A tutorial led by editor Michel Romaggi  in collaboration with author Yvette Depaepe.
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe on 7 January.

While looking lately through my archives, I found a photo of a piece of artwork that was installed on the beach in Bredene during the fourth edition of the Beaufort art event in 2012. 

‘Guardians of rust and ruin…’

Beaufort is a triennial art event showcasing contemporary sculptures and installations along the Belgian coast every three years. It was first established in 2003.   The event includes various artists from Belgium and abroad, with many temporary and permanent works placed along the coast, creating a unique open-air museum experience.


I had wanted to do something with it for a long time, adding a personal touch.

When it was published and awarded, it became controversial because many viewers thought it was an AI-generated image, which is not allowed on 1x. I even had to write a forum post and add the original image to show viewers that it was not AI-generated.
However, some members recognized the artwork, and long-standing members knew for certain that I would never use AI.

POST PROCESSING

The image was processed in Adobe Photoshop.

This is the original file taken the 31st of May 2012.

Settings: Canon EOS 5D MarkII  .  Canon 24-105mm  .  f/14  .  1/400sec  .  ISO400

As you can see, the car wrecks were surrounded by metallic dog sculptures.

1. The first thing I did was clone the dogs out.

2. Then I replaced the sky with a dramatic one from my own files.  

3. I made the colours more vivid by using hue/saturation tool in Photoshop.

4. And finally, I added two street dogs from my own files and adjusted once more the colours.

I was pretty satisfied with the result but still doubting - as always - when uploading it.

TIPS

As always, when downloading the photos I took, I immediately delete the really bad ones.
But here's some good advice: keep the good ones, even if they're not particularly special.
Often, when I go through my archives, I find an image to process after years of learning and developing my photographic skills.
Of course, photographic techniques and Photoshop features have also improved a lot.
Here is the perfect example of that: I processed this image after 14 years. 😉

ABOUT ME

I'm not one for talking about myself. Many of you know me as the editor-in-chief of 1x Magazine.
Editor Michel Romaggi provides us with interesting tutorials throughout the year.
When he asked me to write something about my 'Guardians of Rust and Ruin', I accepted immediately.
It's a pleasure to share my workflow with you.

Keep posting, keep up the good work, and let your creativity explode in 2026!