10.14.2009

inverted world




do you ever invert your photos? sometimes i do. it usually produces an interesting result, but sometimes it turns out downright cool! it turned a few photos that i recently took into something far more interesting than what they looked like originally. it's a neat feature that gives photos an almost x-ray-like quality.

you know how much i love birds and power lines, so i had high hopes for these bird-on-a-wire shots. but the lighting was not very good, so i applied the invert feature in photoshop in hopes of something a little more artistic. i like the way it turns a photo inside out and makes it seem more like an illustration {like in the shots above} or more painterly like the shot below. {i love the tie-dye effect that was created in the background of this third photo.}


so what do you think, photography buffs? are these still photos in your opinion? or have they been processed far beyond the craft of photography into something entirely different, rendering them another art form altogether? or worse, not art at all?

15 comments:

Brittany Miller said...

I think they are beautiful art! Really, they are amazing photos. My husband would LOVE these. He is a Power Lineman. He builds power lines :)

I think they turned out really cool. Sometimes I do this with my photos, but very rarely they turn out that neat!

Hi Kooky said...

Wow! Those power lines are amazing inverted!

Steve Gravano said...

The power lines images are excellent. Pop art! The third photo hardly looks changed to me. I love the birds on the wire shot. I'll have to try one of my photos like this.

ELK said...

i must try this with some of my photos i like it~

georgia b. said...

steve, if you saw the original of the third shot, you would see why it looks drastically different. it was taken during the day, but here it almost looks like a night shot. i guess i should have shown the before with the after to get the full effect. :)

~h~ said...

I am by no means a photography buff, but the bird lines do seem like pop art now to me as well. I love that effect and have never tried it but can see those two power line shots framed. Lovin' that effect, in other words.

Peter Tschirhart said...

Yes, they're still photographs in my opinion. I know that some people frown on any kind of digital manipulation and thats okay if they wish to remain purists. Think of all the great photographs that would never have been taken in the last century if all the greats shunned the use of artificial light.

Cool pics by the way Gee.

spread your wings said...

i think it's still art for sure. yes, i do that ever once in a while for the cool effect it can have

kath said...

Oh, it's definitely art and in my mind still photography. When I manipulate a photo I still see a photo - and remember the root of photograph is "writing with light" and I think you've still accomplished that.

Caroline said...

OMG...so cool!

Lisa said...

ooh i love those first two so much!!! i think the effect of the bird silhouettes is just awesome!

and i am no expert, but i think it is still photography. they're art photographs! i love editing photos to see what sorts of effects you can create: i think that's where a large portion of being an artist comes in! i think snapping the photograph is only half of the art...the rest comes with how you choose to edit and represent it to portray what you see in your minds eye. ;) editing is half the fun!

eh. that's what i think, anyway. ;)

ginny farquhar said...

hi georgia,
i love playing around creating images that speak to me... i also ponder this same question as to when does a photo cease to be a photo and merge into a graphic/fineart image... i have concluded that it doesn't really matter... i feel personally that the main point for me is to enjoy creating images that i love and having fun with the medium... i adore those birds on the wires... they have a graphic screen printing feel ... and would translate well onto fabric (especially the top one). i love how you use your images and layer them with words and effects to create something of beauty...
ginny x

Jaime said...

How cool!

You know what? I believe that anything, anyone creates with their own eyes, hands, heart and soul, is art. No matter what you do to a photograph, it is still your own individual unique creation that no one can duplicate exactly the same way. It is art, it is photography and it is yours! And quite interesting I might add.

xoxo

Anonymous said...

I like them, too, very cool effect. I have some boring bird on wire shots, maybe I'll give that a try.

Joy said...

I think they have a very graphic quality about them and I like it. I think, like you said, they are more of an interesting shot inverted than they would be the other way. I have Photoshop but am overwhelmed by all the features---I know I just need to learn a few things at a time, and not be overwhelmed by all the options and techniques.