It may seem redundant to talk about the importance of light to creating emotional appeal in a photograph. After all, photography is all about light. But how the light is used is what distinguishes between a good photo and an extraordinary one. For example any one of the three major elements in the image, below, without the others would not have the emotional impact. Add in either the stream of light or the smaller window and the image would be stonger, but the juxtaposition of the large and small light sources and the spreading light across the rich wood floor makes the sum of the whole even stronger.

The juxtaposition of the large and small light sources make this image more interesting than the simple - yet still interesting - image of the window and its spreading light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Approaches Using the Same Subject
Light and form and the juxtaposition of these themes are the principle aspects of the image above; though color is also arguably an important aspect of the image from the warm browns in the floor to the cooler blues and greens of the window light.

But how else could the same subject be utilized to create a different work of art that embraced other virtues or at least emphasized other aspects? The two images below provide some insight into this. These images were created using the very same arch window – making it the singular form within the image. To capture a different vision, the subject remained essentially the same, while the composition and treatment of the image was changed.

The images below were shot in to provide two different compositional view of the subject. Each was then converted to a black and white image, printed on watercolor paper and painted using watercolors to provide two unique pieces.

 

Arched window with pink curtain

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arched Window with blue curtain, this image places less emphasis on the negative space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each image stands alone as an individual work of art, despite the fact that the original photographs we all captured in a period of about 30 minutes.

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While the original Beech Hill Pond photo has been published in several magazines and on multiple websites since it was taken in 2006, I have been wanting to experiment with it for the two years since. As a straight photo it certainly stands on its own.

Beech Hill Pond, Photographed in October 2006

For those who are drawn to the stunning autumn colors of New England, this image alone is stirring enough. I know that I was moved by the beauty of the scene when I photographed it. In fact, after taking a series of images here, I found a nice quiet spot and sat quietly for about 30 minutes just drinking in the beauty of the day.

However, I’m always looking for some way to take an image like this to a different level. Thus, Beech Hill Pond Mindscape below emerged.

Without divulging every step along that way, the image you see below was created with a process that took about four hours, trying various Photoshop filters and strategies until I settled on the approach that suited me. The beauty of manipulating images is that you can take them in any one of an endless number of directions. Even trying to replicate the same image twice will yield different results. For that reason, one could actually produce a whole series of unique, one-of-a-kind art from one simple image.

Beech Hill Pond Mindscape