BEAUTIFUL WORLD Jessica Drossin's Beautiful World Group
Artist of the Month Marta Everest
August 2020
3
12
July 2020
SHARES Artist of the Month Marta Everest
18 All that Glitters Same Place, Different Subject
Guest Artist Catherine Griffiths Auger and the Art of Conceptual Self-Portraits
22
24 Expect the Unexpected Tara Lyn Joseph of FotoLumos Photography Delivers on a Maternity Session
Highlights Popular June Image Shares
49
Dana Churchill McKnelly
ANNOUNCED 34. Products, Tutorials and Information
Renassiance Re-Imagined
Jessica Drossin interviews photographer Marta Everest about her timeless, painterly portraits. ARTIST: MARTA EVEREST MARTA EVEREST PHOTOGRAPHY SEVILLA, SPAIN
Artist of the Month Artist Month of the
Marta Everest JESSICA DROSSIN: Marta, I've been following your work now for nearly a decade. You have a distinctive and recognizable style that always feels fresh and exciting. My husband doesn't go on Facebook that often, but whenever he sees your posts, he'll say, "Wow, Marta Everest posted!" Can you please tell me a little about what inspires you? MARTA EVEREST: I'm a cheerful person who is also very sensitive and emotional. I often feel nostalgic for the past, especially my childhood years. I'm passionate about classic art and old master paintings (and some contemporary ones as well). I basically find inspiration on anything that speaks Old World. It can be a movie, a painting in a museum, an illustration from a novel or just a wicker basket in my mom's kitchen. Classical music especially is a great source of inspiration for me and always stimulates my creative side. I think I'm just an old soul.
JD: Can you tell us a little about your background? How did you become interested in photography and what lead you to using textures in your portrait work? ME: I was born and raised in Sevilla, Spain in a very loving family that I always thank God for. I moved to the United States soon after I got married in 1998 and in 2004 we decided to move back to Spain to start a new life and raise our children. Today, I’m the mother of 5 wonderful children that mean the world to me. I became interested in portrait photography in 2002 when a photo of my oldest daughter won the 1st place at the American Baby Contest and then another photo won 2nd place the following year. I felt I had a good shot in the portrait photography world so I just pursued and followed my dream. I bought my first digital camera and my first editing software in 2007, totally clueless on what to do with it. I didn’t discover textures until a few years later and I just found myself immediately driven to them. Today they’re an essential tool in helping me create a story.
JD: Can you tell me a little bit about your editing process? Your work stands out, in part, because your processing choices are so distinctive! ME: Adding textures to the photos is the most gratifying part of my whole editing process because it's the part where I get to unleash my creative side and imprint it on an image. When I work with textures I like to apply them using two different types of blending modes, soft or overlay. Usually I only work with two different textures at a time but sometimes I can use up to three of them or use the same texture twice but with a different opacity, position or blending mode than the first one. Once I've made my selection, I use the curve panel to blend them together adding contrast and depth to the photo to set just the right mood. Combined with textures, and prior to applying these, I also like to use actions and reduce or increase the opacity of them as needed (my favorite ones are usually the cool ones).
JD: The photos of your children are so beautiful! How do you make them feel so timeless? Do you purely use natural light?
JD: What are your goals for the future? ME: I have three main goals. The first would be to learn or develop a new editing
ME: My goal is to keep my work fundamentally
technique for my outdoor photos (lifestyle
simple, but at the same time, I strive for an
photography is my second favorite genre of
artistic feel to it, something evocative and
photography). The second would be to
imperishable. With the help of a single softbox (no
continue crafting and improving my fine art
flash) and in a confined space (my house small
portraits with the same passion and care
living room) I’m able to create the perfect scene
with which I do now and finally, God
for all my photos.
willing, to be able to hold an exhibit at an art gallery. Most of all, I hope to continue doing what I do now ten or twenty years down the road with the same enthusiasm and dedication I feel today.
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All that Glitters
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Annette Sides Bottom
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Pauline van der Spuy Top
Deise De Oliveira Middle Right
Mark Palmer Bottom Right
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Stefano Calderan Top Left
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GUEST ARTIST
Catherine Auger HER OWN MUSE
Meet Your Moderator In addition to being an amazing artist and Beautiful World Member, Catherine is one of the five lovely ladies who help me manage the group as a Moderator. She's a mom, a filmmaker, an actor, and one of the kindest and most creative people I know. We are lucky enough to have Catherine share her editing steps on one of her fine art self-portrait edits. Enjoy the free video tutorial where you can watch Catherine as she transforms one of her self portraits to fit her conceptual vision.
GUEST ARTIST Catherine Griffiths Auger INTERVIEW BY JESSICA DROSSIN
WATCH NOW!
Hello there, I'm Catherine. I like taking pictures of myself. It wasn't always that way. 10 years ago when I started, I enjoyed taking pictures of nature and my kids. Then I shifted into family and individual portraiture. Suddenly I caught the conceptual photography bug and started working with models. But I thought, why not use myself? It would be good practice and I can use me whenever I need to. Then I realized I could shoot and edit with zero constraints when I did self portraiture, and that's when things really started to get fun! It felt so great to be free and really explore things about myself, my thoughts, and what I wanted to express. It has become very therapeutic for me and I'm so glad I went down this path. Self portraiture certainly feels like a daunting task at first. And there can be many mental blocks keeping you from even wanting to try. My advice is to start small and simple and build from there.
Maybe you don't love pictures of yourself. Try doing a self portrait with just your hands, or somehow keeping your face out of it, or make it blurry. Maybe the technicality of it seems scary. Getting a remote, either wired or wireless, is a lot less stressful for me to work with than the camera's timer mode. Using a vacuum or extra tripod or something to be a place holder is a simple fix for finding your focus if you're working with a timer or wireless remote. Maybe you just have no idea what to even do in your self portrait. There are lots of ways to come up with concepts. What inspires you? Nature, music, objects, colors, clothes, jewelry, random props are all good starting places. If you want to portray a feeling or tell a story, using symbols of those is helpful. Perhaps you want to portray feeling trapped. What represents trapped to you? A cage, a box, an empty room, a blanket, a rope, or something else. Find something you want to focus on and make that what your photo is all about. Don't be afraid to fail and don't be afraid to take a bazillion photos. When I first started I took around 200-300 to get one that I liked. Now that I have a lot more practice, I can usually get it in 10-50 shots depending on the complexity. And don't be too tied to getting certain results. Sometimes we get mad at ourselves for not getting it exactly the way we envisioned. But allowing ourselves to be open to whatever ends up happening in the picture can yield some amazing, unexpected, and interesting results that we might love even more than what our brain thought would be best. So go for it. You never know what awesome things you'll discover! And in case you wanted to know anything else about me, well, I've been married 16 years, have 2 kids, 2 dogs, some chickens, a degree in Economics, an unhealthy amount of hobbies, and a deep love for chocolate.
Expecting the
Unexpected Tara Lyn Joseph, FotoLumos Photography
This was a socially distant maternity shoot for a friend in the courtyard of her condo complex. She's a free spirit and a clown college graduate, so we had to do a circus-y look. She also wanted something earth-goddess-y and a poolside theme. She loves rainbows, so I incorporated them into each look. Products included textures from Texture Pack 4 and Beautiful World, and Firelies from the Glitter, Dust and Firelies Pack.
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Pauline van der Spuy JD Illumination Instant Overlays Vol. 2 (Flashlight Cool and Olive).
A Note from the Editor...
W
hile compiling images for this third
installment of Beautiful World Magazine, it truly struck me just how diverse the talent in the group really is. I love that artists here are following their own visions, documenting what is important to them, and telling their own personal stories. This is a truly inclusive and supportive group that embraces all styles, all genres and all artists. Thank you for sharing your work with me and allowing me to share it with others!Â
DesirĂŠe Rolfe JD Illuminations V2 Combination Actions Lilac Combo
Marie-george Lavaurs JD Autumn Texture
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Sarah Gupta JD Autum Tones, Set 2 Acorn Overlay
Mark Ross Milner JD Road Maps: Fashion and JD Beautiful World Matte and Haze
Brandi Erin Brock JD QuickFlow, Santa's Magic JD Lightscaping Overlays
Cheryl Lynn JD Super Grunge Texture (Bramble)
Sandra L McMartin JD Illuminations Instant Overlays
Deirdre Lewis JD Ilumination Instant Overlays (Warm Morning Combo and Golden Rays (moveable)
Ashley Slaven Goins
Maria Micaela Arellano Top Left, JD Wuthering Heights Textures
Deise De Oliveira Top Right — JD Autumn Tones and JD Beautiful World Foundations
Julie Beard Lawson Middle JD Illuminations Instant Overlays: Awakening, Soft Cool Light Overlay, Contrast Lighter, Romantic Matte B+W (with the base unchecked)
Tommy Keith Photography Bottom — JD Monotones Classic
Liza Coe
Top Left: JD Looking Glass Presets (Cool), JD Cloud Overlay, JD Rainbow
Mark Palmer
Top Right
JD Cloud Overlay, JD Ultimate Butterfly Overlays JD Lightscaping Instant Overlays, Illuminations Instant Overlays Vol. 2, BW Foundations & BW Guiding Vignette.
Claudia Mรถckel Middle JD Illuminations Instant Overlays Vol.2 and JD Lightscaping Instant Overlays
Becky Womble Carpenter
Bottom Left
Sunlight effect from left, Bramble, and Encompass Warm
Alissa Beth Photography Bottom Right JD Illuminations Sea Glass and JD Cloud Overlay
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Dianne Hwang Top Left — JD Blossoming Tree Digital Background & Grass Overlays
Dana Churchill McKnelly Bottom Right JD Yellow Flower Field Overlay, JD Beautiful World Contrast, Glow, Vintage Haze, Enchanted, and Glamour Matte
Adriana Gomez Bottom Left: JD Magical Forest Light Overlay and Foreign Film from BW Fine Art Tints
DesirĂŠe Rolfe JD Green Tone Correction Actions (updated) Pastel Green and JD Illuminations Instant Overlay Vol 2 - Center Stage
Christa van Gend Top: JD Yellow Flower Field Digital Background
Aimee DeJarnette Bottom: JD Green Tone Correction Actions and JD Lightscaping Overlays
Kelly Munce Top JD Illuminations Instant Overlays (Ashley, blue day, cool pewter, and warm sun flare)
Shelley Wilson Middle JD Enchanted Forest Digital Background
Linda Celis Bottom JD Green Tones Correction (Updated) Coffee Green and JD Lightscaping (Vision Overlay)
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Dana Churchill McKnelly JD Beautiful World Actions, including Vintage Matte and Haze, Contrast, Glow and Enchanted. Also used JD Wuthering Heights textures.
Tiffiny Duke Top Right — JD Green Tone Correction Actions (2020) Pastel Green and Minted Green
Paul Moss Middle — JD Ultimate Butterfly Overlays
Andy Dench Bottom Right — JD Lightscaping Overlays (Gratitude)
Suzy Betancourt Middle Top Left — JD Autumn Tones
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Julie Naas JD Illumination Instant Overlays Vol 2, JD Green Tone Correction (updated) actions, and JD Beautiful World VignettesÂ
Angie AP Top Right
JD Yellow Flower Field and Color Splash
Teri Berlinger Moyer Bottom Left — JB Leafy Tops (rotated)
Lisa Dominguez Bottom Right JD Green Tone Correction Actions (2020) and JD Stunning Cloud Overlay
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Erica Jansen JD Beautiful World Color Splash (Banana Split and Brown Sugar) JD Beautiful World Matte and HazeÂ
Lisset Perrier
Top Right, Wuthering Heights Texture
Nikki Harrison Bottom Right (two images) JD Nevermore Raven Overlays and JD Cloud OverlayÂ
Ashley Slaven Goins Bottom Left JD Texture and JD Butterfly Overlays
Barbara Cohen Rusciano JD Cloud Overlays
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Rachel Richmond-Clark Top Left JD Beautiful World Road Maps (Nevada) with Dramatic Side Flare and Warm Light from JD Lightscaping Instant Overlays
Lisa Mcclelland Middle JD Painterly Texture and JD Lightscaping Overlay
Nicole Wilde Bottom Left JD Enchanted Forest Digital Background and "Halo" from JD Illuminations Instant Overlays
Bonnie Cox Smith Bottom Right JD Glow Subtle Portrait from Beautiful World Foundations (on nature images!)
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“Love is a violent recreational sport.
Proceed at your own risk.
Helmets, armor, and steel-toe boots are required by law.”
- H. C.
Paye
Julie Johnson Lochridge JD Wuthering Heights Textures, JD Instant Illumination Overlays Vol. 2. JD Rain Overlay from Forces of Nature
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Desirée Rolfe JD Illuminations Instant Overlays Magical Forest Light and Awakening
Marlene Capps Top JD Green Tone Correction, JD Cloud Overlay, JD Dark Splendor and JD Illumination Instant Overlays
Amy Enright Medina Middle Left JD Warm Dimension, Flashlight Cool, a little Blue Overlay, Soft Cool Light Overlay and the texture Brood.
Sarah Gupta Middle Right JD Autumn Tones, Set 2 (Acorn Overlay)
Kari Halvorsen-Ganske Bottom
JD Yellow Flower Field and "Awakening" Overlay from JD Lightscaping Overlays
Ashley Slaven Goins
Penny Sesher Top JD Green Tone Correction Actions (updated), JD Beautiful World Matte + Haze actions
DesirĂŠe Rolfe Middle JD Dark Splendor Actions - After Dark
Vicky Gustafsson Bottom Left JD Fine Art Portrait Mini-Set One Golden Daze tint, a Little Blue and Soft Cool. JD Wuthering Heights and JD Painterly textures.
Pauline van der Spuy Bottom Right JD Force of nature and JD Illumination overlays
Christina Schilousky Top Left JD Dark Splendor actions, Blue Light Special from Illuminations and JD Wuthering Heights Textures.
Barbara Cohen Rusciano Top Right JD Leaf Overlays
DesirĂŠe Rolfe Middle Right JD Dark Splendor Actions
Anki Enderud Bottom Left JD Beautiful World Overlays, JD Butterfly and JD Dandelion Seed Brushes
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Lisset Perrier Raindrop Overlays
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