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"What do you do?" "I do Photo Illustration." Silence.
That's the usual reaction I get from people when I tell them I do photo illustration. Even from many art directors and designers. There doesn't seem to be a clear idea of exactly what photo illustration entails.

Ok, here's my simplest definition of "Photo Illustration": Bringing photos into the computer and doing something with them other than corrections. This may be nothing more than taking an existing straight photo and giving it a toned look. Or it may mean photographing a variety of objects/people, bringing them into the computer and working them into a collage. It may involve applying techniques that make a straight photo appear to have been illustrated by hand. The possibilities are endless.

The Process
This starts with the client who has a message they want conveyed via an image. They may have nothing more than the message to be conveyed and/or some rough sketches of "possibles". Or they may know exactly what they want and have it clearly laid out in a drawing and already have the photos. I have worked in all of these situations and everything in-between.

After the initial meeting in which we talk about the concept(s) and possible directions the illustration could take, I photograph and/or collect the necessary images, digitize and bring them into the computer. From there I usually work up a number of "versions". Then I meet with or e-mail the client with the different versions and we discuss how it's "working". Assuming we're on the right track, I will then take the best version and "tweak" the illustration. Then show and discuss. More tweaking and so on until the client is satisfied.

What I bring to the process
I believe my greatest strength is the ability to listen to, and understand what the client wants to convey and then having the creative talent and collaborative mindset to produce an illustration that fulfills that need. Even when the client has solid sketches of what they want there are still many creative decisions to be made during the building process.

Many art directors/designers have concerns about how "difficult" creative talent may be to work with. I am in no uncertain terms EASY TO WORK WITH! I'll give my reasons why I think things should be this way or that but in the end you know what's going to work best for your client and you're footing the bill. If I want to produce something that doesn't have to please anyone but me, I'll do it on my own time, not yours.

A trusting, collaborative creative effort is what it's all about.