Pro Techniques

Then, I opened the image up in Synthetik's Studio Artist and manipulated the tree with the paint patch Wet Mixer. By selectively applying the Wet Mixer effect more subtly in different areas, I was able to give the image an overall painterly look. Lastly, I darkened the shaded area where the tourists were sitting. Now this was the scene that I had envisioned!

Village of "Roussillon," Provence, France.

I finally applied a dark blue border around the image to set it off. This image changed the way I think about photography. I will now take a shot, even though it is less than perfect, and have the confidence that I will be able to enhance or manipulate it through Photoshop or by using a third-party software. This manipulated image eventually became the cover shot for my book Digital Photo Art.

I used Synthetik's Studio Artist to accomplish this very painterly effect. I used the Category "Chalk" and the Patch "Hairy Clone Chalk." After the effect was painted on, I saved the Studio Artist shot in a PSD file and opened it in Photoshop. I then took the chalk-like version of the image and dragged it on top of the straight file. In Layers, I blended the two versions (using the Blending modes in Layers) until I was satisfied with the outcome.

"Flowers Under the Windows," Giverny, France.

To finish the print, I applied a border around the image and then opened it in Auto FX Software's Photo/Graphic Edges 6.0 and applied a painterly edge from Volume I, #77.

I work with a 9x12" Wacom tablet. I like working with the tablet because I can sit back with the tablet in my lap, use the pen as a drawing or painting tool, watch the screen and manipulate the image. The pen also gives me a lot of control, as it is pressure sensitive.

"The Wishing Well," Bermuda.

This image was created using Synthetik's Studio Artist and painting with Category: "Spread Canvas" and Patches: Displace 1, Pixel Vacuum, and Wet Mixer.

I used the Wacom tablet and pen to paint the effects onto the image. In some images I use one patch only, such as Wet Mixer. With others, like "Flowers Under the Windows," I will change the effects by using different patches on the same image. It all depends on the effects I wish to attain.

This is a digital infrared capture. I used a #87 filter on my Minolta DiMAGE 7 camera. The foliage was very diverse and the sky was deep blue. I knew this would be a good infrared shot. The image appears to me as a fantasy shot--very surreal. It is one of the things I love about infrared.

"Henry's Horse," Molokai, Hawaii.

This was taken with my Minolta DiMAGE 7 camera with a Harrison and Harrison 89B filter.

The sky was thick with clouds, which were accented with the red filter, and the old knotted dead tree trunk added drama to the scene. But the shot was unbalanced until the horse moved into the scene and dropped his head...bingo! That was the moment!

Many of these images are from Theresa Airey's "Digital Photo Art," published by Lark Books. Others are from her forthcoming book "Beginner's Guide to Digital Photo Art."