The following of my photos are on the BBC Britain in Pictures website. How excited am I?! (I can't view that page with firefox btw).

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Park Hill flats, Sheffield.






Jessop Hospital for Women, Sheffield


Claywood Flats, Sheffield - Demolition by Nibbler


Weston Park Museum, Sheffield




Firth Court, University of Sheffield


Sheffield Town Hall


Winter Gardens, Sheffield