Leonie Lewis
October 2026 - Seasoned Surfer
Original
Original 2
Original 3
About the Image(s)
This is my first attempt at a composite. I tried to tell the story of where I live. I live in regional Victoria, Australia. Where I am is less than an hour to snow topped mountains in one direction. Less than an hour to Australia's largest river in the other. The land is cold and floods in winter and dry with extreme heat and bushfires in Summer. I have tried to represent our way of life by including the seasons in the image. Australian life savers are a way of life. I layered the three images and used masks and the brush to combine. I am looking forward to trying more advanced ways to achieve composites.
5 comments posted
I think you have done very well in combining all the images and, as you say, it reflects the area where you live.
I think I may have blended in the sharp line going across the image above the surfer which was the horizon in original image. It stops the eye a little from exploring a bit more that way.
The colour palette works well and brings the surfer to be the star.
Well done. Posted: 10/01/2026 14:57:32
I think I may have blended in the sharp line going across the image above the surfer which was the horizon in original image. It stops the eye a little from exploring a bit more that way.
The colour palette works well and brings the surfer to be the star.
Well done. Posted: 10/01/2026 14:57:32
Interesting effect. The originals were taken at different angles and focal lengths. But when combined they seem natural, and give the illusion of a swell behind the surfer. I agree with Angela, the horizon could use sone work. Posted: 10/03/2026 01:16:32
Leonie,
This was very well done! Great job. Posted: 10/04/2026 23:51:33
This was very well done! Great job. Posted: 10/04/2026 23:51:33
Hi Leonie,
This is very well done, especially for a first composite. You've created a really interesting vision here. If I'm wrong in some of my assumptions, I apologize, but I think this image is worth a second attempt to fully develop the wonderful vision you're going for.
Original image: The dense trees hid the snow-capped mountain from me at first. I wondered if a crop might help bring the mountain more into the story of the final image. I also used Lightroom Classic masks to isolate the snow and increase the whites and highlights, which helped it stand out a little more. I leveled it to the midline (I think)
O2: You did a great job with this one, IMO. I really like what you accomplished here.
O3: I'm guessing this may be a floodplain with stumps left from a fire. The only thing I might consider is where some of the tree trunks are blending together. That part of the story is a little unclear to me, so separating a few of them might help the viewer understand what they're seeing.
You've got a really good concept here, and I think another pass could make it even stronger.
I didn't use PS at all, as I'm obviously not competent with layers yet.
Posted: 10/07/2026 20:17:58
This is very well done, especially for a first composite. You've created a really interesting vision here. If I'm wrong in some of my assumptions, I apologize, but I think this image is worth a second attempt to fully develop the wonderful vision you're going for.
Original image: The dense trees hid the snow-capped mountain from me at first. I wondered if a crop might help bring the mountain more into the story of the final image. I also used Lightroom Classic masks to isolate the snow and increase the whites and highlights, which helped it stand out a little more. I leveled it to the midline (I think)
O2: You did a great job with this one, IMO. I really like what you accomplished here.
O3: I'm guessing this may be a floodplain with stumps left from a fire. The only thing I might consider is where some of the tree trunks are blending together. That part of the story is a little unclear to me, so separating a few of them might help the viewer understand what they're seeing.
You've got a really good concept here, and I think another pass could make it even stronger.
I didn't use PS at all, as I'm obviously not competent with layers yet.
Posted: 10/07/2026 20:17:58
This is a really good first attempt at a composite Leonie! Kudos to you for "diving in" (haha) to unfamiliar territory. I like the story you're telling here. You did a very nice job of blending the three images. As others have mentioned, the horizon line could have been softened. You also did well with lightening up the body and board in the surfer image. I'd suggest maybe doing some dodging on the foamy water in front to draw the viewer's eye to your main subject, and maybe even make her a bit larger. The final image seems a bit dark, but that could just be a result of my monitor. You mentioned snowy mountains in your explanation, but I don't see any in your originals or final; am I missing it? Bob seems to have found it. Posted: 10/09/2026 22:09:03