Purple Haze

Abstract image of purple cornflowers. Only one original of this image is created, signed, dated and with a certificate of authenticity. The image is used for creation of an open edition but otherwise archived and kept only for historic purposes and publications. To purchase an original contact the artist at waynedking9278@gmail.com.

The open edition, featured here provides the closet approximation to an original work at a more affordable price, especially for those who love art but don’t feel the need to purchase original works.

Wayne D. King’s images are a celebration of life, blending the real and the surreal to achieve a sense of place or time that reaches beyond the moment into a dreamlike quintessentialism designed to spark an emotional response. Using digital enhancement, handcrafting, painting, and sometimes even straight photography, King seeks to take the viewer to a place that is beyond simple truth to where truth meets passion, hope and dreams.

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http://www.redbubble.com/people/waynedking/works/13598591-purple-haze

Creation of "Storm Over Sedona"

Taken in Sedona Arizona this Mindscape image is manipulated to emphasize the power of the clouds. A number of different processes were used to create this image.

Beginning with a straight shot in a day when a storm system was moving in but not threatening to the extent that the final image would have you believe. Here is the original image.

Like many images on digital or film a correct exposure gives a flat look to the image.

While the image was shot as a raw format file, I did not take multiple images with the intention of creating a HDR image. However, by using the curves feature in Photoshop I can create a similar effect, using the original to create 2 additional images, one with the equivalent of 2 stops over exposed an one 2 stops under exposed.

The three images subjected to HDR treatment with Photomatix software looked like this:

2 stops under

correct metering

Two stops overexposed

The result of this is a HDR images that captures a much broader range of light and color

There's no question that this image is superior to the others and if I were creating a straight image, or doing a documentary photographic book of Arizone, this is where I'd be stopping. However, as a work of art the image is just missing something for me.

Now I take the image above and create two copies, one a toned monochrome or a duochrome and the other an exact copy of the HDR "original". I put the finished "original aside as an archive so that I don't lose it by manipulating it accidently and hitting the save button.

Now I take the monochrome and copy it and paste it over the color image. So the file I have is now the monochrome over color. Now choosing the eraser and modifying the opacity so that the eraser does not remove the entire first layer with one stroke, I slowly bring back sections of the image toward the full color -leaving untouched the sky to emphasize the gray of the clouds. In the central part of the image I restore the full color but you'll notice that in the foreground I do not return the image to full color but rather bring it back about 30-40%. This is because I found the deep red of the foreground dirt was distracting from the mood that I was seeking to create.

Then I restore a very small amount of color to the sky,

Now, for the final touch. Sometimes I will print the image like this and handpaint the sky, sometimes I will clone watercolor skys that I have created for other images, but in this case I simply used the paintbrush to add some red into the sky. A border emphasizing one of the colors - in this case yellow - frames the image nicely and I'm ready to identify a favorite charity to benefit from sales of the image and place the image in my gallery for sale!

Purchase an open edition print or card of this image, here.

Adding a Dreamlike Appeal to an Image

The Bikepath - Original Image

This brief piece addresses one way to take a standard image and crate a dreamlike effect from it. There are many options for doing this I chose this because it is consistent with my own style. The software used for this process is Photoshop CS.

It's important to note that each of these images could stand on its own. Since I am moving in a specific direction, the end result will be 2-3 stock images and one gallery-bound image. The original image above is a quality image to begin with. This is important because you can't take a poor quality image with no visual appeal and turn it into a gallery-quality image no matter how many tricks you employ.

Step two is a desaturation of the image and then the addition of one single brown tone to create a toned effect. (duo tone filter) Generally, adding a second tone also darkens the image and may require you to use your curves tool or brightness and contrast tools to lighten the image back up before you move on.

In the next step we will add some colors back into the image using the history brush. In order to use the history brush we must restore the mode to RGB - otherwise the software will indicate that you cannot restore the history on the image.

Since the rider is the principle focal point of the image this is where we first work on restoration. The history brush allows one to determine how much of the color to add back into the image from 1% - 100%. If color was a critical component of the image, I might go for the entire 100% but I'm seeking to create a dreamlike effect so I set the history bruch to restore 10% of the color (with each pass). The image at right is restored to about 40% of its original color.

Next I restore about 20% of the color to the surrounding background. This results in an image similar to the original but muted by the preceeding processes.

Finally. I want to soften the focus on everything except the rider and his bike. There are numerous ways to do this but I prefer to apply a vignette effect. Copying the image into 3 separate layer . Applying a light gausian blur to the middle layer and using the lasso tool to draw a boundary around the bike and rider. At this point I also apply a feathering effect so that the border between what is sharp and what is soft focus will not be too stark. After all, we are not trying to hide the fact that the image has been manipulated but we are trying to create a dreamlike effect where the viewer is not distracted by the obvious nature of the manipulation.

The final product entitled "Dreams of the Trail" is seen below and is available for purchase as cards or a matted or framed print at my Red Bubble Gallery.



Order "Dreams of the Trail"

The Daisy

Shot during the final days of a single daisy this image captures a very serene scene. Handpainting allows the background to be altered to produce a warm and emotive effect. The image is then scanned for final output.

Order cards or prints of "The Daisy"