Monterey Dream

12x12 oil on Canvas

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Comment by Olga on July 17, 2016 at 0:02: I love you feel of space and color harmony!

Comment by Ann Turner on May 30, 2013 at 6:22: Thank you so much Stu for the detailed information. I will try again and post just to see the improvement. I think the white paper to get balance with the lights will help alot. I'm on my way home from Oregon after a wonderful visit with my son and family. Happy painting to you !

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on May 29, 2013 at 5:06: Ann and Elfrida, here is a relatively simple way to get better photos. Find a shady spot outdoors with a neutral gray (weathered wood or concrete) flat surface and not too much surrounding color; a back deck or driveway are good places. Put some white paper under one edge of the painting and shoot it flat on the ground from above it leaving a few inches showing all the way around. Try and shoot on an overcast day and between 10 AM and 2 PM. Shoot a bunch, because its easy to have a little misalignment if you hand hold the camera. When you photoedit, first set your white balance on the white paper. Then adjust your brightness and contrast and finally crop the photo. I think you will be quite happy with this. All my photos posted on this site are done using a Samsung 12 megaPixel point and shoot camera. Any photo editor will let you do this. If you don't have one, download Gimp from www.gimp.com -- it's a freebie. Hope this helps; you don't need a high end digital camera or a whole bunch of lights to get good photos; you just need soft balanced light with no glare from direct sunlight. This will be a little cool (north light) if the sky is blue and a little warmer on the overcast day. The white paper will adjust the lighting for you if you white balance on it. Stu

Comment by elfrida schragen on May 29, 2013 at 3:52: For me, I can clearly see that my photo problem is about light bouncing off the painting and creating not previously painted 'light spots'. I do a lot of moving around the house and outside to get a photo I can at least accept. I think the 'light box idea sounds great! Let me know the design once he has got it made if you can. Take a photo of it....

Comment by Ann Turner on May 28, 2013 at 17:52: Thank you for your comment Betsy.They say misery loves company but I think that "birds of a feather flock together " fits this situation. My son the the media guy says that he will build me a light box to control the light that will help more then an expensive camera. If he makes it I will share the results. :)

Comment by Betsy Jenkins on May 28, 2013 at 1:34: Hi, Ann,

I have the same problem with my camera. I had to shoot my painting at 3200 speed and it looks QUITE different on the monitor than in life. I, too, have areas that are lighter (mostly foreground) on screen than in reality. About 75% of my brushstrokes are blurred. Colors are wacked out. I have lavenders and pretty greens in places in reality, which look like whites or grays on screen. A new camera is not in the budget in the foreseeable future. So we just have to live with what we have.

Comment by Ann Turner on May 27, 2013 at 17:56: You're right Elfrida. I need to get a better camera or change the light when I do the photo because the lights on the foreground appear lighter than they are and the contrast with the front building darks appears darker than it really is. I'm seldom happy with the photo when the blues and purples of the water appear light and have lost their depth.

Comment by elfrida schragen on May 27, 2013 at 6:21: I find the foreground might do well with more depth of value to help the viewer from keep getting drawn back and forth. When I place my hand over the bottom half it feels more relaxing and i think an overall darkening of the foreground may do the same thing.

Comment by Ningning Li on May 26, 2013 at 18:20: Very good perspectives and light. The background building and boats are very soft images but well defined. Beautiful.