Richard94611 Loc: Oakland, CA

I know some people here dislike PhotoShop and feel that using it is cheating. We're all entitled to our opinions.

If this photo, "The Temple of Ramses III," actually gets posted (I have had trouble managing this), then you might be interested in looking at it and knowing a little more about how it came about.

I photographed the man on the steps of a parking garage in downtown Oakland. The statues of Ramses in the background come from a single shot of a six-inch model I did in my backyard. I made three copies, extracted them from the background, put them side by side, and changed the lighting on each one to give the illusion that the light was strongest in the center of the picture. The shaft of light shining down on the man, presumably from some hole in the temple ceiling, was produced in Photo Shop.

Any tool that unleashes one's creativity is fine with me, though I know that there are many "old school" photographers out there who disagree with this. I don't have the skill in pure photography that most of them have, so I have to use whatever means I have available. Besides, there are no Egyptian temples in Oakland, CA.

DB Loc: Myrtle Beach, SC

I like it... shows a lot of creativity and best of all YOU like it. Nothing wrong with Photographic Art......

bobmielke Loc: Portland, OR

http://kelbytv.com/thegrid/ View Episode 20

Martinp Loc: Pennsylvania

I happen to like it also, and I guess one of the great aspects of art is that you can go adrift from the conventional... You like it! That's all that matters.

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

I salute your creativity and photo editing skill. This is a great example of out of the box thinking. I wish i had your photoshop skill but my big bulky hands have trouble with selection tools.

tarheel-Ron Loc: North Carolina

I think it's awesome !!!

LittleRedFish Loc: Naw'lens (New Orleans)

please view my forum on "do real photographers edited" It may help you with your vision and perspective on how others feel about P/P. please comment.
Otherwise, I think the photo is great fun. Love it.

user2071 Loc: New England

I don't really think about pictures like this as photographs. They are art, yes, and photography is used in their creation but they really are something else.

That's not bad and it isn't a criticism. I like the picture. I have played around with digital art a lot myself, but was just never good enough at it. You obviously ARE very good at it.

By the way, whatever you did to make the model, THAT is art all by itself! Impressive art.

I think at a certain point it stops being post processing because the processing IS the art. The creation is not photographic. Your simply using some photographic pieces. This kind of art needs a name of its own and a place in the art world. I think that to call it photography does photography an injustice and fails to give this new art form credit where it is due.

It deserves to be something of its own and have a place of its own.

So there are two things about which I'm pretty sure:

This is no longer photography. It is something new.

This new thing isn't going away. This is THE art of the immediate future and I think we are going to see much more of it.

Richard94611 Loc: Oakland, CA

For selection, I used the system in the filters section of PhotoShop CS3, which I still have on one of my computers. I find the selection method in CS5 impossible. I have not been able to make it work.

arphot Loc: Massachusetts

I have a group (on another site) that I call PhotoArtography. It is mainly for anyone (photographer, traditional/digital artists, film, HDR, on and on and on). Creating art from photography is what I like best. Although, I do so like learning about how to photograph properly as well. :)

user2071 Loc: New England

Artography. That is weirdly coincidental. When I was trying to (not very successfully) create digital art, I call the results "Artographs."

Is this a case of great minds thinking alike? Or is it a result of too little sleep and not enough coffee?

I will go and look at your site with pleasure. Especially if you provide a link.

arphot Loc: Massachusetts

user2071 Loc: New England

That's the stuff. It IS a new art form. Photographic in its origin, but now something else. Like any art, it evokes emotional response. I like some of it, don't like some of it. LOVE some of it. Probably will hate some of it too.

Art brings out passion in people. I think that's what it's supposed to do.

donphil101

I love it and you are very, very good in PhotoShop. donphil101

patw62

I think he looks great, and the photos not bad either ;)