Girl on the Amazon

[Bill M]

This is my sentimental favorite of all the photos I took on a trip to the Peruvian Amazon last Fall. I don't NEED to do anything to it, but the fact is nothing I've tried in the way of artistic interpretation pleases me. So... I'm curious to see what you can do. I hope you like it.
Bill

p.s. To balance out this challenge, my next post will be an image that EVERYTHING seems to work on!

[Bill M]

A cropped version is probably better to work with. So here is that also. Bill

[spinnnz]

Bill, what a great picture, I can see why its your favorite.

I started out with a sketch and got sidetracked, so this is what I ended up with.

-Lisa

[TwinbNJ]

I enjoyed working on this image very much Thanks Bill!

Lisa - sidetracked??? I would say in a very nice direction. I like the lines and the color you got with this. It has a sketch/watercolor look.

I went for a dark ink/water color look.

[jeaniesa]

Bill, This is a great shot. It reminds me of one that I took in Viet Nam. It was difficult to figure out what if anything could be done to it without making it worse. I hope I did it justice.

I chose to work on the cropped version - mostly because the technique I applied really only works with a strong "subject". I used Lisa Neal's pencil sketch technique (though I like to call it high-key B&W). Added just a hint of color back to the girl. Then framed - which actually took me the longest of anything else I did! None of the colors I tried seemed to work, but I finally settled on this color combo.

Jeanie

[BillC]

Bill - yes, a great picture - thanks for sharing with us. I am quite envious of your trip!
Lisa - I like what you ended up with - even if you were sidetracked - hope you can remember how you got there!
Jill - nice dark ink effect
Jeanie ... you deserve a WOW on that one ... nice 'high-key BW' and the frame is perfect.
I was trying for a 'moody' effect ... probably ended up too dark.
Regards to all!
Bill C

[BillC]

Of course, I just had to do a 2nd one ... this one looks like the boat is flooding! (oh well!)
Bill C

[jeaniesa]

How rude of me not to comment on other's work as I was rushing to post my own. Sorry about that!

Lisa - I like how you added more blue to the water. The water is kind of "flat" otherwise (though I'm sure the original photo is the true color.) I like the softness that you achieved everywhere except the girl's face. I wish her eyes and other facial features were a bit more defined. Even so, I like the effect you achieved. Sometimes getting side tracked produces great results!

Jill - You also added blue to the water. Nice job! I love the colors in your version, but the ink is a tad on the heavy side for me - esp. on the water (where I don't expect to see edges - except along the edge of the reflection which I really like) and on the girl's face. Her features are so delicate, the heavy ink seems to lose that. Then again, it does give it a very different feeling and perhaps that's what you were going for! I really like your water though!

BillC - Wow, your first version really changes the mood of the picture! I like how you've darkened it and yet I can still see her expression very clearly. The only thing I might change is that her shorts seem to compete with her face for my attention because they are brighter than the face.

And I really like your second version, but you're right about it looking like there's water in the boat. Too bad, because I really like the effect otherwise! Did you use Paint Engine for this one?

Jeanie

[TwinbNJ]

Yes Jeanie "but the ink is a tad on the heavy side for me " it was for me too! I even removed some! I need to practice more with that style.

Love the way yours came out - soft! subtle and those eyes!

Bill I like both submission - but the darkness you got on the one has an interesting effect with the image.

I went in a different direction on the second one I did.

Used layers, emboss, cut out, paint engine, gradiand and lighting, and several textures while rotaiting the image.

[TwinANJ]

This was not an easy picture to work with...all the more fun. It is a great picture but hard.

Spinnz I think it came out looking somewhat like a sketch. Very nice.

Jeannie.. soft smooth with just the right amount of color.

Bill C the first one has the look of a full moon lite night. Beautiful.

Here is mine....Lots of layers. Pattern stamp, smudge and filters.

Jean

[Blacknight]

The usual anisotropic diffuse tricks on everything but the girl. Also feathered an ellipse around her by 15 pixels and lightened just a shade.

[jeaniesa]

Good call on the cropping Chuck! : I figured out that would be a good idea after I'd already worked on it and gotten the faded edges just the way I wanted them. Rats! I hate it when I start working on a picture before I've assessed it enough. Enough about my problems though... I really like your treatment after the crop too! You definitely achieved the focus on the girl's expression.

photomauler - interesting effect. It looks like she's in the clouds now.

BK - Wow, you never skimp on color! (Just the opposite of me who removed almost all of the color on this one! ) I love how you brought this one to life! (BTW, I notice what looks like two vertical "lines", one is about a 1/2" from the right and the other is just to the left of the girl. I've seen this sort of thing from the texture filter before, but you didn't mention that (and it doesn't look like you added texture.) Is it the result of the big "A"?)

Jean, I see you chose to crop in closer too. Good call. Neat effect you achieved! It reminds me of something, but I can't for the life of me figure out what!

Jill - that last one is very cool! The color of the water is "stormy", but the girl looks bathed in sunlight - like a storm is just breaking. Nice effect!

Jeanie

[roger_ele]

Bill

Great Photo, everyone has done some neat and fun things, but this is so pretty I could not bring myself to apply an art look. A straight levels adjustment cleans this one up to beautiful.

Now, I am officially different, I chose the uncropped version, it's more about how big the water is that way...

Since this is Photo-Based Art, I did feel compelled to add some art effects, but with a photo look ...

Roger

[Bill M]

This has been so much fun to watch! I am pleased everyone saw the strength in the girl's pretty face. I guess what was making it hard for me to apply art to was my reluctance to alter her facial expression and the featureless background of the brown water. But you guys came through!

Lisa- Very nice sketch

Jill- Rugged and colorful. Great effect on your first and your second is just gorgeous.

Jeanie- That's spectacular! You really captured the essence of the girl.

Bill C- I think you captured the mystery of the Amazon!

Jean- Great job. Looks like a paint-on-velvet technique.

BK- Your effect is exactly what the water needs! Great job.

Mauler- Nice work! That gives it a spiritual look but you still kept her facial expression intact.

Chuck- Perfect crop!! Really improves overall composition by eliminating a lot of the water and moving the features into "thirds."

Roger- just beautiful! The bland water background hurts the overall image and you've repaired that.

Thank you one and all! Bill

[jeaniesa]

Roger - I just love your version. The colors and lighting are amazing!

Jeanie

[Blacknight]

Originally posted by jeaniesa
I notice what looks like two vertical "lines", one is about a 1/2" from the right and the other is just to the left of the girl. I've seen this sort of thing from the texture filter before, but you didn't mention that (and it doesn't look like you added texture.) Is it the result of the big "A"?)

Yes, it is. I was SO concentrating on not losing the girl (due to enlarging and saturating) as well as trying to balance between jpeg artifacts and saturated colors that I forgot to go back over the pic and clone out those lines. They appear only MOST of the time, and not all, oddly enough. I hope they fix that in the next version, but who knows.

Often I don't take the time to comment on the work that others have done. Sometimes I don't even look - off to do whatever - especiially during the nice weather here. Doesn't mean I don't care, or that I don't appreciate (and learn from!) the work of others. It just means I'm in and out - looking at the new challenges and skimming the posts, then off again. I have even been skimping on my descriptions of what I do (mostly anisotropic anyway, so no big loss there!). Will try to slow down a bit and "talk". It would be SO nice to have a chatroom here...*HEY JANITOR DOUG* like some other places have. Anyway, I thought I'd take a moment to try and explain. Seems there have been some hard feelings around of late (which I guess I missed - darn!) and I wouldn't want to add to that!

[CJ Swartz]

Such an intriguing image! Don't have time right now to comment on such wonderful renditions done already -- will do later.


I worked with Color Ranges, Film Grain, Dry Brush, Glowing Edges, layer masks with some Color Burn and varying layer blends.

[roger_ele]

Jeanie and Bill => Thanks!

I added oarnge into the water highlights, blue into the water shadows then lightened and darkened in little areas ...

blushing and smiling => Roger

[jeaniesa]

Originally posted by roger_ele
I added oarnge into the water highlights, blue into the water shadows then lightened and darkened in little areas ...

AH-HA!!! So that's why I couldn't duplicate what you did. I tried and tried, but I just couldn't pull any "yellowish" highlights out of that picture no matter what! It never occured to me that you added them! Duh!

I assume you added the orange highlights to add to the late afternoon light effect? Very effective!



Jeanie

[roger_ele]

Jeanie - Yes, oarnge for setting sun and blue for water. But also because the colors contrast well next to each other (complimentary colors on the color wheel?). I had the oarnge darker but it looked garrish, so I lightened it until it just gave a glow and gave the blue depth.

Thanks, Roger

[e.b.west]

I've been going back and forth wondering whether or not to post this. What do you think?

[CJ Swartz]

e.b. -- you should always feel free to post! Even if you end up getting constructive criticism, it should be helpful.

I must admit that there's something that bothers me about it -- it's like the effect on the water makes it look like the boat is sinking -- is that your intention? The girl's expression seems more distraught, but not enough for that situation -- IF the boat is sinking . Her face appears to me to have been affected by the technique applied to the water - on her right side (facing). The oar was also chopped off at the bottom -- this girl is gonna have a hard time getting out this situation!

That said, I like the sense of movement to the water - how did you achieve that particular look? My "twirls" and the like don't look as realistic as I'd like.

[e.b.west]

Thanks for the critique. That's what I want to hear.

Boy, you sure saw a lot more in that than I did. Actually, when I look at it again, I see what you mean by the boat sinking. I wasn't trying to show that, I was just doing it too fast and didn't have time to do anything about it. I was also trying to leave the girl a little sharper than the rest by erasing some of the smudging. There again, I didn't spend enough time with it.

As for the water, I just used a soft brush with the smudge tool and twirled it a little. Borrowing from Steve(Trimoon) I then used USM at about 500, radius 5 and threshhold 0. Varying the amount gives you more or less subtle brush strokes. I also masked the girl so it wouldn't overdo her.

All in all, this may have not been the best picture to try all of that on.

E.B.

[Bill M]

C.J.- That's a great look. Like many techniques, it can distort the facies, so if you just squeeked a little teeny bit of the face back in, it would be perfect. Thanks for sharing.

E.B.- I have GIVEN UP the blur thing. It's just never clicked with me at all. I think I'm too ham fisted!

Bill

[CJ Swartz]

e.b. -- different eyes see different things -- not necessarily what's really there, but what the viewer sees. We're all learning here, and I have a lot to learn about critiquing my own work and that of others. We could spend forever on one piece and still end up with someone wondering why we did such and such , so don't let my questions impede your work. I truly enjoy the photographic work you have submitted to RPro, and you definitely have an eye for composition, lighting, and color. Note: Be sure to see BillM's recommendation for my submission.

BillM -- you make a good point about my version -- needing to keep more of the natural look of the girl's face. I remember wondering about that also, but wasn't sure how to bring it back at the time, and had grown fond of what I was doing. (who needs to see her face, I'm enjoying the colors and textures!? )

Bill - thanks again for the use of your image! What a wonderful trip you must have had.

[jeaniesa]

who needs to see her face, I'm enjoying the colors and textures!?

You crack me up CJ!

Jeanie

[GOLDCOIN]

A lot of humor going on here at the end......CJ Agree with Jeaniesa, Your cute comment about "No need to see her face!!


That;s great, cause I wonder if "hair" is included......Not this one but the next. You will see what I mean.

There are both with MikeF new action.... Angelo.

[GOLDCOIN]

With this actions you need to paint.....however, there is no easer

Thus her hair just kept growing, in an effort to correct paint slips.... So CJ just notice the texture and deep blue water......

here she is......

[CJ Swartz]

Goldcoin,

Ooooooh -- deep blue waters!
Ooooooh -- interesting texture!

Ooooooh -- Hair...

[tyeise]

I'm not sure I'm awake yet.

Tyeise