Anyone who’s tried taking family photos at the beach knows the struggle. As the designated photographer, you’re juggling perfect lighting, dodging strangers in the background, and praying your gear survives the sand invasion. But the real challenge? Convincing your kids—who see you as just “Mom” or “Dad,” not a photographer—to cooperate.
Some days, the frustration makes me want to toss my camera into the waves and call it quits. Despite my best efforts, I often end up with shots like this:
[Insert exaggeratedly uncooperative kid photo]
Really? After all the beach toys and bribes, this is the best smile I get?
But eventually, we managed a few decent shots. If you’ve ever survived a beach vacation with kids, you know that’s a win. After the posed portraits, we let them run wild, hoping for candid magic before someone inevitably ends up covered in sand or seawater.
While sorting through our vacation photos later, one image stood out—a little underexposed and loosely framed, but captured on my Canon 5D Mark II, so there was enough resolution to work with. Then my wife suggested something unexpected: “What if we give it an oil painting effect?”
I’ll admit, I’ve never been a fan of digital painting filters—they always felt a bit like cheating. But looking at this photo of our four kids, removed from the chaos of that day, I started to see what she meant. Sometimes, you have to trust someone else’s artistic eye.
The Editing Process
Starting with the RAW file in Adobe Lightroom, I adjusted exposure and contrast to brighten the image:
[Insert before/after exposure adjustments]
Next, I exported it to Photoshop and used Topaz Labs’ painting filters (specifically Oil Painting II). A slight tweak to the Simplify Size slider gave it a soft, painterly texture without losing detail:
[Insert final edited version]
My wife’s reaction? “That’s exactly what I pictured.”
The whole edit took about 10 minutes—the real time sink was choosing which photo to print. We ordered a 16×20″ canvas from MyPhotoPipe.com (my go-to for affordable prints), which arrived in a week. A simple frame from Hobby Lobby ($40), plus mounting ($13.50) and dry-mounting ($11), brought the total to around $100.
Now, what started as an average snapshot hangs in our living room as a cherished piece of art. The combo of high-resolution RAW files, Lightroom & Photoshop edits, and quality printing turned a fleeting moment into a lasting keepsake.
Have you transformed a casual photo into wall art? Share your process in the comments!