Yesterday's JSVP post featured some artwork based on a photo I took at the Vancouver Aquarium. I decided I may as well post the original photo, and you can compare the artwork and the snapshot.
I recall the Vancouver Aquarium using a similar composition for one of their promotional posters. Instead of my wife, they placed a toddler up against the glass with the dolphin posed in his majestic greeting stance. The kid was well-lit and likely Photoshopped. It would be a very difficult shot to set up without a lot of equipment, as the lighting in the viewing area seldom lends itself to decent photography. You also see a similar pose in Steven Spielberg's alien adventure epic "Taken" (2002), which was filmed with actress Dakota Fanning posing in the aquarium with three digitally animated dolphins. With as much of a setup as any of these shots enjoy, it's still a powerful scene to behold. Even more so when it happens spontaneously as it did with my wife in my photo. I was lucky to have my camera ready at the time.
Painting out the image corrects a number of flaws, though. I took the shot under very low light, so it ended up pixellated, especially in the murky blues. The focus is just a bit too fuzzy. The strong verticals are bent because of lens curvature. And I felt I needed to clean up the dirt at the bottom of the shot and remove the other dolphin poking his or her nose into the frame at the far right. Full disclosure: I am not even certain this was Spinnaker the dolphin at the front of the shot. I hope it is!
With the painting, I corrected these faults and created stronger fin poses for the dolphin. I was also able to add a few highlights to add more colour and dynamic range to the composition.
You can see the painting on JSVB Post #553 by clicking here.
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