Landscape references

In this New England landscape photography image of a blue dinghy on Cape Cod, I was challenged. The difficulty in lighting conditions was due to the high contrast of the sunset sky and the darker landscape scenery of the marsh, blue boat and surrounding woods. Metering on the boat and landscape scenery provided detail and…

I have a few recent paintings to share. Here's one of them, Impressions of Noosa. I had mixed feelings about the outcome of this, but it's come to grow on me. Something different at the very least. I also think it's worth sharing paintings that didn't go exactly as planned as this gives you a

Reference photos of actual landscapes make it much easier for artists to paint their own landscapes on canvas.

At least half of my painting effort goes into shooting good reference photos. I “create” my composition in the viewfinder and shoot with as wide dynamic range as possible. Lately I have been using a drone to get shots that would have been impossible before. In order to get the widest dynamic range, I shoot bracketed photos at different f-stops then process them on my computer with Photomatix. I shoot thousands of photos, often visiting the same places at different times of day to find…

The Landscape Painter’s Guide to Selecting Reference Photos

There’s beauty everywhere around us. When we slow down, breathe in deeply, and take a closer look, we’ll notice just how gorgeous and soul-healing life can be.