Self-Portrait- Album Cover (Unless You're Free)

Like everyone else at Self-Portrait Challenge, I was not too excited about this month’s challenge at first. I mean, how is it fun if everyone is using the same ten or fifteen tools? No offense but how many Hockney-inizer pics could we look at all month?

I had to think of a way to push this challenge in a new direction. I got to thinking. How could I stay with in the theme but also be creative? The first step was to stop using the tools provided. Sorry guys, but face morphing? Where is the fun in that? The computer is doing all the work. No, I decided to simply follow the prompt’s suggestion: enhance a photo using the computer. The tools they had provided were tempting, but I decided to use Photoshop. I am a novice when it comes to using this program, but I am always amazed at how much you can do with it. I am always learning new things, and I figured I could use this week’s challenge to push my Photoshop skills.

I decided to try my hand at computer graphics. We are surrounded by computer enhanced and created images. I wanted to see if I could create something that looked professional. I am always telling my wife that I want to go back to school and get a degree in some kind of computer art/photography/film making/ or music, so why not put my money where my mouth is and see what I could do.

The idea was to create an album cover for a fictitious CD. One that I hope I may produce someday. The beauty of this new technological age is that anyone can produce music/art and share it with a worldwide audience. But you already knew that or you wouldn’t be here. Back to the project. I had a vision in my head, and I am very proud to say that the final product is exactly as I saw it. There is something very gratifying in the notion that you can dream up something in your head then take a few photos, do some editing, cut and paste, play with layers and colors, and here you have it- a finished album cover; the latest EP from IntrepidFlame called We Are All Broken. I have also included the first single, an original, called Unless You’re Free.
If you have Quicktime, you are in luck. Simply click below to listen. If not download here.




Now that the first graphic is done, my brain is whirling with ideas. With Photoshop, you really can create any image you can think of, and believe me; I am thinking of quiet a few.