The work we do at Editions by Frederick has received international acclaim from galleries, collectors and book publishers from around the world. Many of our clients have approached us because they wanted something that went beyond mere photography. Something that depicted their inner fantasies and dreams. Something that they could not obtain from any other photographer. They found that our CyberSets were the perfect fusion of art and photography, creating the illusion of fantasy while maintaining the realism of photography.

 What are CyberSets? The word (my invention) comes from the word “cyber”, meaning “computer” and “sets” which refers to the traditional types of photo sets used in studios. So CyberSets are computer generated photography sets.

 By now, almost everyone is familiar with the computer generated special effects that have become the staple of the motion picture industry. These images, created by master animators and illustrators, create visual scenes that, if done properly, are undetectable from reality. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on films for computer imagery. In order to achieve their astounding results, hundreds of computer professionals working on high end computer graphics workstations toil to create their illusions. A huge “rendering farm” of dozens or hundreds of super fast rendering computers work 24 hours a day to calculate the image data required for each frame of the motion picture. Despite all the effort, talent and billion dollar facilities that go into the production, it can still take many months for the images to be produced.

 Of course, at Editions by Frederick, our facilities are far more modest than those of Hollywood. We do not do motion pictures, but we can do a single frame, rendered to very high resolution, in order to create our fine art.

 First we begin with the concept or idea of what we, or our client, envisions the final piece to look like. Perhaps it is an Egyptian throne room, or a temple high on a mountain. Whatever the concept, the 3D set must be painstakingly crafted on the computer using special software to create 3d geometry. This process can take many weeks, even months to complete, as each element of the scene has to be created, just like a real object. The textures and shaders needs to be created for every object in the scene so that they will look realistic when rendered by the computer. This is the least understood part of CyberSets, for most people believe that all the work is done by the computer and software and that little in the way of human skill and creativity is required. In truth, they are only tools and the work that goes into each CyberSet can take hundreds of hours to complete and takes years of training in order to be able to achieve top results. Below is an illustration showing the wire frame visual representation of the computer model before it is rendered as well as the final image after the computer has rendered the high resolution file.

This project was commissioned by Einar Davison, who had a fantastic vision of himself as a sorcerer in his secret chasm, conjuring up a vision of his future love. After discussing what he saw in his mind, we set to work creating the computer model of the chasm which would become the main set for the final image. From concept to completion, this set took approximately three months to create. Several low resolution renderings were made along the way to obtain client feedback and allow us to make the requested adjustments.

Once the set is built, it is time to go into the studio to do the photography of the subjects in the scene. This is typically done against a plain seamless paper background. The important part of the studio session is getting the perspective and lighting to match the final scene. That is why the CyberSet is created first, so that we will have a good idea of what will be required for the photo shoot. Einar became the sorcerer and Ania Peach, a well known Calgary model, was hired to be the sorcerer’s vision. The actual subject images at this point look relatively unimpressive:

Now it is time to combine the studio images with the CyberSet background. This process is also very time consuming as the computer is unable to simply remove the background. Traditional “green screen” techniques do not work because of the low quality this type of composite produces. While fine for many video applications because each individual frame moves past so quickly, green screen does not work for high resolution detailed images. Because we are creating an image that could be used for a canvas reproduction at 40” x 60” or larger, we need to make sure that every hair and detail is preserved in the final composition. We have developed special procedures and techniques that allow us to achieve this so that the final images do not have that “cut out” appearance.

In addition to combining the images with the background, several other effects may also be introduced in order to add realism or to complete the story. Below is the final image after composition and with the special effects added. Shortly after this image was created, it won a “Showcase Award” from one of the leading modeling web sites in the United States, One Model Place.

The final image, though taking a long time to produce, is a work of art that can not be obtained through conventional means. Not a photograph, nor a painting, CyberSets are a new and unique art form that utilize the best of modern technology along with the creativity of traditional paint. CyberSets from Editions by Frederick raise the bar of personal image creation to a new level which so far has not been breached. The introduction of this medium to the art world has created ripples around the world. Art work from Editions by Frederick is now being shown in galleries as far away as the Netherlands.

While commissioned pieces, such as the example above, can be quite expensive due to the amount of time and effort required for it's creation, we also have a large collection of previously made CyberSets that are available for our clients on a more modest budget. Please phone us at 280-8693 to set up a free consultation appointment so that we can discuss your unique vision.