Manipulated

Most of the images in my portfolio are made with some form of manipulation. Sometimes it is a small change, like changing some small detail or adding a more dramatic sky. Other times the manipulation is far more extreme, like adding an extra head to my body (Past vs Future) or playing a massive game of cards in the sky (The Game: Solitaire). The reason for the manipulation is sometimes to create a more surreal scene. Other times it is to fix something from the capturing stage - whether intentional (like doing a hand swop to remove the remote) or unintentional (like fixing a mistake/failure while photographing).

When one creates the type of images I do, there is always a tossup when reviewing the photographs captured as to whether it will work, whether it requires a reshoot, whether to abandon the image all together, or whether it is something one can fix in Photoshop.

I created this image from the pieces of only one take. Strictly speaking, they were actually somewhat of a mess and I probably should have done a reshoot. Despite this, amongst the mess I managed to capture pieces that I really connected with and I was uncertain if I would be able to capture that again. So I decided to fix it in Photoshop. Strangely enough, despite the heavy manipulation it required to put this together, it slid together really easily. And I wanted to create an image that spoke to me about being manipulated, so it seemed fitting to work with this image in this way instead of reshooting it.

We all know that feeling of being manipulated and how easy it is to slip into that trap. This was my take on that feeling...

Before and after... As always, if you have any questions (about my process, the editing, or anything really), then please send me a message and I will be happy to help.

It would seem that this series is steadily developing. I will need to come up with a name for it soon. I have a few options I am considering, so watch this space!