Do Something Fun With Photos

[Nicks Pics]

I've been getting odd ideas in my head while viewing some other photographers' work, and so I grabbed some of my photos from this past year to see what I could do.



I think this turned out to be something of a collage, though that's not exactly what I originally had in mind, but I had no need to stick to any rules here.

These are 13-Lined Ground Squirrels and ground squirrels live in sunny, grassy, fields, and they eat wheat, (sometimes) so the images I use are related in my mind.

Let me know if you've got any ideas! Thanks!

[Shadowman]

Cute.

[Dave Humphries]

Hey Nick,

With some* minor adjustments, I can absolutely see this being an illustration in a book/encyclopaedia on animals, well done.

* the overlapping of the first two and the slightly too bright flare effect are the things I had in mind

Good effort though, Dave

[IzzieK]

It has been an emotional turmoil last week and might be this week too so it will be nice to get something out of my brain for a change instead of worrying about soup cups, dogs and lighting. It will be nice to participate in something worth planning and thinking once again...i have a few image I can composite together in a jiffy too...Do we upload it here? in this same post?

[Nicks Pics]

John, thanks for the comment

Dave, thanks for the comments. Were you referring to the first two animals on the left side? Did you think they shouold not overlap, or that the overlapping wasn't done well? The flare was in the original image, an not changed much, but I could tone it down some if it is too annoying. Thanks for commenting, much appreciated.

Izzie, if you slap a composite together soon feel free to post it here. It would be fun to see other peoples' style, and it's a great way to use some of your photos.

[Brownbear]

Hi Nick,

Just to say I think this a wonderful idea that works beautifully if you can manage to do it with a little more finesse. For me that means better blending of the grass/eliminating some strands of grass/wheat on the squirrel on the far right and around the top of the head of the 2nd squirrel. The mix of out of focus and in focus blades of grass seems a little odd to me... I like the overlap... All that said I know that this is extraordinarily hard to do and I think this is a good effort. I can't do it well myself so sorry that I can't share any tips, only observations.

Perhaps it would be easier to use a different but similar background from just one of the images, with a little less flare and tamer grass? (if that is not the case here)

You've certainly the adorable factor of a ground squirrel in spades. Gorgeous detail and sparkle in eye(s)!

PS Beautifully artistic!

[Dave Humphries]

JWere you referring to the first two animals on the left side?

Did you think they should not overlap, or that the overlapping wasn't done well?

The flare was in the original image, an not changed much, but I could tone it down some if it is too annoying. Thanks for commenting, much appreciated.

Yes

The overlap is done well.
There's just something about the perspective (relative sizes of them) that bothers me, which I think might not - if one were not so obviously 'in front' of the other.
I guess if the one behind were a tad smaller (in relation to frame size), that might also do the trick.

I would tone done the flare a bit.

However, do bear in mind I'm being quite picky - and it wouldn't have occurred to me in a month of Sundays to attempt anything like this.

The trouble is, it is easy to get sucked in to over analysing a collage like this and start worrying about lighting angles, relative sizes (oh, I already did), etc. - but it stands as it is as art.

Well done, Dave

[Nicks Pics]

Hi Christina,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to give a looking-over. I agree it would benefit from being done with more finesse. In other words, I think I could use to have a little more precise idea of what I am trying to do with it. I think it was my intent that it should look somewhat "messy", or at least, not very neat and organized, but rather perhaps, impressionistic. I intended to leave a little of the original BG to most of the original G squirrel pictures. I didn't really want to strip the ground squirrels right out of the pictures they were in, and place them in floating positions about the frame, but I was hoping what of the backgrounds I left would fade and harmonize with one another a little better than they did. I'm sure this is the kind of thing that might be rendered drastically differently by different people, but hopefully I will be able to get a better grasp on this kind of project so that I can do them with a little more perfection, should I be attempting any more of them in the future.

PS. Who wouldn't like ground squirrels???

[Nicks Pics]

Dave,
It is interesting how the collage almost gives the impression of a composited picture, such as a scene put together with elements from different pictures meant to look like they were originally one scene. This obviously wasn't what I was trying to make, but perhaps it is the overlapping of two of the squirrels that is giving the image depth (like a 3D scene) which is making it look like the two squirrels are in the same scene with one another, in which case they should be appropriate sizes in proportion to one another.

I think I need a little more firm grasp on what I am, and am not trying to do with this idea. But I was just playing with it "by ear". Maybe I'll have a better grasp on my vision for future projects of this type.

Thanks for taking the time to give it your review and thoughts!

[Brownbear]

Hi Nick,

I am especially fond of the photo and the idea. I too think it would be ideal to keep the natural habitat but was thinking that you might have one image with easier grass, just because grass when mixed is especially challenging to work with.

I hope you give it another try in future. I haven't given up on the idea either, and intend to give it another try one day, and will share when I do.

PS Your ground squirrels are exquisite!

Hi Christina,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to give a looking-over. I agree it would benefit from being done with more finesse. In other words, I think I could use to have a little more precise idea of what I am trying to do with it. I think it was my intent that it should look somewhat "messy", or at least, not very neat and organized, but rather perhaps, impressionistic. I intended to leave a little of the original BG to most of the original G squirrel pictures. I didn't really want to strip the ground squirrels right out of the pictures they were in, and place them in floating positions about the frame, but I was hoping what of the backgrounds I left would fade and harmonize with one another a little better than they did. I'm sure this is the kind of thing that might be rendered drastically differently by different people, but hopefully I will be able to get a better grasp on this kind of project so that I can do them with a little more perfection, should I be attempting any more of them in the future.

PS. Who wouldn't like ground squirrels???

[chauncey]

Be careful what ya wish for Nick, I've got several hundred BIFs that could be combined.

[Nicks Pics]

Be careful what ya wish for Nick, I've got several hundred BIFs that could be combined.

Fascinating photo composite! I hope to do some like that some day for sure.

[Wavelength]

Nice....funny...yet a bit concerned about that vanishing one....

[Nicks Pics]

Nice....funny...yet a bit concerned about that vanishing one....

Yes, thanks, I worked hard to make that one start vanishing I think I originally was planning on having all or most of the squirrels somewhat transparent, or something like that, but I agree it looks a little odd that only one of them is. Could try to change that

[HaseebM]

Excellent work!