Photo Manipulation Projects

Today, now that digital is the way to go when it comes to photography and with the availability of digital editing software programs, basically anyone can do fantastic works of art with a little creativity and some imagination.

One particular project that is not that difficult to accomplish is getting a black & white photograph and making parts in color as well as adding elements to create fantasy photographs.

But not just making some sections in to color ones. Creativity and your imagination are the ruling factors to make the project a successful one. You should create photos that fall into the realm of fantasy.

Think of what images will awaken your viewer's imagination, give a reason to talk about the photos, stand in awe as to the beauty and mystery that these images seem to be almost real. This is the real aim of the project.

For example if you were to take a photograph of a person seemingly painting a section of a long wooden bridge it would not be an exceptional image by itself.

But if you add color to portions of the wooden bridge as if the person had already painted them, then the image takes a more pleasing appeal and if you go further and digitally make the wooden bridge seem to go on forever, then the photograph acquires a surreal element.

Another image is to have a person paint another person; the photo is in a monochrome and you add the color to only parts of the photo such as where the brush is being stroked.

This is what you are attempting to do with your subject matter; take ordinary scenes, photograph them in a monochromatic medium like B&W or Sepia, and use your digital camera to turn color images into monochromes, but if your gear does not posses this ability then most digital software do. You also need to add dimensions to the shot to exaggerate the portions that you will work on later such as adding colors.

You can also achieve fantasy photograph by using filters and playing with your digital program.

There are some filters that can make your image appear to be a watercolor, made from plastic and seem to have cracks everywhere, like what you would see if looking at a piece of sun parched mud.

Here too you need to try to capture images that will carry an air of surrealism realism and be artistically creative.

Human faces are some of the best shots unto which to apply these filters. Pose your models to appear as if they are deep in thought, sad, or completely detached from their humanity.

Apply the cracked filter effect to either the entire subject or only selected portions. This filter effects suit a style more than others; a cracked look on a happy face does not have the same effect as on a sad looking expression.

For this project, allow your instincts to lean towards the "darker side" of your imagination and see what happens. Try various samples of the same or similar filters as there are a few variations of the cracked version