Painting with my camera

I am starting a new series of photographs that look a little bit like impressionism paintings. I have dabbled a little bit in watercolors, but I have not pursued it much further.
It has been fun looking for subjects that will work. All I need is my camera, a dark neutral density filter, a very slow shutter speed and an interesting subject. I move the camera while the shutter is open, sort of like brush strokes.

This was one of my first attempts and I hate to say what it really is because it may loose its mystique. But I like it as an abstract.

Since the beginning of the camera and photography, people have been experimenting with new tricks and techniques. It is really amazing how much photography has evolved since the early 1600s.

Hookipa Beach, Maui

We don't get a lot of colorful sunsets on the north shore due to clouds and mountains blocking the sun, so I try to do something creative like long exposures to make the moving water look silky. But that means I have to be there past dark and it usually starts raining. 

Rainbow Eucalyptus

When I first started this technique I immediately thought of these trees and how neat they would look. I went to the bamboo forest and took a bunch of pictures there and I was right. These trees are absolutely stunning. 

Rainbow Eucalyptus abstract

One thing you have to be careful of are bright lights or high lights, as they can be distracting yet they can also be interesting.

A lit up pavilion at dusk with a water reflection below. 

I love waves and surfing so this will also be included in my art. I just love how the waves look like they have brush strokes and at dusk you can get a lot of different colors.

A Painted Wave

Ghost Rider

Girls at the beach

The image above I made like in the old days with film a "double exposure" but now a days you do it in Photoshop as "layers" I'm still new at layers and this one I did rather quickly. In the first shot, the tree and people were not distinguishable so I took a second shot of the same scene and cut the tree and people out and put them on top of the new picture. Then I wanted to "Van Gogh" the tree for something different and to cover up my lack of "blending" skills.

I dreamt I was at the beach...

This last shot I got a little carried away with a photoshop tool called "smudge tool" but I really like the things you can do with it.
More of these images can be seen on my flickr website, and also on my Etsy website.