The miracle of positive thought

Its always a pleasure to share our published images.
This book came out a few days ago, shot last summer, we've already shared the recipe, but here we've brought the two together!
Translation: Where there is a will there is a way!
The miracle of positive thought.

This was shot a few mins after sunrise over a green wheat field and a vineyard on the horizon. The camera was very low, almost in the wheat, and I shot on automatic in raw mode.
Processing was simple, I used just one texture,
Muscatel, desaturated, Hard Light @ 100%
And a base copy which was altered in curves, changing the saturation to more of a purple tone. This final top layer was Normal @ 44%

Summer Painterly Pack

36 large textures for only $40

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$100 for Tex Box One and Two and the Fly Edges

Combo Pack Offer

Only $65 for Tex Box One and  Tex Box Two

Fly Edges Pack

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A new dawn

During the midsummer, having just lost my Internet connection,
I discovered I had much more time to get out there and take actual pictures! This was one very early pre-dawn rising, I drove towards the local beach and decided this wheat-field with it's ruined stone barn might be a good spot for a sunrise.
The actual image was much darker but with the help of the new CS5 fake HDR facility I was able to boost the dark base of the image.
The base image above has already been lightened, but it was much too saturated so I used the original darker raw base image on top to tone it down.
This and the rest of the recipe is as listed, if its not too clear, please feel free to ask below!
When I had almost finished I decided it needed more 'elements', so I added the birds on the horizon and a mist to soften the horizon line and add, as the local French say, Je nes sais quoi? or in English - I don't know? - a little bit of atmosphere that was lacking!
Please note, all textures used here were blurred, except the Pans Sky texture.

Base image HDR over-saturated
Raw base image - Colour - @ 100%
Matmos Lake - Overlay @ 100% Desaturated to an Aubergine colour, flipped vertically to darken the sky.
Rose Blush - Overlay @ 100%
Aquarius - Overlay @ 27% Desaturated to a pink/green tone with the sliders
Sky layer; Pans Sky - Multiply @ 21% - warped, compressed 50% upwards.
Birds layer; Darken @ 48%
Horizon mist; a fingers-width of Lavender Skies - blurred - Screen 70% slightly brushed from front of barn.

Summer Painterly Pack

36 large textures for only $40

Flypaper Triple Combo Deal
$100 for Tex Box One and Two and the Fly Edges

Combo Pack Offer

Only $65 for Tex Box One and  Tex Box Two

Fly Edges Pack

Only $40

See all our packs and deals on one Page

French farmhouse

This is one of those lucky shots that came about from shooting a blood red poppy field. Its just the horizon, with the foregrounds over-bright poppy field removed. That cloud is as it was, where it was, and I just left it hanging pensively in the corner!
From Summer Painterly;
Verdigris Overlay @ 44%
Copy of base image, desaturated with more contrast.
Iridescent Brush desaturated, Soft Light @ 100%
Matmos Lake - flipped vertically, desaturated and blurred, Soft Light @ 100%
Labyrinth-desaturated, from flypaper set 2, Overlay @ 100%

Summer Painterly Pack

36 large textures for only $40

Flypaper Triple Combo Deal
$100 for Tex Box One and Two and the Fly Edges

Combo Pack Offer

Only $65 for Tex Box One and  Tex Box Two

Fly Edges Pack

Only $40

See all our packs and deals on one Page

Another Flypaper publication!

Before I start blogging again I thought I'd share this new French book cover publication of mine! Its interesting to show here because the texture I used was one of the first prototype Flypaper Textures!
Its now included in the very first Texture pack and is called 'necropolis'
Unfortunately I cant share this recipe as in those pre-Flypaper days, I didn't save all my layer info.
However, I do remember achieving this effect by applying Necropolis, desaturated and doubling up the base image with a B/W copy.
Photoshop Poster edge filters were also used to give that graphic hard edge.

Summer Painterly Pack

36 large textures for only $40

Flypaper Triple Combo Deal
$100 for Tex Box One and Two and the Fly Edges

Combo Pack Offer

Only $65 for Tex Box One and  Tex Box Two

Fly Edges Pack

Only $40

See all our packs and deals on one Page

Life goes on

Another human for our professional readers!
Taken on a professional Portrait shoot with French Artist, Martine Roch a couple of years ago.
This one was never used but I now like the little surreal looking figure with a bucket in the corner!
It was shot in that cold, sharp April light, the shadows being so dark,
it needed a little help, thus we used a reflector for fill-in light.
We were standing on the Sea's breakwater for the maximum light reflected off the sea.
It was so bright, Martine couldn't open her eyes!
Shot in tiff.

Textures shown from first used to last.
Necropolis - Soft Light @ 34%
Raw Linen - Hard Light @ 48%
(this texture brushed off all the model)
Caramel Soft - Hue @ 43%
(texture brushed off the models head only)

This last texture setting is the important one for the
lovely grayness, Its percentage is vital as too little and the color is too bright, too much and it becomes sepia!
We're talking Goldilocks!:-)
Bigger version on my Flickr site.