Asparagus Blooms

[smoke665]

I took up colored pencils a couple of years ago as an art medium. I was fascinated by the ability to build up and blend color, layer by layer to arrive at an image.However, even a small image takes (me) many hours to complete. I've been studying a technique of using photography to build a similar type image. The elements within the photo are aligned in tiers (layers), then using depth of field and focus to blur and blend the tiers into an image, that is supposed to resemble a brush stroke (or in my case colored pencil). As a matter of reference, the asparagus blooms are about half the size of a #2 pencil eraser. This was shot in mid-day sun, and except for cropping, re sizing and upping the saturation, was completed in one shot, in the camera. I still have a long way to go, but as a first attempt, I like the direction it's heading. As always suggestions are appreciated.

 

[KenC]

Nice. I don't follow exactly how this is done - is there a description somewhere?

 

[smoke665]

In a painting, the artist first lays on the background color, not a lot of detail. The next layer and each one thereafter shows a little more color and detail, until it reaches a focal point then likely starts to blur again in the foreground. You use the same process with the camera, except your elements are staged at different distances from the lens.This shot was a practice shot, to learn the theory behind the process, basically you open the aperture to it's widest point, and set your exposure for the closest element. Then using focus you adjust for the most pleasing blur. When you enlarge the image everything merges together and the background fades to black. The only thing done in editing was to boost the saturation to enhance the painted look. There are many things I need to learn yet in the process.