Photo manipulation is one of the most creative art forms to come out of the Digital Age.
Balqis Lim talks to Malaysia’s very own master of photo manipulation on his body of work
WHAT is art? It’s not just the paintings and sculptures you see in museums. Art is all around us, and exist in many forms such as the wallpaper in your room, the clothes you wear, even your smartphone or computer screen. Art is in every aspect of our lives.
For Rames Harikrishnasamy, 37, art is in the digital realm. It exists in every computer click and even in the software he uses.
Rames used to fear opening the Adobe Photoshop software and taking his first step to try out all the buttons on Photoshop’s panel but his ability to conquer his fear has made him what he is today — a master of manipulation, so to speak.
A self-taught digital artist, Rames’ expertise is photo manipulation. His art includes mixing actual photos with digital images to form and emphasise details and create a world of fantasy that looks like reality.
What’s more interesting, Rames is not an art student nor has he ever taken up any designing classes. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Business Computing.
ART AND PASSION
Rames says his family has always wanted him to pursue a course in information technology (IT) when he was young which is why he took up business computing.
“But I was never satisfied with what I was doing. I never felt fulfilled. So I decided to take a break. Since my schooling days, I had always liked doing art but never really got into it.
“I made a decision to get back on track, and convinced my father to buy me a laptop. I downloaded the trial version of Adobe Photoshop and started exploring the software,” he says.
A superhero fan, Rames started by mimicking superheroes. He Photoshopped his own photos onto Superman, Batman and other superheroes.
Rames got so involved that he started looking for stock images and combining them in a photo.
“I listen to Michael Buble and love his Cry Me A River. I wanted to express the song in a picture, and that’s when I got the idea.
“I created my version of Cry Me A River in a photo manipulation art and the photo got voted as the most favourite photo on Flickr (a website to share, store and organise photos and videos).”
When people started admiring his artwork, Rames knew he had to move forward and continue creating more artwork. Now, Rames produces six artworks every week, and has created more than 1,000 works to date.
MANIPULATION PROCESS
Ideas, Rames says, always come in a flash.
“I usually see the final outcome of what I want in my mind. Every time the ideas come, they are registered in my mind. I will usually put a note in my phone and list the keywords. Once I am home, I’ll start working on it.”
Normally, the process of searching for the stock images takes about one to two hours. To create the rest of the artwork including correcting the colours, balancing the shadows and adjusting the sizing will take up to five hours.
Rames generally uses Shutterstock and DeviantArt and a few other free sites to look for images. His software of choice — Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.
“Putting the images together is the fun part; it’s like putting Lego bricks together. The challenge is to find the right images and to make the artwork convincing.”
“The results are so surreal that my Instagram followers will always ask the location of the place featured in my artwork. There is no such place. It’s just a scenery or a location from my imagination.
“However, it shows that I’ve done a very good job in making sure my manipulations look so real that people believe these locations exist.
“When more and more people started to ask about the location, that was when I decided to post a before-and-after picture to show them that all of the images have been stitched together.”
WORK EXPERIENCES
Rames got his first job as a designer in 2000 when he was 21 years, earning a salary of RM4,000 a month.
However, after four years, the company ran into difficulties and had to shut down.
Rames worked various designing jobs, including for Astro as web designer for seven years from 2004.
Currently, he works as a senior lead in Malaysia’s online education company MindValley.
He also had the opportunity to design two Tamil movie posters — Vetti Pasanga (2014) and Vere Vazhi Ille (2015) when he was approached by the production team.
Rames conducted an eight-hour Photoshop class in May which saw a great turnout from those wanting to learn designing skills.
On Instagram, where he is most active, Rames has gained 12,000 fans for his photo manipulation artworks.
His biggest fan is his wife Jamunaa Ambikabothy who always encourages him to pursue his passion.
ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS
Rames advises beginners and young designers to not fear challenges and take their first step.
“Don’t be intimidated by Photoshop just because you are afraid of making mistakes. Trial-and-error is your best teacher. You just have to practise, practise and practise.
“Even when you have reached your goal, never stop and be satisfied with what you have achieved. Always strive to be better than yesterday,” says Rames.
He hopes to open his own design studio one day. He has been receiving resumes from people who are keen to work under him.
“I hope to make this dream come true very soon and work with my own team.”
Rames’ work can be viewed at http://ramesstudios.com or find him on Facebook (Rames Harikrishnasamy), Twitter (@ramesstudios) and Instagram (@ramesstudios)
SHORT TAKES
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTO MANIPULATION ARTIST?
I DON’T really have anyone in mind. I don’t like following anyone’s footsteps when it comes to manipulation. I’d rather spend time improving myself and be inspired by what I’ve done.
WHAT ACTIVITIES DO YOU ENJOY OUTSIDE OF WORK?
I LOVE watching movies. Science fiction, adventure films, fantasy, thriller, and horror are my favourite genres.
WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN IF NOT AN ARTIST?
Definitely a photographer. I love taking landscape shots, especially of mountain ranges. In 2014, I was fortunate enough to hike up Poon Hill in Nepal. I took some amazing shots of Annapurna.
YOUR BEST EXPERIENCE SINCE YOU VENTURED INTO PHOTO MANIPULATION ART?
Two things. Firstly, the online community, people who’re interested in this art. This can be seen from the number of comments and likes I’m getting from social media, especially on Instagram and Facebook. For most of them, this manipulation is new and have inspired them in some ways.
Secondly, the chance to go to the US to attend AdobeMax Summit. I was selected as one of the influencers from Southeast Asia to participate in one of the largest gathering of designers from around the world. I met up with some of the best artists and gained so much knowledge and friends through this creative conference.
WHAT IS THE BEST COMPLIMENT YOU GET FROM FOLLOWERS? HOW ABOUT THE WORST CRITICS?
The best compliments will definitely be the ones from those who believe that the locations featured in my work exist somewhere in the world. Many of them have messaged me personally to find out if they can visit these places.
Worst critic? Yes, I do get some every once in a while and it goes something like this: “Stop whatever you’re doing.” That kind of comment only serves to push me harder.