Jan Handman
July 2025 - Summer Getaway
Original
Original 2
About the Image(s)
The lighthouse photo is from a vacation many years ago, I think in Oregon. The bird was taken on a trip to the Galapagos Islands several years ago. I first took out some of the clutter and the people in the lighthouse photo and cropped out some of the sky. Then I added the bird, flipped it to head into the scene opposite the lighthouse, and experimented with sizing him. Lastly, I used PS Filter Gallery > Poster Edges and Oil Paint. I decided to add a very slight vignette to darken the edges a bit at the last minute.
8 comments posted
I like this composition Jan. The bird looks as if it was always there. It's a peaceful scene that's a pleasure to view.
My only comment is the left edge seems a little close to the rock in the water. Maybe a tad more room would balance it a bit better.
Very nice image.
Posted: 07/12/2025 18:21:16
My only comment is the left edge seems a little close to the rock in the water. Maybe a tad more room would balance it a bit better.
Very nice image.
Posted: 07/12/2025 18:21:16
Thanks Denise! I'll try and see if AI can generate a bit more space on the left. Posted: 07/19/2025 23:24:04
The composition works very well with the bird balancing the lighthouse and filling some of the bland sky. For a more arty feel you could consider adding a light texture over the background. This might also give more of a feeling of depth in the image. Posted: 07/14/2025 14:23:19
Thanks Carol. I'll try that. Posted: 07/19/2025 23:24:54
Jan, this gives us a bird's eye view of the lighthouse and scene. I like that you turned the bird, as it keeps us focused on the image. It is very playful and summery! Posted: 07/17/2025 21:24:38
Thank you Rita! Posted: 07/19/2025 23:25:18
The colors in the bird match well with the colors in the lighthouse. The bird also adds more interest to the image. Your crop works well also, for what you have here. But somehow, the image did not sit well with me. It seemed too flat, to me.
So I played with your original images to see what would fall out. I found that a larger bird was more appealing to me, as it made the image less like a balanced scale while it made the bird seem more like a primary subject. Those summer skies always fall flat for me on an image. So I added some upper sunlight with a mask inverted to black on a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer, on which I painted white with a reduced opacity soft brush, using different concentric sizes. Finally, I used Topaz Impressionist Degas Dancer 2 application at 50% Lighten blending mode for the oil painting effect. Posted: 07/19/2025 03:19:07
So I played with your original images to see what would fall out. I found that a larger bird was more appealing to me, as it made the image less like a balanced scale while it made the bird seem more like a primary subject. Those summer skies always fall flat for me on an image. So I added some upper sunlight with a mask inverted to black on a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer, on which I painted white with a reduced opacity soft brush, using different concentric sizes. Finally, I used Topaz Impressionist Degas Dancer 2 application at 50% Lighten blending mode for the oil painting effect. Posted: 07/19/2025 03:19:07
Thanks for your assessment Georgianne. Sorry it didn't sit well with you. Your version has some good points, but your treatment made it blurry and smudged looking, so that seems less than ideal to me. But I appreciate your feedback. Posted: 07/19/2025 23:35:11