art

Night city colours

/ mikeosbornphoto / 12 Comments

My first attempt at digital art was quite a revelation. I realised that photographs could be totally recreated with some careful touches. They could be strikingly infused with colour or be pared back from a glaring night scene to a subtle watercolour.

For this set, I look night captures from three cities – London, Dubai and Brisbane – and applied similar techniques. The photos all begin their journey by being inverted, and are then subject to other effects.

This time I learnt that layer upon layer of effects can be applied, meaning the possibilities are very wide. This is experimentation, a work in progress, not to mention the birth of new pieces of work.

St Paul’s Cathedral in London features on three occasions. Photographically this is an astounding building, and can be recreated in numerous ways with the digital paintbox.

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London
Dubai
Dubai
Dubai
Brisbane
London
London
London
Brisbane

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Red Brisbane dusk

/ mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

Red Brisbane dusk

This is a gentle golden hour view of the Australian city’s high-rise waterfront turned a deep scarlet with some careful flicks of the digital paintbrush.

The entire frame is transformed, lifted and recreated. In the coming days, I’ll share a gallery of night-time city shots from around the world which have all been given a new lease of life.

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Inside out

/ mikeosbornphoto / 18 Comments
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My mantra is to do as little as possible with photographs. A slight tweak in contrast here, an extra touch of colour there – but essentially keep them natural and true.

But I’ve recently cracked into the wealth of powerful effects offered by editing programmes, and have decided to breathe new life into some favourite shots.

These photos have been inverted, or had their colour schemes turned inside out, with some additional enhancing effects. I’ve discovered that it results in new creations, some of them vibrant and others abstract. It often subverts the identity of the original photograph and stands on its own feet.

This feels like another layer of creation, far removed from the original vision seen through the lens. It’s perhaps digital art, but achieved with software and a few extra mouse clicks and adjustments.

Does it do it for you? Is it art?…

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The creative collection

/ mikeosbornphoto / 20 Comments

Sometimes one photograph – a single shot – just isn’t enough. Another layer of creation is needed to bring your work to life or make a point.

This leads to the diptychs, triptychs and composites coming to life. They encapsulate the autumnal calm of Constable country, the afternoon tea cake stand or the bustle of London’s Victoria station.

But a single frame can be enough, if the results are blazing with colour and artful, like low night shots capturing the movement of a train. Here are a few happy surprises and labours of love.

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Shard traffic

/ mikeosbornphoto / 16 Comments

The viewing platform of The Shard, which towers over London, is a place of both movement and stillness.

People mill around to see the city from all vantage points, but often remain in one place for a long period of time, drinking it all in. But the stairway up to the 72nd floor is particularly busy with viewers making their way to the top with great anticipation.

This composite shot is just a few moments in the Shard’s life. It captures eight people enjoying their experience, and one photographer caught in the glass. At least this beats the “selfie” recently taken in the reflection of a washing machine…

You can click on each frame to enlarge and enjoy a more detailed view

Shard traffic IShard traffic IIIShard traffic II