From 2006 - Sky Shots 12

This is my favorite sky shot photo, as it is the first in which I successfully imported a sky from another picture. Photoshop is an amazing tool!

I was on my way home from a business trip in Wharton, Texas, when this field full of cotton with the rustic barn caught my eye. Being on the highway it was impossible to stop right then, so at first chance I did a U-turn and returned to the spot, pulling as far over to the side on the grass as possible. Then, dress clothes and all, I went traipsing through the field, Fujifilm 7000 in hand, to take this picture.

During post capture at home it was obvious that, among other things, the sky would just not do. So I repaired the other things while waiting to get a good sky shot to improve the upper third.

That opportunity came when we were in the van on Beltway 8 here in Houston some two months later. The sky looked about right, with the sun at the proper angle to provide consistency with the barn and trees, and we were about to swing onto one of those big "flyover" ramps exiting the Beltway. My daughter was in the seat right behind me, so as we approached the exit ramp I told her to get the camera out (it always travels in the van with me) and prepare to snap the shot. Then, just as we were rounding the apex at the top of the ramp I gave her the cue and she took the picture.

From there it was just a matter of learning how to use the eraser tool to layer it in just right, feathering the edges in the proper places to provide a seamless transition with the barn, trees and background. Some telephones and other city stuff had to be cloned out of the lower edge before beginning the process.

One of these days I'm going to post a series of before-and-after shots to showcase the wonders of cloning, and what even a simple guy like me can do to make an average picture pop with potential...