2015 is the beginning

Adra Braeden became my name in the world of digital photography with photoshop. It’s been a big adventure and my journey isn’t just at the end yet. The year 2015 is were I first began to experiment with Photoshop , using tutorials and websites to teach myself what Photoshop has to offer and what not. Flickr has been my ‘place to be’ , followers giving warm comments and encouraging me to keep learning and creating. Next to that has it been the perfect place to find inspiration and the bit of stimulation I needed to -not give up-.

A personal style , that took me a while to find out…puzzling , experimenting , testing what just felt right and what not but eventually it turned out that I adore dark styles , rain , explosions , sinister themes.

Everybody can find inspiration for a picture…Some find it in music , some find it in a story , a movie or a poem but inspiration is one of the most important ingredients that you will need if you plan to dive into this world of photography and photoshop.

I’m a humble Dutch artist , I find my work good but it can be better , still want to grow, push myself further yet I want to stimulate other artists or beginners to grow with me and the most important ingredients I can share with you all to learn / use photography and photoshop are :

  • Patience : You will need it , in the beginning nothing goes smooth , you will have to learn. Photography will take lots of your time , the settings , light and Photoshop will feel like a maze ( specially if you’re learning it on your own).
  • Feel Free : Explore!!! Dare to make risks on your picture , is rain looking complicated? Just -try- , take your time , take it easy.
  • Don’t give up : You finished your rainy first picture? Satisfied? Yes or No , doesn’t matter…again! Make another one , it will get better , more precise , detailed and never the same.
  • Take your Time : No pressure , breath in breath out..I can tell you that in the beginning I made 2 pictures a day , they got better but I also improved what made me slower and by now today 1 picture takes a few days ( each day several hours of course)
  • Inspiration : don’t force yourself , it won’t work. You have to ‘feel’ your picture..See an emotion , bring it to life. My best advice is combine your work with music , it’s making me work more confident and if my picture has ‘Horror’ then my music might be a creepy lullaby or a sinister song.
  • Embrace comments : Place your work online (I used Flickr) and listen to people. Their comments and words are one of the biggest keys to keep yourself encouraged and even if your picture isn’t that perfect…don’t bother…you will improve and it will only let others see how you’re growing.
  • It’s no Contest : when your work goes online then you will receive ‘likes’ just like other artists. Don’t compare yourself with another , don’t stress yourself to get yourself over the amount of likes of another artist. It will stress you out and your work will feel forced.

This are only a few tips I can give you where nobody else can help you with then yourself. Start with a peaceful room , a deep breath and puzzle to build your own Magic.