Photograph of a Painting

[FrankMi]

I would like to understand what it would take to create a landscape photograph that emulates Thomas Kinkade’s ‘painter of light’ style.

There are some obvious attributes of his compositions that are, admittedly, difficult to obtain all in a single photograph such as a dramatic sky, tempestuous seas, a profusion of color in a multitude of flowers and the way the light shines through windows at dusk. He often will have a winding path or road that beckons you to explore past an open gate, wispy smoke curling from the glow of a warm fire, and a delicate interplay of sunlight and shadow.

Beyond the elements of composition, his use of color and vibrance is usually dramatic if not downright ‘over the top’ and yet is tastefully done. So far, all of the elements can be accomplished in photography even though it may be almost downright impossible to get all of them in a single image as he can in a painting.

What is so elusive is that certain ‘something’ he is able to do with lighting that makes his paintings immediately identifiable as a ‘Kinkade’.

In an effort to try to understand what that ‘something’ is and how to achieve it in a photograph, I thought I’d take a photograph of one of his paintings for analysis. After all, if I can get a photo of what I’m trying get a photo of, perhaps I can determine how to become a ‘photographer of light’ in the sense of Kinkad's technique?

Here is a photograph I took of Thomas Kinkade’s ‘A New Day Dawning’.



The purpose of this thread is to ask for your wisdom and insight into the following questions.

• What is it about Kinkade’s paintings and his use of light that can be emulated in a photograph?

• What shooting and post processing techniques would need to be employed to accomplish this goal?

Please don’t be shy, I doubt I’ll be able to resolve this issue without your experiences, expertise, and suggestions.

Thank You in advance!

[Colin Southern]

Hi Frank,

I can think of a few Photoshop techniques and filters that might move an image in this direction. How about (as a kind of mini-challenge), you post a photo here that you feel would be a good candidate, and I (and others) can have a go at "transforming" it (complete with workflow)?

[FrankMi]

Hi Frank,

I can think of a few Photoshop techniques and filters that might move an image in this direction. How about (as a kind of mini-challenge), you post a photo here that you feel would be a good candidate, and I (and others) can have a go at "transforming" it (complete with workflow)?

Much appreciated, Colin. I'm not sure which is more difficult, finding a shot that would work without it being a composite or figuring out how to get 'the Kinkade look'. LOL! I'll see what I can do.