Concept Photography using an almost “Dave Hill” technique
Concept Photography is commonly associated with a specialized form of portrait photography that makes use of highly creative and stylized elements. In short, it is portraiture based on a creative concept/theme (such as fantasy).
The original version of the image above was taken around August 2007 during Ibarra Deri’s Avant-Garde and Glamour Photography at the 1st Philippine Star Fotofest.
After hearing about Dave Hill (and subsequently being awed by his creative work), I researched several sites and applied what I learned from James Padolsey’s “Achieving the Dave Hill Effect with Photoshop” to create the effect on the image above.
Actually, the image above doesn’t look anything like Dave Hill’s work, but I was happy with result nonetheless. 
What I’ve learned from this exercise and from the feedback of others is that a critical element to getting that Dave Hill look is lighting. I’ll revisit this subject in the future when I’ve mastered it, but I hope the link to the tutorial can help other photographers & Photoshop artists.
I believe Scott Kelby said it best: “You could nail his lighting, and his Photoshop techniques, and still not get a Dave Hill final image. There’s no substitute for talent and creativity.”
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