Using Photographs as Reference

Almost all of us take photographs to remember events or places that have meaning for us.  So how do we use those photographs?

We can simply enlarge and frame them.  We can use a photoshop approach to alter the original photograph, then enlarge and frame.  We might use them in photo books from online places such as Shutterfly.  

But what if we want to use them as reference for a painting?

First, we should ask ourselves, what is there about this photograph that inspires me to want to do a painting?  Why wouldn't I simply reproduce the photo?

I'm going to have you answer a few questions to get to the why.

1.  Where did I take this photograph?  Was the place meaningful or was something else in the picture that I found meaningful or interesting.

2.  What was I feeling at the time?  the Temperature?  Sadness or happiness? Awed by the beauty?  Something else?


3.  What, in particular was of the most interest to me, in the photograph?
Can I pinpoint the area that appealed to me?


Once we have established what the direction of your painting will be we can use tools at our disposal to share our observations with your viewer.