How I Transform Real Photos Into Surreal Art: My 5-Step Process

People often ask me: "How do you create your art?" They see the final piece, something otherworldly, quiet, impossible, and wonder where it began.

The truth? Every surreal artwork I create starts with something completely ordinary. A door. A landscape. A moment of light I happened to notice.

What you see in my portfolio isn't AI-generated. It's not stock photography manipulated by algorithms. It's my own photography, captured by me, then digitally reimagined by hand into something that speaks to those who feel the stillness.

Here's exactly how I do it.

Step 1: The Hunt for "Quiet Moments"

Before I even pick up my camera, I'm looking. Not for the dramatic or the obvious, but for what most people walk past without noticing.

I'm drawn to:

• Textures that tell stories (weathered wood, peeling paint, forgotten walls)

• Light that creates mood (golden hour shadows, fog, minimal illumination)

• Compositions that already feel a bit "off" or uncanny

• Scenes that evoke emotion before I even edit them

Why this matters: The foundation of surreal art is reality itself. If the original photo has no soul, no amount of editing can breathe life into it. I spend more time hunting for the right moment than I do editing.

My approach: I carry my camera everywhere. Some of my best pieces come from spontaneous moments, a door I noticed while walking, a landscape that stopped me in my tracks. The stillness calls to me before I even press the shutter.

Step 2: Capturing the Raw Image

Once I find my subject, I photograph it with intention. This isn't casual snapping, it's the beginning of the transformation.

My technical setup:

• I shoot in RAW format (never JPEG) to capture maximum detail and dynamic range

• I use natural light whenever possible, artificial lighting can feel too controlled for the mood I'm after

• I compose carefully, thinking about negative space and where the surreal elements will later emerge

• I bracket exposures when needed, especially for high-contrast scenes

What I'm thinking about during the shoot:

• How will this feel when it's stripped down to its essence?

• Where is the emotional weight of this scene?

• What elements can I emphasize or remove later?

• How will this look in monochrome or with muted tones?

The photograph at this stage looks normal. Maybe even boring to someone else's eye. But I see the ghost of what it will become.

Step 3: The Digital Darkroom (Where Magic Begins)

This is where reality starts bending. I import the RAW files into my editing software and begin the transformation. This is entirely manual work, no AI, no one-click filters, no presets.

My process:

• Color grading: I often move toward monochrome or heavily desaturated palettes. Color can distract from emotion. I want you to feel before you see.

• Contrast manipulation: I push shadows deeper and highlights softer (or vice versa) to create mood and drama

• Texture enhancement: I bring out details that were invisible to the naked eye, grain, roughness, the fingerprints of time

• Tonal adjustments: I fine-tune every tonal range to create a dreamlike quality

At this stage, the image is starting to feel less like a photograph and more like a memory, something half-recalled, emotionally true but visually impossible.

Step 4: Surreal Transformation (The Heart of My Work)

Now comes the part that defines my art: taking the real and making it otherworldly.

This is the longest, most meditative part of my process. It can take hours or even days for a single piece.

Techniques I use:

• Selective distortion: Warping reality in subtle ways, stretching space, bending perspective, creating impossible geometries

• Layering and masking: Sometimes I combine multiple exposures or elements to create depth and mystery

• Light manipulation: Adding ethereal glows, removing harsh realities, painting with digital light

• Removing the mundane: I eliminate anything that grounds the image too firmly in the everyday, signs, modern objects, anything that breaks the spell

• Creating atmosphere: Fog, haze, gradients, and tonal shifts that make the scene feel like it exists between worlds

What I'm trying to achieve: The goal isn't to shock or confuse. It's to create something that feels familiar yet foreign, like you've been here before, in a dream you can't quite remember.

I want viewers to pause. To feel something they can't name. To find beauty in the space between reality and imagination.

Step 5: The Final Polish (Making It Museum-Quality)

Before a piece is finished, I go through a rigorous final review:

Technical refinement:

• Sharpening: Selective sharpening to draw the eye where I want it

• Noise reduction: Cleaning up any digital artifacts while preserving intentional grain

• Color accuracy: Even in monochrome, tonal accuracy matters for printing

• Export settings: I prepare files specifically for high-quality archival printing

Emotional test: I step away from the piece for at least 24 hours, then come back with fresh eyes. If it still moves me, if it still holds that quiet power, it's ready.

If not, I go back to step 4.

The final question I ask myself: "Would I hang this in my own home? Does this speak to those who feel the stillness?"

Only when the answer is yes do I consider it complete.

Why This Process Matters

You might be wondering: why go through all this? Why not use AI or stock images or shortcuts?

Because authenticity is the soul of surreal art.

When you buy an Orin Kade print, you're not just getting a decoration. You're getting:

• A moment I personally witnessed and captured

• Hours of careful, intentional transformation

• A piece of art that exists nowhere else in the world

• Work that was made by human hands, guided by human emotion

Every artwork begins with my eye, my camera, my vision. The surreal transformation amplifies what was already there, the quiet beauty, the emotional resonance, the feeling that reality is never quite as solid as we think.

See the Transformation Yourself

Curious to see where this process leads? Explore my portfolio to see real-life photography reimagined into surreal fine art.

And if you're ready to bring one of these pieces into your space, art for those who feel the stillness, visit my shop.

Because some moments deserve to be more than just photographs. They deserve to become something you can't look away from.

Questions about my process or custom commissions? Contact me here, I'd love to hear from you.