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Photography and the Art of Practice

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Photography. I don’t know of anything that has so many people across the world so deeply enthralled. Creating imagery is a beautiful way to express ideas, emotions, themes, and more. With the advent of digital photography and iphoneography, the power to create is in everyone’s hands. With access to knowledge and the ability to continuously learn, the sky is the limit with making images.

But why do we get stuck in our creative ruts and lose momentum? How do we break out of the predictable style we’ve come to rely on and continue to practice so that we grow as artists? How do we continue to develop our skills as photographers and as artists in a medium we’ve been using for years? The simple, short answer is: we must practice the art of practicing! Growing as a photographer is a continuous process and being able to deal with the wrong equipment at the right time, embrace not having a vision, and try new workflows to open up the creative flood gates and prepare for future creative opportunities.

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Create Amazing Night Skies with Glow 2

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Do you have a night sky photo that just isn’t as amazing as it appeared through your viewfinder? This tutorial can help add an artistic flare to your photos. Topaz Glow 2 allows you to turn your photographs into masterpieces with the use of varying glow effects. Glow 2 allows you to create images that really pop! 

Today, we’ll cover how Glow 2 can be used to enhance starry night photos. This tutorial will show how varying glow effects can exaggerate those beautiful night sky photos. During this tutorial, the starry night effect will be applied selectively throughout the photo. All this means is some of the image will have the effect applied while other parts, such as mountains or water will be the original. Since we will be masking parts of the image, it is important that you use Glow 2 through a hosting application like Photoshop so that we can properly use the masking functions. If you aren’t familiar with using Glow 2 as a plugin, don’t worry. I will explain all of this in depth in latter steps.

Learn how to accomplish the following in this tutorial:

  • Getting started with Glow 2
  • How to create an effect from start to finish in Glow 2
  • Use ReMask to enhance details such as mountains and water

In this tutorial, I’ll be using an image of a starry snow covered mountain, which you can download here. Glow 2 will help turn this already amazing photograph into a work of art with the perfect focal point or extra flare!

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Going… Going… Gone? New Mexico’s Vanishing Ghost Towns by Gary Lamott

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13. Kelly

13. Kelly

Continuing Our Adventures

My wife and I are continuing our adventures here in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, traveling the highways and byways to some of the more than 400 ghost towns, some of which not only died, but vanished! You can still find a few hardy souls that live in some of them, as well as some old buildings that are still standing. Starting in the late 1800s, these towns blazed in a moment of glory, then died in a sudden flame. Many were mining towns, where men lusted after the earth’s riches – gold, silver, turquoise, copper, lead and coal. A few were farming communities that flourished for a time and mysteriously fell silent. Some were water stops for the steam locomotives, their usefulness gone with the advent of the modern diesel engines that ride the rails today.

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Changing Opacity and Blending Modes

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We all have that one image that we love. It’s almost perfect, but it just seems to be missing something. Maybe what’s missing is that perfect touch from Topaz Labs Glow 2. Adding a subtle effect or a more radical enhancement can create that statement-making photo you’ve been seeking to achieve.

This tutorial is great for beginners and pros. Using Glow 2, I will show you how to add subtle radiance or extreme luminance to your photos. Glow 2 is a fun way to create beautiful images that can be artistic and romantic or loud, statement-making photos. Turn your photographs into masterpieces with the use of various presets that are already provided for you. By simply adjusting the blending mode or opacity, you can change a very extreme effect to a subtle enhancement.

In this tutorial, we will discover how to enhance images using presets. We will also explore how adjusting blending modes and opacity can change a photo from radical to subtle. This tutorial will showcase how one effect can be manipulated to achieve the exact enhancement you desire and add that extra flare your photo is missing!

Learn how to get started with Glow 2, how to create an effect using a preset, and how to change opacity and blending modes to achieve a desired effect.

In this tutorial, I’ll be using an image of a flamingo, which you can download here. Glow 2 will help turn this already breathtaking photograph into a work of art with the perfect added pop!

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Wild Wall Flower with Topaz Glow 2

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Glow 2 is a fun way to create and enhance images. Make subtle enhancements with adjustments and blending modes or create electrifying art easily with effects and custom adjustments. 

Have you ever seen those multiple section art pieces and wanted to make one? Today we’ll cover how Glow 2 can be used to create multiple piece art work. This tutorial will show how to make your own multiple piece art work from start to finish with two variations, one Intermediate Level and one more Advanced Level! 

Learn how to accomplish the following in this tutorial:

  • Workflow process
  • Getting started with Glow 2 via Photoshop
  • How to create an effect from start to finish in Glow 2
  • Save an effect in Glow 2 
  • Expand on creative thinking and output results through practice

In this tutorial I’ll be using an image of a flower, which you can download here. I really like this picture for this specific tutorial as the background is simple and the subject matter is bold. We’ll turn this daisy into a 1960’s worthy piece of art.

Let’s get started!

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