The dark arts

December 1, 2013 / mikeosbornphoto / 21 Comments

My first forays into creating new works from existing photographs were energetically colourful and often unrecognisable from the original shots.

For this collection I’ve gone in the opposite direction with an exploration of monochrome. The shots I chose to work with emphasise texture, structure and movement which I’ve tried to tease out with careful use of digital tools.

I went back to the original shots and cut them again. Some of them were never used and have been given life and exposure with this process.

Any thoughts and comments from photographers and artists alike would be really appreciated.

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Enhanced abstract

October 20, 2013 / mikeosbornphoto / 16 Comments

My interest in revisiting original photographs to create new digital works is threatening to rival the business of using the camera.

The deeper you delve into the tools at your disposal, the possibilities magnify – and the process becomes more complex, involving many more steps.

For this set, I chose a series of abstract shots, injecting colour and life into subtle frames. Some of the finished works bear little resemblance to the source material and have taken new titles.

It’s an interesting journey and I’d like to hear the views of photographers and artists alike.

Click first image for the full gallery experience

Further digital art posts:

Night city colours

Inside out

Night city colours

September 7, 2013 / 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.

Click on first image for the full gallery experience

London

Dubai

Brisbane

London

Brisbane

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Red Brisbane dusk

September 4, 2013September 6, 2013 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

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

August 18, 2013August 31, 2013 / mikeosbornphoto / 18 Comments

Click first image to launch the gallery

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?…