Very often I come across something, such as an old grey broken rundown house on a dirt road, to give an example, that really turns me on and is just waiting to be painted. I am not always prepared to capture it at the time and so I go back for it another day. Almost always I never get the same feeling that I had before. It's even worse when I finally photograph it and return to start the painting. Some paintings never get started because of it.
A photo can be drab and unexciting and I have to try and imagine what it was that turned me on in the first place. I'm told that this is common. You never see the same charm that second time around as you did the first time you saw it. However, using artistic license you can bring back the charm and mysticism by changing it just a bit and adding your own thoughts to the work as you paint. Done properly, and with your original reflection on the subject, it can again become alive.
Professional and seasoned amateur photographers know how to capture the charm but most of us who paint only use the camera as a tool for painting, and we don't always get the best photos. I use the camera mainly for detail.
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