Painted Photography
I am constantly taking photos of images that catch my eye and tell a story. Sometimes the photo itself has a subject that I want, but the lighting or color just needs some "creative enhancements" for my desired vision. Here are some fun examples of my "before" (original shots) and "after" photos (where I painted, added special effects and maybe some typography). I really enjoy experimenting by combining my photographic and artistic skills.
Show Mannequins
I enjoy shooting Storefront windows with my phone showcasing Mannequins telling a story. These images are showing the Mannequins in fabulous fashions getting ready to go to the theatre. I took my photos and posterized them in black and white and then gave them a POP of color by painting them in Procreate on my iPad.
Pair of Vespas
Grabbed this shot of two Vespas while lunching with friends in the North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco. I was taken by their bright happy colors, but the background had a lot going on. To emphasize the fun scooters, I changed the background into black and white, added a motion blur to the colors and a slight twinkle to the headlight.
Electric Palms
I shot these magnificent palms trees in San Jose at sunset. I was hoping the color and exposure would be brighter. I thought it would be fun to change the color palette altogether and make them "pop" with purple, aqua and lime green, and apply painterly strokes as an overlay. The three images of the palm trees make an electric set for a modern decor.
Old Hotel
While waiting for a friend at a little cafe in upscale downtown Burlingame, across the street was this old hotel from an era long gone. By the looks of the partially open windows and the broken accordion shade, I could only imagine a story of someone hiding out in this room. I decided to pump up the color and added an overlay of brushstrokes to emphasize the red trim framing the windows.
Vineyard View
Waiting for a wedding to start in the outskirts of Sacramento, I was delighted to find a vineyard right across the street. I took some shots only to find out later that the colors in my photo were dull and the light of the sky blown out. I created a painted sky and infused color and highlights into the grapevines and dirt road to add the missing drama this scene needed.
Bucket of Sunflowers
On a photo walk in the charming town of Los Gatos, I passed a small flower shop with buckets of fresh cut flowers. I loved the colors and took some shots. Upon closer inspection of this photo, I knew I needed to pull out the details hidden in the dark shadows, push the colors and add a painted overlay for more cheerful interest.
Heart Wreath
My yard sale find, a heart wreath, hangs on my weathered studio outside wall. I liked the shape and the randomness of the wire buds. I saw an opportunity to paint in some more color to the buds and apply some panted brushstrokes. The space in the middle was perfect for an inspirational quote.
Mannequin's Kiss
I fell in love with this adorable retro Mannequin puckering up for a kiss at a little clothing boutique I like to shop. After taking the photo, I decided that all the attention should be focused on her. I blurred the background and hand illustrated a decorative border on both sides to frame the mannequin's form and expression.
Fancy Shoes
Going to the local thrift shop provides me with many unexpected photo opportunities. These unique fancy slip on shoes were begging me to take a picture! I wanted to show off the decorative bead work and gold embellishments on the inside by brining up the exposure and pumping up the color. Also, I blurred the background and added a rough irregular border to add interest.
Big Boots
Another thrift store fab find were these big boots! I had to get the shot. As you can see in the original photo, the colors were dark and dull. I brought up the exposure, then painted saturated colors on top and finished it off with a funky rough white border to accent the personality of those big boots.
Dirty Martini
I took this photo of one of my favorite cocktails, the Dirty Martini. I actually was quite happy with the top down view and polished cement background as originally taken. I wanted to see what would happen if I gave the photo a more graphic look with a red chevron pattern background and lime green border around the glass and toothpick for a more "gift card" design.