Is it a painting? Or a photograph?

Actually, it's BOTH. Hello there! Thanks for stopping by, and I apologize for neglecting my blog again. It's wedding season, and almost time for graduation and I've been super busy creating new invitations for my Artful Memory Shop. I've also been working on an Iris photo project for my website, and I've just completed it. The series is called Garden of Irises and will soon be published as a photobook.

And....I've been learning some new and cool techniques to make my photos even more unique.  I just recently purchased a new lens and am getting fabulous photos with it -- BUT -- some photos don't always have the look or the feel I imagined when I shot the picture.  I have learned some new techniques using a combination of textures, multiple layers, color altering, and digital painting and have finally started uploading some of my new works.  The question I hear most is "Is that a painting? Or a photo?"  Well, it's BOTH.  It's a photo which takes on the characteristics and feel of a painting by the time I'm finished.

Today, I want to share an example with you.  Below is my original landscape photo, taken at the lake at Cypress Park here in Jackson, TN:

Not. Very. Exciting.  While it's a beautiful place to go, the water was extremely muddy (due to flooding not long before I visited), and the water also took on the green of the trees, making everything way to green for my liking in this landscape.  I prefer warm, rich oranges, reds, and golden yellows in landscape paintings.  Light.  I like light...especially the glow of the sun.  While it was sunny on this day at the park, my camera was just so overwhelmed with the greens and brown in the water, it didn't pick up the sunny warmth I wanted.

So I went to work and created the work of art below.  I call it a "paintograph" - combination of a photo and a painting.

NOW - this is much better!  There's my sunlight, my warm glow I'm looking for!  I brought a sense of impending Autumn into the trees, and I added a warm, glowing texture over the entire photo.  I brought the yellow and orange glow up to the sky.  I added some ducks I'd photographed at a local pond, because I thought they'd make an interesting addition to the art.  This is actually how I FELT when I was at the park - an overwhelming sense of wonder and awe at the beauty and the peace.  So I took what I felt and painted it into this photograph.  I enjoyed sitting on the bench out on the walk out bridge when I was there, but now, I feel I can step into this new vision and enjoy it even more.

This is just one of the artistic photographs I've completed lately.  Stop by my gallery on my website to see more.  Also, follow my Artistic Photography Board on Pinterest to keep up with the newest works of art.  I have many more landscapes I'm working on, as well as my traditional florals and birds and animals I love so much!

InJoy,
Jai