Father uses Photoshop to create elaborate portraits of daughters

He may be an IT professional by day, but after hours, John Wilhelm taps into his creative side and creates digital portraits of his daughters, transporting them to magical destinations across real and imaginary realms.

Wilhelm has photographed and Photoshopped a variety of individuals, ranging from strangers to spouses, but one recurring theme among his images is his daughters, who are frequently digitally imposed into classic fairy tales or mythical worlds. One image, for example, shows his eldest daughter, Lou, adorned in overalls crouched next to a tree, which looks as if it has been chomped upon by a beaver. Lou has two large buck teeth, making her resemble a beaver - but with pigtails.

Another image features one of his daughters dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, carrying a picnic basket with treats and howling next to a wolf. Wilhelm explained to Mashable that while he did not pursue photography professionally, he enjoyed it as a hobby and felt as though the skills translated well to the real world. He told Bored Panda that he uses Photoshop for its various photo-enhancement features.

"Most of my images are heavily manipulated but not all of them are compositions," Wilhelm said. "If an image works straight out of the camera I just improve it (beauty retouching, cleanup, level corrections, sharpening, colors and tones, emphasize light, etc.). What I really love is to bring different images together to create something new." 

Digital software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, is an ideal option for individuals looking to enhance the quality of an image or document. Although Wilhelm may not be a professional photographer, he has received a great deal of press for his photo collections - including features on The Huffington Post and The Mirror. People looking to harness their digital creation skills and learn how these applications can benefit their everyday lives should take Photoshop training offered by American Graphics Institute.