Quarantine had me getting antsy. I wasn't creating much and was drowning myself in job applications. So, instead I decided to revisit an old photo that I created in 2014 and see how much I could improve the concept 6 years later.
In the original photo I loved the concept, loved the imagination, but there were plenty of technical aspects that could be improved upon. I wanted to have a lot more detail, a more complex landscape scene, better blending and transitioning of the hole, the water, and the model, create a realistic mermaid tail, and I wanted the underwater world to be not only more detailed, but a lot more clear and crisp.
Actually most of the elements in the final image were photos I had shot long ago. For years I've been building up my own library of photos from fish I've seen in zoos/aquariums, to mountains I've seen on vacation, to clouds on a particularly pretty evening. So the only shots I needed were the female torso and the southwest landscape. That made this project go really quickly in the end.
Ultimately I'm really happy with how it turned out especially given the fact I only spent a handful of hours between shooting and editing. I feel like I accomplished the goals I set out for improving the areas of weaknesses, and in the end it's another cool photo to add to the portfolio. I went ahead and nominated a few of my friends to do their own Rework Old Work project and I'm excited to see how they come out! I highly suggest artists of any kind to go back and rework an old piece of art. It's a fun way to visually see how far your skills have progressed!