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Originally Posted by Sharon Knettell
Garth,
If you don't like flash, why did you paint this portrait of your grandfather from it?
It is clearly not a win-win situation.
Getting good reference is somthing that is stressed over and over on this Forum.
Personally I prefer to paint from life, because of the information an actual subject gives you, especially richer and more subtler skin tones and a more harmonious realtionship to the background, softer edges, reflected color, etc.
In lieu of that a good photograph properly shot in daylight would be second best as reference.
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Who are you addressing here Sharon? (just kidding, I'll have to get used to there being more than one Garth around here).
Garth I agree with you and Sharon completely. I really hate standard flash photos as well. Most of them are unusable as painting resources. If one must use a flash, then if at all possible, bounce it off another surface or an umbrella, to make it a directional fill light instead of a flattening one.
While it is more and more usual these days, to principally work up a painting from photographs, I find most photographs untrustworthy as an only reference resource with the way they distort contrast, flatten and clip highlight and shadow information, and mislead about color truthfulness. You have a tremendous ability to paint from a photograph very literally and faithfully. Perhaps too much so. This is a harsh thing to say, but I am speaking from my own experience of doing the same, when I say this. Perhaps what I am saying is one could gain knowledge from much more observation from life. It is rare that a painter has a virtuosity that can transcend the limitations of a photographic image resource to the point where it is not overwhelmingly evident to the viewer that a photograph was used as the basis, in a less than optimal manner. Those that can, invariably paint from life too. One of my resolutions is to strive to work from life more often. Then as inevitably one must work from photographs, both good and bad, one will have the requisite knowledge of how to interpret and interpolate them into something better and more naturally resonating with the viewer.
Welcome again to this Forum. I value your input and contribution here, and apologize if I come accross as too heavy-handed in my initial criticism and remarks.
Yours sincerely,
Garth
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