Rowe Photo Painting & Photography

This is one of my favorite images. I absolutely love the strong leading lines and diagonals along with the dark and light contrasts in the image. Some critics don’t like the American flag right up against the top edge of the frame, but I think it adds tension and drama to the scene. I tried painting this image, but frankly the photograph looked much better. The image was taken at a small marina in Mt. View, California.

This is an exact replica of the B-24 Liberator that my father, Fred Rowe, flew 30 missions in during World War II. I did a lot of research to find the plane number, and other designations to produce this digital replica. This bomber was named “The Lady from Bristol”, after the mother of the Pilot (Colonel Hammer). Later in the war after my father and his entire crew returned to the States, the Lady From Bristol was shot down somewhere over France with the entire replacement crew lost. My father received an Honorable Discharge and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. This picture is dedicated to my father, Fred Grant Rowe. He is located in the middle row of the crew image, third from the left. Further information about WWII can be found on the American Air Museum website at: https://www.americanairmuseum.com

When I took the original image I had an idea that it could look ominous if processed correctly, and I think it turned out pretty well. I didn’t paint this image because it just looked better in black and white with selenium toning.

Look at the image for a while and try to figure out what it is. This photo was made to show that you can take very interesting images without ever leaving your home. Look at the original image below to reveal what it is.

I took this image at a street fair in Scottsdale Arizona in 2017. This biker was working at a booth for Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA). I was fascinated by this rugged biker guy and the organization he belongs to as champions for abused children. I hope they are making a difference for the lives of the children.

Sometimes photography can just be FUN! I doubt if this image will win any prizes, but it sure will make you laugh. After I caught this guy in the act, I grabbed my camera and sat down with my foot under his tummy to keep him in place for the shot. Henri Cartier-Bresson, take that!

This is one of my favorite images. I brought my large DSLR camera into a Mall in Saratoga, Ca. to take some shots and noticed this interesting view of some skylights and shadows with strong graphic elements. Again, the original image is not compelling, but by learning to “see” photographically you learn to evaluate the potential of an image. I did a lot of work on the original to erase sprinkler heads, lights, and vents, and I developed it as a black and white image to focus entirely on shape and form. Again I decided not to paint this image because it is very striking as is.

HDR Photography allows the photographer to capture an image that has a dynamic range that is too wide for the camera to capture in one photograph. When shooting HDR the photographer typically captures at least 3 images with different camera settings to expose for shadows, mid tones, and highlights. Software is then used in post production to merge the three images into one hopefully nicely exposed image.