digital painting

Astro Orbiter

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This piece started as a photo taken in 2011. It is now a 6-foor wide watercolor. Heavily edited, it is purely digital.

This was one of my favorite rides as a kid. I loved going to Disneyland. I remember the early 70s where each ride required a ticket, and you could park right outside the entrance.

This final piece really looks like what you see when you ride the Rocket Jets, now called Astro Orbiter at night. Just a blur of lights.

Rocket Ride or Astro Orbiter at Disneyland

Tag Name Data
Title Rocket Ride or Astro Orbiter at Disneyland
Image Description 6-foot wide watercolor of an original photo I took in 2011 of the famous ride at Disneyland.
Keywords 6x12, anaheim, anaheim california, astro orbiter, digitalwatercolor, disneyland, panorama, rocket ride
Copyright Copyright ExpertPhoto.com All Rights Reserved
Artist ExpertPhoto.com
Make Canon
Camera Model Name Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens Model EF16-35mm f/2.8L USM
Focal Length 19.00mm
Shutter Speed Value 1/4 second
Aperture Value 2.80
ISO 1600
Date/Time Original Sunday September 11, 2011 08:41pm
City Anaheim
State California
Country United States
Location Disneyland Resort
GPS Altitude 56.4 meters (185.0 feet) above sea level
GPS Latitude 33.8120883333333
GPS Longitude -117.918355
Map Google Map Link

I don't like it

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I have always been a technical shooter. One that wants the photo to look realistic and how it looks in real life. Straight lines, level, centered, and well composed. I check all the OCD boxes. I can’t stand HDR. I don’t like suppressed highlights and raised shadows.

I started playing around with digital watercolor a while back and oddly enough I like the way they look. Yes, it is the opposite of my shooting style. Somehow, I like the colors and saturation and the artsy way they look. I am afraid they are here to stay in my output.

They take quite a bit of work. They are not easy to create. I can’t duplicate the same output if I start over. This is part of the appeal. Something unique about each one. I structure the original file to output at 80 inches wide at 300 dpi. In other words, I can print them over 6 feet wide.

Before The Set - a digital watercolor

Tag Name Data
Title Before The Set
Image Description This piece started as a photo I shot in Huntington Beach. I then created a 6-foot wide watercolor. It is digital art and heavily edited.
Keywords 6x12, beach, digitalwatercolor, huntington beach, lifeguard tower, surfer, surfing
Copyright Copyright ExpertPhoto.com All Rights Reserved
Artist ExpertPhoto.com
Make Canon
Camera Model Name Canon EOS R5
Lens Model EF200mm f/2.8L II USM
Focal Length 200.00mm
Shutter Speed Value 1/800 second
Aperture Value 8.00
ISO 125
Date/Time Original Saturday March 14, 2026 10:06am
City Huntington Beach
State California
Country United States
GPS Altitude 0 meters (0.0 feet) above sea level
GPS Latitude 33.6582553366167
GPS Longitude -118.006767705031
Map Google Map Link

Harveston Temecula Sunday Morning Watercolor

in ,

I took this on a Sunday morning when the sun was casting beautiful light through the trees. After looking at the photo, I thought it had the makings of a painting. I spent a few hours converting the photo to a line drawing painted in watercolor.

The final image is about 80 inches wide and can be printed over 6 feet in length. It is cool to look at up close.

Harveston Temecula watercolor digital painting

Closer look

Tag Name Data
Title Harveston Temecula Sunday Morning Watercolor
Image Description I took this on a Sunday morning when the sun was casting beautiful light through the trees. After looking at the photo, I thought it had the makings of a painting. I spent a few hours converting the photo to a line drawing painted in watercolor.
Keywords grass, harveston, houses, morning, sidewalk, temecula, trees, watercolor
Copyright Copyright ExpertPhoto.com All Rights Reserved
Artist ExpertPhoto.com
Make Canon
Camera Model Name Canon EOS R5
Lens Model RF15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM
Focal Length 15.00mm
Shutter Speed Value 1/160 second
Aperture Value 8.00
ISO 100
Date/Time Original Sunday November 23, 2025 09:06am
City Temecula
State California
Country United States
Location Harveston
GPS Altitude 340 meters (1115.5 feet) above sea level
GPS Latitude 33.5378775366694
GPS Longitude -117.155623139997
Map Google Map Link