How to Use Reference Photos Without Copying Them | Watercolor Composition Tips
- How to Simplify a Reference Photo for Watercolor
- Why Painters Should Not Copy Photographs Exactly
- How to Improve Composition From a Reference Image
- Turning Travel Photography Into Watercolor Paintings
- Create Your Own Artistic Interpretation
The camera records every window, every brick, every branch, and every sign. Your painting doesn’t need all of them. Ask yourself: “What can I remove without hurting the story?” Often the answer is quite a lot.
One of the biggest mistakes beginning artists make is trying to copy a photograph exactly.
Every branch.
Every brick.
Every window.
Every shadow.
The result is often a painting that feels stiff, overworked, and strangely lifeless.
A photograph is not the destination. It’s the starting point.
The photograph is only the inspiration.
Your job as an artist is to take that reference image and transform it into something personal—something that reflects your vision rather than simply documenting reality.
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From Travel Photographer to Watercolor Artist
Before becoming a full-time watercolor painter, I spent years working as a professional travel photographer.
Photography taught me valuable lessons about composition, lighting, timing, and storytelling. I was constantly searching for the best angle, the best weather, and the best light.
Photography can be incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with limitations.
You can’t always move a telephone pole.
You can’t always remove a distracting sign.
You can’t ask a building to move ten feet to the left.
You certainly can’t order a dramatic sunset whenever you want one.
As photographers, we’re often bound by what exists in front of the lens.
As painters, those restrictions disappear.
The Camera Records. The Artist Interprets.
One of the greatest freedoms in painting is the ability to change reality.
A photograph records information.
An artist edits information.
That distinction is important.
When I paint from a reference image, my goal is not to recreate the photograph. My goal is to create a stronger painting.
Sometimes that means:
- Simplifying architecture
- Eliminating distractions
- Changing colors
- Moving elements
- Enhancing lighting
- Combining multiple references
- Exaggerating atmosphere
The painting should be more powerful than the photograph.
Belfast City Hall: A Perfect Example
The reference photograph for this Belfast City Hall painting was captured on a typical Northern Ireland day.
In other words:
Gray.
Cloudy.
Overcast.
A perfectly nice travel photograph—but not necessarily an exciting painting.
Rather than faithfully reproducing the weather conditions, I chose to create something entirely different.
Using a limited palette of complementary yellows and violets, I transformed the scene into a glowing watercolor filled with light and atmosphere.
I only used three colors:
Winsor Newton Yellow Ochre
Winsor Newton Burnt Sienna
The painting isn’t about architectural accuracy.
It’s about mood.
It’s about energy.
It’s about capturing the feeling of the place rather than documenting every detail.
I didn’t paint every branch.
I didn’t paint every window.
I didn’t paint every decorative element on the building.
Instead, I focused on the shapes that mattered most and allowed the viewer’s imagination to fill in the rest.
Suggest Detail Instead of Painting It
One of watercolor’s greatest strengths is suggestion.
The human brain loves to complete missing information.
A few carefully placed brushstrokes can imply an entire row of windows.
A broken shape can suggest a tree.
A soft wash can describe distance and atmosphere.
The viewer doesn’t need every detail.
In fact, too much detail often weakens a painting.
The areas that matter most should receive the highest level of attention.
Everything else can be simplified.
Change the Light
One of my favorite things to alter is the lighting.
Maybe the photograph was taken at noon.
Paint it at sunset.
Maybe the sky was overcast.
Paint dramatic light breaking through the clouds.
Maybe the shadows weren’t interesting.
Create stronger shadows.
Light creates emotion.
As painters, we are free to redesign it.
Change the Colors
The camera records colors literally.
Artists don’t have to.
A dull gray building can become a beautiful violet shape.
A cloudy sky can become warm gold.
A neutral scene can become a celebration of complementary color.
Many of my favorite paintings begin with ordinary reference photographs and end with color schemes that never existed in reality.
Create Art, Don’t Copy Reality
The goal isn’t to prove that you can copy a photograph.
The goal is to create a painting that people want to look at.
Ask yourself:
What can I remove?
What can I simplify?
What can I exaggerate?
What can I improve?
These questions often lead to stronger paintings than simply copying what the camera captured.
Final Thoughts
Photography remains an important part of my artistic process. I still travel extensively and continue to create reference images wherever I go.
But when I sit down to paint, I stop thinking like a photographer.
I start thinking like an artist.
The photograph provides the raw material.
The painting provides the interpretation.
Don’t be afraid to change the photograph.
Move things.
Remove things.
Invent things.
Push the color.
Enhance the light.
Make it personal.
Most importantly, make it yours.
Learn more about my process for transforming travel photographs into expressive watercolor paintings on my YouTube channel.
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Ryan Fox AWS, NWS, TWSA
Ryan Fox Painting
(919) 645-8345