“Patience”This is an image I created for the Football Dinner / Auction Fundraiser back in February or March of this year. It was actually auctioned off in the live auction and generated a tidy little sum of money for the program! I still have many people asking about the image, how to purchase it, and how it was made. I’ve also had some interesting interpretations of what it stands for. As varied as the interpretations are, they all catch the underlying message. This image is a peek into the mind of a football player. And the message is that the off season is tough. It takes hard work, determination, and discipline to prepare for the game. Footaball players (and coaches) live football, and prepare for football, 24/7, 365 days a year. They live to be on the field, and sometimes, it takes everything they have to hold back. Other times, they just close their eyes and play the game.
Here is a high level look at how this image was created:
“Patience” was created out of many individual layers in Photoshop. There is a black border layer, a text layer, and then five or six layers that were built up to create the actual image. It all started with a wide angle shot of the Dragon arch in mid winter. I used a couple of PS filters to add a bit of a grunge effect to the columns and ironwork, which creates a weathered and rusted appearance. I liked the sky that day and thought it was very interesting due to the whispy clouds, a bit of yellow was added to the sky, columns and snow for the somewhat surreal effect. I looked through literally hundreds of images to find a player I could place in the image who had the correct posture and was facing the right direction to make the image believable. I placed him behind the gate, thanks to a little masking, and then pulled a football from yet another image to place on the ground in the snow next to him. I added a filtered top layer, pulled back the opacity, and then added a bit of grain and some vignetting to finish it off. The final image was procesed at the pro lab I use, printed as a 16 x 20 image on high gloss pearl paper, mounted on 3/16 black gatorboard, and coated for protection. I have to admit, it’s one of my favorites and looks pretty cool when you see it in person.
I may have a few more printed in the near future. I hope you enjoyed the post!
Wow, do I ever love spring. I went for a 4 miler after an early afternoon rain and it was beautiful. The buds are transforming into a variety of flowers and leaves and they made for a great run. Looking forward to the Crim 10 mile coming up in August.
The walk back to the club house from the Bluffs hole #9. Oakland Activities Assocition competition at Boulder Point Country Club, May 6, 2009.