Small Bridge

Small Bridge
Originally uploaded by Gizmo_Ferguson

Was playing around with this photo as it wasn't quite right. The bridge was casting some marvellous shadows but the sky was blown-out.

There is a method for recreating the 'Orton effect' (a film method devised by MIchael Orton who created the technique of combining two images - a sharp layer overexposed by two stops and a blurred layer overexposed by one stop.

This creates a single image with an ethereal glow of an impressionist painting.)

I still wasn't happy so I recalled seeing a photo recently on flickr where a boring sky on an otherwise natural coastline shot had been replaced by a subtle feathered texture and it worked nicely.

As the Orton technique is meant to make the image look like a painting, I applied a canvas texture, and this is the result.

It's different, certainly, but I think more can be done with these techniques.

(Best viewed large by clicking photograph)