Just a little re-incarnation from one of the recent images with Buck and Bear (http://www.buckandbear.com/). Its also a follow on from the previously posted image, which did not quite capture my initial vision for the scene…

I made the first crucial mistake of seeing something in my head with this shot that was outside my Photoshop skills, the second mistake I made was trying to learn how to achieve it 🙂 – I think, when it comes to Photoshop, the more you know, the less the restrictions become and the more you can get out of your comfort zone, as difficult as that can be.

To create the image and the effect is relatively straightforward with the hardest bit being the way the flames / disintegration is brushed in, this is the most time consuming part and requires a lot of patience and trial error to get the right profile, the use of a tablet and pressure sensitivity would make things alot easier too i reckon.

The image is a single shot with multiple layers created in PS , the easiest way to explain would just be to show the screenie of the layers 🙂 Basically there is one layer with the subject which is distorted, this is then brushed over with different types of brushes (different sizes and different orientations) to create a coherent (or consistent) pattern of the flames/disintegration. This layer is also blended the original image and then processed in LR to get the BW conversion and other bits..

Exif love:
D750 coupled with Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 @ 52mm Aperture: f2.8 and Shutter Speed: 1/1600s
ISO 100