The Painterly Image Blog

Creating a photograph with a “painterly” effect can have various meanings. For some it refers to the photographic technique or style of the image. For others it’s about creating a photograph that looks like a painting. But what most photographers who talk about creating painterly images seem to agree upon is the goal of capturing what they truely see, or perhaps more accurately what they are experiencing as they capture an image. In effect, the final painterly effect is a more valid measure of their inner vision then the “realistic” image the camera has captured.

A major emphasis of this blog will be sharing ideas, concepts and techniques related to the creation of “painterly” photographic images.  I’ll share my images, resources and techniques and welcome reader’s input as well.  I think of myself an explorer of this approach, certainly not an expert, particularly when it comes to advanced post processing techniques.  Like many others, I find greatest pleasure when I’m out shooting, not when processing an image on the computer.  That being said, I love the freedom and opportunity that digital photography provides compared with my efforts to create a “painterly” effect during my days of shooting film and developing my prints in a homemade darkroom.

In my online searches I found a number of references to the topic of “painterly” photography, but no site which attempted to bring these resources together and promote discussion of the topic (perhaps I missed it).  My hope is that this site will serve that purpose .