Beach Portrait

[Cheryl Slechta]

I went to the beach for a couple of days this week to try to rekindle some creativity. I was down on the beach taking long exposures of the water and I noticed these Chinese girls posing on the bluff above. One of the girls was so beautiful and elegant and she was standing by herself looking at the other girls when I took this image. I envisioned a painting when I saw it so I wanted to create that look.

I used a storm clouds texture with a Multiply overlay to darken it and then Nik Analog Pro with a Classic Camera preset to give the clouds and sand some clarity and give it a more vintage look. Then I used DAP Benson style for the painterly effect and then took that image and copied it and pasted it over the textured image at 70% opacity to get rid of some of the paint strokes. And some brushing out of Benson selectively throughout. I think I'm satisfied with what I had envisioned when I saw her.

It turns out the 3 girls are from China but are students at the Art & Design College in Savannah, Georgia - very nice girls.
Thanks for looking

[Anita Bower]

Beautiful. Painterly. Feminine. Love it! Great work. The textures, the painterly look, the girl's position, the lacy skirt, the blue sky--all work together beautifully. Her hat with pink flower is the perfect touch! Very nice work.

Have you tried Topaz' new Impressions? If so, how would you compare it to DAP? I have neither, but am looking for a software to create a painterly look. I haven't been wowed by Topaz Impressions, thought I generally like their products.

I hope this photo provided the inspiration you needed.

Danielle Austen spoke at my photo club recently. Her long exposure photos are some of the best I've seen: http://www.danielleausten.com/

[Dennis Bishop]

Wow, Cheryl, you've created something beautiful. The coloring -- with the dark bluff, jacket, and purse; the light colors of the sand, the clouds, her dress, and her hand -- is wonderful. The composition is great, and your processing made a lovely scene even better. You've outdone yourself with this one.

[Mitch Carucci]

A classic, beautiful image. Love it!

[Nancy Bell]

This is stunning! This chance moment could not have been better with a prepped model! As they say, luck favors the prepared. Your vision has come through perfectly. Love the girl as a feminine figure alone on the bluff and against the swirling clouds and colors in the sky. This could be the perfect book cover for a romance novel!

[gary ellwein]

Cheryl, it appears a little beach time got your creative juices flowing. The straw hat with the bit of red is a great focal point. The left hand and arm nicely connect the hat with the rest of the subject. Although her attire is current, the image has an a turn of the 20th century feel.

[Hazel Grant]

Agree with all the above. Beautiful The delicacy of her lace skirt and flower in her hat add to the magnitude of the shore force. Great catch. Yes, prepared for the unexpected!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Beautiful, and if I didn't know I would have thought it was a painting. Beautifully processed. In a perfect world I would loved to have seen the feet included.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments. Anita, I haven't tried Topaz Impressions but I've always been happy with DAP (especially layering a Dap image over the original) so I haven't been tempted to try Impressions. Jackie, I was wondering if anyone would be bothered by the feet but I would have had to climb up stairs to get on her level and I would have missed the brief moment with that pose. I kind of think it lends to the mystery of her looking away at something unknown?

[Dennis Bishop]

I can see Jackie's point about the feet. However, I agree that having them hidden by the edge of the bluff invites the viewer to wonder. It's a good thing to engage the viewer's mind, even if only subconsciously.

[Anita Bower]

I can see Jackie's point about the feet. However, I agree that having them hidden by the edge of the bluff invites the viewer to wonder. It's a good thing to engage the viewer's mind, even if only subconsciously.

Interesting point about the benefits of making the viewer wonder. I never thought about that. I enjoy learning tips like these.

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Cheryl,

Wow, just beautiful. What's not been said... I guess I particularly like the lacy detail in the dress and the straw hat detail. I have to concentrate to notice the missing feet. I wonder if this were a bit more panoramic in aspect ratio (by extension not crop), though the curve of the sand might pose a problem. Small things. The beautiful color, the implied fresh wind and what is off in the distance? Good show!

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Diane Miller]

Hi Cheryl,

I've been busy and looked at this earlier and didn't have time to comment. I have to say this is one of the most special image I have seen in a long time! The processing is just perfect for the capture. Whatever you did, go find some more beautiful subjects (bribe some models) and practice it!

If you have any contact information for this girl, she should be delighted to get a copy of this!!

[David Cowling]

This is really lovely with some very clever processing. I don't think the image needs feet, IMHO, with the image taken from such a low angle the eye would come to rest on the feet and would have difficulty rising to the rest of the picture, not including them creates a little tension and mystery as does the fact that we can't see the object that has interested the girl. I would certainly hang this on my wall.

[Steve Adkins]

Love the image and your vision as posted, Cheryl. I am so glad the opportunity presented itself and you have your creativity "on fire"!