Continuing along the lines of pushing boundaries, this time I’m bridging the gap between the straight up photo and artwork. I think most of you know that I enjoy creating artwork with my photography. I will never move completely away from taking straight-up photos because I do love it a lot, but I also love dabbling in that creative arena where I can push the envelope and do something unique.
My husband and I were driving home from a fellow blogger’s art show in San Francisco and the skies were so beautiful that I quickly snapped a picture with my iPhone. I looked at and thought…oh darn, it’s blurry. But then I started playing with it on an iPhone app and started seeing something painterly. The next day I uploaded it into photoshop and added just a touch here and there to make it look a little more finished.
Here I’m showing the before and after just for the fun of it. Just click on the first thumbnail and use your arrow or mouse to advance to the next one.
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- San Francisco Bay Bridge (Taken on my iPhone before processing.)
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- San Francisco Bay Bridge (processed on iPhone app and PSCC)
Laura Macky Photography 
June 25, 2014 at 6:32 am
This is exactly what I love doing with photographs!
June 25, 2014 at 6:47 am
Oh I’ll have to check it out. I notice your name now and that you tweeted me lol! Thank you 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 6:57 am
The most recent post of mine that shows something similar is http://wp.me/p1mFAV-2jw
June 25, 2014 at 7:13 am
I never said what I was actually thinking which was you’ve created a lovely painting. I can do that with my iPhone apps!
June 25, 2014 at 8:25 am
Thank you and yes that’s what I did as described. I brought it onto photoshop just to tweek it 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 6:33 am
I agree, I love that with just a little or sometimes a lot of tweaking you can take a beautiful picture and make an extraordinary piece of art.
June 25, 2014 at 6:48 am
It’s amazing! Thank goodness I don’t have to paint because I’m terrible at it lol.
June 25, 2014 at 6:36 am
Laura, Adobe has removed the oil painting filter from Photoshop CC 2014, not that I understand why.
June 25, 2014 at 6:50 am
I know why because I was wondering and posted. They are moving toward a faster photoshop without so much maintenance which means no flash as well. (hahahaha which cracks me up because Steve Jobs always said he would not use flash because html was faster which irritated Adobe). Anyway, so anything that is not HTML is not in PSCC14. Third parties will have to make all their plug-ins and filters via the Adobe Extension Manager html. The only one that works is Fly Paper Textures only because someone on the forum and pasted the link to run an installer. Oil paint will not be coming back.
June 25, 2014 at 7:13 am
I suppose someone will make an oil paint plug-in for those so addicted. Flash can go away because it is a security risk and doesn’t run on mobile devices.
June 25, 2014 at 8:22 am
Yeah it’ll just be a matter of time. I’m sure steve jobs is smiling right now lol
June 25, 2014 at 8:24 am
You never know…
June 25, 2014 at 9:06 am
😀
June 25, 2014 at 6:40 am
Wow, a fabulous remake!!
June 25, 2014 at 6:50 am
Thank you!
June 25, 2014 at 6:40 am
Where did you take such a lovely pic?! Have you noticed how they are taking down the old bridge.. Amazing!
June 25, 2014 at 6:51 am
just driving along just past Yerba Buena tunnel going toward Oakland. have a pic of the new bay bridge at night with the old one shadowed off to the side…http://lauramacky.smugmug.com/Galleries/This-and-That-1/i-Rn5p5fD/A
June 25, 2014 at 6:46 am
Amazing artistic rendering–it really looks like a painting. Wow.
June 25, 2014 at 6:52 am
Thank you Renata 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 6:46 am
The photoshopped version looks great.
June 25, 2014 at 6:52 am
Yay thanks!
June 25, 2014 at 6:52 am
Very creative and beautiful use of a blurry photo. I like the result a lot, Laura.
June 25, 2014 at 6:55 am
Glad you like it, thank you 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 6:53 am
The artistic version is so great and it’s wonderful seeing how it originated! I love both pictures!
June 25, 2014 at 6:55 am
Thanks Michelle 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 6:56 am
Okay, that is absolutely beautiful! Well done!
June 25, 2014 at 6:57 am
Thank you!
June 25, 2014 at 7:13 am
I do like your treatment on the “after” image – however, had you not mentioned that the original picture was blurry – the “before” picture could also have been an art rendering – just goes to show that if you start with something worthwhile – the treatment only makes it a bit better.
June 25, 2014 at 7:15 am
Thanks much Robert! 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 7:33 am
Lovely result, Laura!
I enjoyed reading the comments, now I feel updated. 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 8:25 am
Haha thank you!
June 25, 2014 at 7:50 am
I like both images but I admire your spirit 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 8:41 am
😀
June 25, 2014 at 8:12 am
You are very talented Laura, the resultat is amazing 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 9:05 am
aww thank you! So nice of you to say.
June 25, 2014 at 8:22 am
You KNOW how much I love this re-engineered image. Oh…is that a dirty windshield streak or a dust spot right there in the middle, lol? Either way, keep it up Laura. You’re an inspiration to some of us non-creative type 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 9:05 am
Huh? Is there a dirty spot? I have to look. But thank you!
June 25, 2014 at 9:07 am
NO…don’t remove it! It adds to the great texture of the print. I was JK 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 9:09 am
Oh i see…I think it was a break in the clouds that got darker when I processed it. lol
June 25, 2014 at 9:10 am
🙂
June 25, 2014 at 9:11 am
geez..I don’t know why I didn’t see that!
June 25, 2014 at 9:12 am
I like to think of it as a bug smear, hehehe
June 25, 2014 at 9:16 am
I fixed it on the painted image. I think. 😛
June 25, 2014 at 8:28 am
That is simply lovely. Thanks for sharing it with us.
June 25, 2014 at 9:06 am
Thank you and you’re welcome 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 8:52 am
Laura, I love what you are doing with your photos.
Years ago I used to be a realist artist (oil & acrylic) and people would say to me, “why don’t you just take a picture?” Five years ago I injured my wrists building a house, and so realism went out the window…but the artist in me never left. Now I take photos, and like you do, I try to make them look like paintings…lol!
So much fun…keep pushing those boundaries…and oh, I’m a big fan of impressionism. You nailed this one 🙂 ~ dave
June 25, 2014 at 9:07 am
YAY! Thank you Dave for your positive feedback. I know that extreme photo manipulation isn’t for everyone but I’ve always enjoyed being creative and trying to push the boundaries. I’m so glad you feel I nailed it! 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 9:25 am
Playing with images is such fun and what a brilliant result. Love it!
June 25, 2014 at 9:39 am
Thank you!
June 25, 2014 at 9:36 am
Outstanding, Laura! I’m a huge fan of photography as a base for artistic expression, and I too love to morph my images into something more painterly. I’m also a fan of intentionally blurred photos, and altho your blur wasn’t intentional, I like both the original and the manipulated versions. Nice! 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 9:40 am
It’s funny Katrina…after this I had realized that blurring them before helps out the look. Seems like I’m not the only one! 🙂 Thank you for your comments.
June 25, 2014 at 9:50 am
What fun Laura and yes the blur makes it!!!
June 25, 2014 at 10:24 am
hehehe
June 25, 2014 at 10:17 am
Look like a Renoir painting
June 25, 2014 at 10:26 am
Wow thank you! (I feel Renoir turning in his grave lol.)
June 25, 2014 at 10:21 am
Your art is beautiful Laura!
June 25, 2014 at 10:26 am
Thank you so much 🙂 I appreciate it.
June 25, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Well, from now on, I’m going to be taking a second (and third) look at my blurry photos 🙂 Love your creativity with this and love, love, love the outcome!! You could frame and hang it!
June 25, 2014 at 2:09 pm
Thank you! And yes, please do look at your blurry photos. You never know! Someone here said they intentionally take blurry photos and I read that after I had surmised that I could do just that, lol.
June 25, 2014 at 1:49 pm
Hey Laura .. Love ’em. 🙂
>
June 25, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Thanks much!! 😀
June 25, 2014 at 1:52 pm
Nice work Laura. The painted version looks great!
June 25, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Thank you! Glad you like it. 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 3:00 pm
Looks good Laura. I always like the freedom that my worse photos give me to be creative and experiment with. I probably have more photos to work than you do. 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 3:25 pm
Thanks so much…it’s funny you say that because i do end up doing more creative things with my crummy photos lol. And I’m learning what can be done to create art this way. And making notes! Note #1: Shake camera to cause blur because it looks better after processing to look like a painting. 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Nothing like getting arty. 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 4:58 pm
Artsy fartsy…that’s me! 😀
June 26, 2014 at 5:18 am
It’s great for a good picture that may be out of focus.
June 26, 2014 at 6:52 am
😀
June 25, 2014 at 4:13 pm
I could spend hours creating in photoshop. I love it.
June 25, 2014 at 4:59 pm
oh me toooooooo 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 5:15 pm
Definitely one to print and hang on the wall …very nice
June 25, 2014 at 6:16 pm
Aw thank you, Mike!
June 25, 2014 at 6:29 pm
and it turns out to be such a lovely painting… print it and hang it on the wall for sure… Laura I love it…
June 25, 2014 at 6:38 pm
thank you so much. I’m loving this photography business. 😉
June 25, 2014 at 7:18 pm
both are lovely
June 25, 2014 at 7:34 pm
Thank you 🙂
June 25, 2014 at 10:51 pm
Works well Laura 😊
June 26, 2014 at 6:49 am
Thanks Mark 🙂
June 26, 2014 at 4:50 am
I’m not a big fan of the snapshot looking photos whether they are nice and sharp or an abstract sort of photo-art. But what you have done to this photo makes it look very interesting to me. When looking at the original photo I think of people driving over a bridge, a scene I see on a daily basis and don’t find very interesting. When I look at the processed version I think this is a memory for someone who lives in that area to remind them of driving home after having a great day or starting off the morning to a great day. Going from photo to painting to me makes a big difference and I think it really works. Great job Laura!
June 26, 2014 at 6:52 am
Thank you so much! I did feel a story there and I think that’s why it worked as well. It was my OWN story! It’s a little memory of me returning from a fellow WP’ers REAL photography showing, so maybe being there inspired me but I’ll always remember it because of this image. Thanks Justin. I appreciate your comments. 🙂
June 26, 2014 at 6:37 pm
Lovely Laura; “pushing boundaries” is what it’s all about 🙂
June 26, 2014 at 7:07 pm
Thank you so much Andrew. 🙂
June 26, 2014 at 8:14 pm
I don’t know, I guess I’m just a realist at heart, I like your original photo the best. Colors are more brilliant. It’s always hard to improve on God’s earthly artwork.
June 26, 2014 at 10:51 pm
Is god the iphone??? Just kidding!
June 27, 2014 at 5:31 am
LOL. I’m sure He’s in there in more ways then we can guess because whoever invented the iphone’s camera was definitely inspired.
June 27, 2014 at 7:13 am
Well Steve Jobs used to think of himself as god hahahaha! Just KIDDING!!! Glad you have a good sense of humor. I think my mornings are wacky when I haven’t yet had coffee lol.
June 27, 2014 at 5:03 pm
I can definitely relate!
June 26, 2014 at 8:57 pm
Apps are great for salvaging photos. 🙂
June 26, 2014 at 10:50 pm
Totally 🙂
June 28, 2014 at 9:15 pm
Oh Laura you had to be first. I was toying with the picture of a cache that is my ‘picture of the week’ in Photoshop. I happened on something similar to your bridge experiment. But I could not decide weather to publish the one I like best or go with the normal photograph. You are far braver than I.
June 29, 2014 at 6:58 am
Go for it Pete! What the heck eh?