Give It A Whirl

Sometimes a girl's just gotta have fun. While generally most of us create images that are of recognizable things, there are times when creating something a little different is in order.

This image is of a spiral staircase that I wanted to look more like a nautilus shell. The original image, shown here,

BEFORE

was just not working for me. I really wanted a striking image of this stairway and after many unsuccessful attempts I thought I would give the Twirl filter in Photoshop a try. After a little trial and error, I finally got the look I was hoping for.

To access the Twirl filter, first you have to make your image an 8-bit rather than a 16-bit that many cameras normally create. To do this, use Photoshop. Go to Image > Mode. When the drop down box appears, click on 8 bits/channel. Now you can access all filters in Photoshop.

Next go to Filter > Distort > Twirl. Experiment with moving the slider until the amount of twirl suits your vision.

It is easy to overdue the use of filters, so I recommend using them only as an artistic tool that suits the image and the look you want. Using them on the wrong images can result in images that look unusual but not especially visually pleasing. But as with all things, ultimately beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it is YOUR eye that counts the most.

TECH SPECS
1.3 seconds, f/20, ISO 800.  Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens set at 17mm on Canon 7D Mark II body. Gitzo tripod with Really Right Stuff ballhead.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous."  --Bill Moyers