I wanted to paint a snow scene, so I guess some could say that I cheated or I manipulated the weather in this photo to give me what I wanted. Taking what I wanted from a photo and either not being distracted by details I wasn't interested in or feeling compelled to be faithful to the photo has been a lesson I've had to spend time learning over time.

Please feel free to tell me where or whether I free-wheeled it too much! Suggestions welcome.

Are there any tricks you've learned on how to handle photos so that you don't get bogged down in them. It might make a fruitful discussion for the forum.