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Cool! Is that one of your photographs in the background?
Thanks! Yes it’s photo I shot about ten years ago in New York on the Upper Westside. I have been a professional photographer for almost 35 years. Have a look at my photography website if you have a minute. Cheers, David 
Hi David 
Really love that train station piece on the previous page.
…A whole new path and dimention to explore…using your photo’s…not just the clouds, but your other ones too as in the train station piece…The human element as you have in many of your photo’s might add an interesting take on these Great creations that you’ve been exploring and experimenting with and on…Maybe even using the negative of the photo…those are always interesting and have a sort of abstract appeal about them. Just a couple of passing thoughts on my part that might be useful to you…who knows…
Question,…did you use the spotlight feature in ZBRUSH to combine your abstract elements into that train station photo of yours
…Just curious on my part.:D…They fit right into that piece, however you have done it…:)
Keep On Truckin David
Glenn
Hi Glenn, Thanks for the kind words! I am going through a lot of my photographs and trying to see what might work … I think that the more abstract or at least those that don’t have people a prominent element work best for me. It is probably that I don’t like to mess with photos that I really think are my good images, need or should be altered , they are good because they are spare and for the most part adding something will subtract rather that add to the image. I also do a fair amount of composites when I feel the need to add something. I hope this makes sense. Cheers, David BTW, no spotlight used in that train image … it was a color image that I desaturated then added some motion blur to selectively and brought into Zbrush as an image plane, I then use some tools I have created and then carefully and with a lot of experimentation place them so they fit into the image … It has a lot to do with the type of stroke they are put down with. Sometimes parts of a tools get lost behind the image plane, often a good thing. When I have some time I will do a short tutorial video on my process.
Here are a few examples:
Is this bianca?
No not Bianca … image plane with render from C4D hair module about half a million strands of hair!
Hi David
I hear what your saying about the photo’s as being what you want already…don’t
fix it if it ain’t broke… That’s why I mentioned using the negatives from them, where the lights and darks are reversed or maybe just pieces of them as an experimental approach to an abstraction which may lead to a new and unexpected possibility and outcome:)…just another tool in your great pallette…Seeds of Invention
I like this last one posted…reminds me of chasing and trying to catch and kill fleas on my dog…Just me LOL:D… A fresh memory from this past and very blood sucking bug invested summer…Gld the cold weather finally got here…Killed all of those little suckers…LOL:D
You know that you can control the in and out of view of your tool on the plane by going out of EDIT, and then activating MOVE at the top of your screen…then drag on a blank or non tool part of your canvas, and when you get it into the position desired, …just go back into the EDIT mode again…or at least you used be be able to do it that way…With the new version of ZBRUSH, something has changed…when you go back into EDIT mode now,…the tool goes back to where it started from…I just SAVE AS the 2.5 document with the change desired, turn off the computer, and then bring the saved version back onto the screen when I turn the computer back on…A real pain now,…It used to be really simple in the previous version of ZBRUSH…Don’t know what happened and why it changed, …wish it were as it was, …but it’s not…maybe in the next version…
Keep on Truckin David…Always a pleasure seeing what you come up with…Like those photo’s that you just posted by the way .
Glenn
Hi Glen, Thanks for the advice, it is always appreciated!
I am not sure that I was clear in my long winded post but those three photos were composites … the baby was added in the first one, seagull added to the second and the Nuns were added to the shot of the wild horse. :lol:
All the best, David
Hey a quick question, how do you get your background images into zbr ? really gritty industrial post modern look…nice
Hi Deke, Ok here’s what you do: go to Texture menu and scroll all the way down to Image Plane / Load Image (it should be a jpeg) once loaded there is an Img Size slider, use that to adjust the size. You can also move it Horiz and vert with sliders. There you have it. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Glad you enjoyed that last image! Cheers, David
Hi David
I really like that bridge piece posted above… Nice technique you have going on with combining your photo works with your ZBRUSH creations…Tons of possibilities and room to explore using that technique.small_orange_diamond:)
I was going to give you a link to the Spotlight classroom tutorial, but it seems to be out of order at the moment.:(…Anyway, you have probably already seen it…I was just thinking that that ZBRUSH feature might be an asset to your magic tool kit…:D…Tons of stuff that you can do with it, which you might not be able to do with the other programs that you are incorporating into your works outcome…Just a thought,…don’t know if i’m right or not,…but thought it worth mentioning …just in case.
This last one posted…Squished fly…LOL
Keep on Truckin David small_orange_diamond:)
Glenn
Hi Glenn,
I just happen to to have something I have been working on with spotlight … I used the generic dog model and a photo of Bianca. Using my own style and strange imagination I made her into a Dalmatian. :lol: I do take advice sometimes! Thanks again for all your support and inspiration. Cheers, David
Haha, I hope your dog likes it Now, let it move and have fun
Hi Bas, I don’t think Bianca would mind, however Elisa gets annoyed when I do stuff like that or this one: 
Cheers, David