Tip: Photos Can Be Deceiving

For those of us that rely on photographic references it is important to understand the limitations of photography so that we can enhance what is in them to create a more engaging image.

The good new is that photographs do a great job of capturing details and shapes. They also do a reasonable job at representing intermediate values and colors. Unfortunately, a photograph fails to convey a complete viewing experience in the following areas:

• Extreme values at either end of the spectrum are lost in a photograph. For instance, values 2 and 3 (on a scale of 10) begin to appear as pure black. Values 8 and lighter appear to be pure white. For this reason it is very hard to see color in shadows and highlights in photographs. Therefore, artists need to add colors to dark areas otherwise these areas will appear dull and lifeless.
• Color in the remaining values tend to be averaged-out in a photograph making them appear more monochromatic than they are in nature. Therefore, the colors you see in a photograph should be made more dramatic in a painting. An artist should feel free to exaggerate color variances to make the painting more interesting and realistic.
• Almost all of the edges in a photograph end up being much harder than what we see in real life. These uniform hard edges broaden the center of interest and flatten the scene. It is impossible for us to see everything in focus at the same time, even though this is the way things appear in a photograph. For this reason, an artist should blur distant edges and leave out detail where the peripheral vision of the viewer would be seeing.