July Meeting

Compositing 

with Rachel Owen

Rachel Owen is a photographer living and working with her husband and son in the Chicagoland area. As an Adobe Certified Photoshop Expert she often merges photos of her subjects in the studio on greenscreen into miniature objects or even combines multiple photographs to create a new setting that does not exist in the real world. Rachel is a Portraits Master accredited Master Photographer, WPPI Double Master, PPA Master Photographer, consecutive Diamond Photographer of The Year, and has represented the United States in the World Photographic Cup. Rachel was ranked the world’s number one portrait photographer in 2022 by One Eyeland and has numerous first place awards in international professional photography competitions. Rachel's primary goal when photographing anyone is to make the person in front of her lens feel empowered, and to have that empowerment show up and provoke the viewer. Her images are often described as surreal and whimsical, and they take the viewer into a fantasy to blur the lines of reality and fiction. Rachel describes her own passion for creating as, “A fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones. I grow weary of holding it back, until I cannot.”

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There is no greater joy then showing someone exactly as

I see them...in my mind in my ultimate creation.

I approach my images much the same way a classical painter approaches a painting. I start with a basic sketch and then construct an inspiration board so myself, the model, makeup artist, or anyone else involved can be on the same page. I also use a variety of symbolic elements to portray the message then layout these elements using a dynamic symmetry grid. I choose a color scheme and draw out a lighting diagram. I look for the right model and choose when and how to photograph each element be that together or separate. Once the proper elements have been photographed I begin the digital compositing always keeping my dynamic symmetry grid and color palette visible. This is the most time consuming part of the process. Once I think my image is complete I show it to friends in the industry for feedback. I sit on this feedback for at least a week before making final refinements to the image. Then it's ready for an audience!

I create photo-realistic imagery that pulls the viewer into a fantasy world that challenges the boundaries of reality and imagination. My process in akin to that of a classical painter in that I start with a sketch and an eidetic visualization every element before I begin. Drawing from my vast personal collection of images taken from travels abroad and near home, I digitally combine photographs to create new and otherworldly landscapes. I then insert a live model and other objects photographed on green screen in my studio to create a seamless photo-realistic final image. I often see (in mental pictures) a unique quality in those around me and the ones I love, and there is no greater joy then showing someone exactly as I see them. To produce an exact visual representation of the emotion projected in my mind in my ultimate creation. I am constantly asking “what if?” and the whimsical and surreal images I create are a direct answer to my questions. I strive to take my viewers into new and fanciful world.