Bob Wills
April 2026 - Irish Dreams
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About the Image(s)
I was looking through my trip to Ireland images as I reorganize my LR catalog. I decided a couple couple be thrown together for a practice composition. I wanted to use the image I took of the wee church cemetery in County Rosscommon at the old ruined church and ancient graveyard on the site of a Celtic Christian abbey.
(History Alert) It is said that Saint Patrick visited Fuerty and left a deacon to found a monastic settlement here. The deacon, Justus, baptized Saint Claran, a local man around the year 500. Ciaran went on to found Clonmacnoise, which became one of the most important monasteries and centers of learning in Europe. Fuerty is my wife's ancestral home. I am a Galway man, one of the seven original tribes I found out, but I drove all of southern Ireland in a twelve day trip. Never saw such narrow lanes to drive on.
Back to the images. I started with the cemetery, then added Dorinda from her image in Charles Fort, Kinsale Harbor, then the roses from Point Defiance Rose Garden here in Tacoma. I then used some actions from f64 Academy to create some AI colorful oil paint layers which I blended in mostly with Linear Light Mode at 15-20 percent fill, masked and inverted then painted white where I wanted the color to show, and a face, if you can find it.
All suggestions and comments appreciated.
11 comments posted
This is lovely! It gives a mystical vibe which I find perfect for the subject. I love the added texture, the color sneaking through on the right and the face in the clouds.
The only slight negative I find is that the added flowers on the left seem to bright for the rest of the image. For me, they don't blend quite as well as the other layers. Posted: 04/01/2026 22:22:32
I think you have done really well blending in all the elements and it really works. Unlike Sylvia, the roses on the left seem ok to me but I find that the figure of Dorinda too sharp and looks cut out? Perhaps you could feather the cut out a bit more to help it blend in better?
Well done. Posted: 04/02/2026 14:01:25
"Bain mo bhean chéile?"
There is no way I can remove my wife from her Irish ancestral cemetery and live to tell about it. I like your flower blending much better. My erroneous thought was to add the rose in front(lighter and sharper), Then the photographer (slightly lighter, and less sharp,) then the cemetery to create depth, but obviously I didn't accomplish that goal. Your version does have depth.
The action I used created four different AI layers, which I used as separate masked layers providing what I hoped to be interest in a boring sky and church wall. I think I will mask the seat, and Brennan grave cross so that area is clear again.
It helps immensely that these monthly comments guide me to get a plan together to try to improve my work. Posted: 04/02/2026 21:55:58
Excellent composition! Impressive use of masking and layer modes. The color is stunning. Good work! Posted: 04/13/2026 07:42:02