This image started life as a picture of candle smoke photographed in my studio. Imagine the top left quadrant as the original colour image which had been rotated 90 degrees anti-clockwise. This was duplicated, flipped horizontally and added to create the top right quadrant. The top half of the picture was then Inverted, played around with in Curves and finally Solarised to produce the surreal effect that you see. Having completed the top half of the picture, this was duplicated, flipped vertically, Inverted, adjusted in Curves and finally Solarised to create the bottom half of the picture. The resulting composite was Flattened with a white border added and a black line stroked around the frame. The final image was used as the frontispiece to an article I wrote on ‘Hallucination’.
5 comments posted
Brad Becker
Brian, Thanks for outlining your process here. The details are helpful for those trying to replicate your technique. I'm more intrigued by the compelling kaleidoscope you've created. The final image is certainly more than the sum of its parts. Posted: 11/15/2024 05:37:29
Brian Swinyard
Brad, Thanks for your kind words; much appreciated. At the time, I tried to create a true kaleidescope using Polar Coordinates and Spherize but I couldn't get the effect I was after. See below. Posted: 11/15/2024 09:34:56
Each version has a different feel and are all interesting. The one you posted looks less like a filter given the complexity Posted: 11/15/2024 19:32:22
