Who: Jim Semonik
Whereabouts: Hamilton, NJ
Profession: delivery service manager
Website: http://jsemonik.zenfolio.com/
Tablet: Bamboo Capture
If everyone rediscovered photography the way Jim Semonik has, the world would be a more beautiful place. Carrying his camera everywhere, Jim loves nothing more than grabbing a shot of a dramatic sky, knowing it will someday be the perfect complement to another image.
When we first saw Jim's photographs, we thought, "Wow! What a beautiful place that must be!" Imagine how much more excited we were to learn that Jim's imagery is a creation all his own. Using his pen tablet and a library of images, Jim builds all of these scenes.
Jim's interest in art and photography goes back to the '70s. As he got older and started a family, it took a backseat due to the time and expense it took to keep up with his passion. As more digital options became available, Jim watched a whole new world open up with compositing and photography.
"The tablet's probably been the biggest piece of hardware that I could possibly have for working in detail and having control over my images," Jim says. "It's a
much more natural composite than you would have otherwise. The mouse just doesn't give you that type of control."
Jim's day job takes him all over the country so he makes sure to pack his camera and get up with the sun to capture photos of the places that he visits. When he gets home, he uses his Bamboo Capture to recreate the images the way he experienced them in person.
Go on a journey with Jim as he shows you how he takes two good images and composites them to make a great one!
Start by exaggerating the depth of field to create more separation between the foreground and background. Use Gaussian Blur and a little noise to blur the red tractor and snow. Ultimately, this will be the background of the composition.
Next, select the part of the holly tree you wish to add to the composition. First, fill screen and zoom in a bit. Next, select either the lasso or magnetic lasso tool, whichever you prefer, and begin selecting the leaves. Use the space bar to pan around the image as you make your selection.
Drag and drop the holly selection into the tractor image. Pick a soft brush and select Pen Pressure in the Shape Dynamics section of Brush palette. Add a layer mask by clicking on the Add Layer Mask button in the Layers palette. Remove areas in the holly by painting with black. To add or subtract from the layer mask, simply press the "X" key to switch between black and white.
To finish, brighten up the holly by first duplicating the layer, then changing the layer mode to Screen. Hold down the Option key (Alt key for PC users) and click on the "Add Layer Mask" button at the bottom of the Layers palette. This adds a mask and fills it with black. Grab a large, soft brush and select Pen Pressure in the Transfer section of Brush palette. Now, paint in the highlights with the brush tool, using the subtle control and pressure-sensitivity of the Wacom pen.
Take your digital photos to the next level with Bamboo Capture and Adobe® Photoshop® Elements, which is included in the box. Software in the box also includes Autodesk Sketchbook Express and Nik Color Filters.
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