— Given what Photoshop makes possible, you really can achieve so much with so little . . . 

But then, too, you can usually achieve even more if you go over the top from the very start.

This extraordinary photo by conceptual photo artist Joanne de Graaff serves as the perfect example of going over the top in a big way.

I saw this and just had to blink.  

One word came to mind: “Whoa!”

The photograph is of her daughter, who is beautiful to begin with, but it’s that incredible dress and that incredible spinning wheel and all those great leaves that make the photograph so dazzling.

Because just looking at it, you can’t help but be impressed at what went into setting all this up and capturing the photo on which the piece is based.  

Even were Joanne to push the image further, explore other creative treatments, or composite additional material into the piece — there’s no getting away from just how much went into creating the original photo on which everything else is built.

Granted, there’s certainly something to be said for creating art from the most humble and commonplace of materials . . . 

And it’s always fun to see some Photoshop magic at work, producing something we find wonderful even if we know full well that the heavy lifting took place after the photo was captured . . .

But I encourage you to challenge yourself now and then to stage a photo that is just plain flat out over the top awesome from the instant the shutter clicks.

This usually (almost always) means:

Planning + WORK.

So take an idea you’ve been thinking of capturing . . . and just sit with it a little longer in your journal.  

Ask yourself:

“How can make this even more impressive, even more elaborate, even more awesome?” 

“What kind of obvious effort can I put into this to prove in an instant that I’m not just snapping easy photos here but serious about creating great images?”

“What could I introduce that would stop a viewer in his tracks?”

Really explore this when you’re planning an upcoming shoot.  Not that you need go to such lengths every time, but now and then, as a way of challenging yourself, this kind of added planning and effort can make a huge difference.

What turn would your body of work take, what kind of leap forward would we see in your portfolio, if you were to stage a shoot like this even once a month?

~ Sebastian