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Debralill

@debralill

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Photographic Storyteller: Book Cover Artist • Photo-Illustration • Stock Photography • Portraits
[email protected]

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Revisiting the cover I created for The Language of Secrets by Dianne Dixon.

At first glance, the image feels almost nostalgic—but beneath the surface lies a story far more psychological and emotionally complex. A reminder that families are not always as simple as they first appear.

#CoverArt #Photoillustration #BookCoverArtist #PsychologicalFiction taken in Winsted, Connecticut by @debralill

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5 months ago

My children grew up knowing that almost anything could turn into a photo shoot.

A foggy morning?
“Go walk through those trees.”

Interesting light?
“Let’s stop the car and go stand over there!”

More elaborate shoots were usually negotiated with ice cream or extra allowance.

At the time, I was shooting stock images for Trevillion and Arcangel—but now these shots have become time capsules I enjoy looking back on.
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#stockphotography #stockphotos #familyphotoshoot by @debralill

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5 months ago

Adrift And Uncertain…. Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan is a harrowing tale of survival, set in 1914, as passengers of an elegant ocean liner are cast out to sea.

For this cover, I photographed the model in period clothing in-studio, then built the final composite—actually, many composites. This was one of those projects that involved countless variations before finally landing in the right place.

#BookCoverArtist
#PhotoshopComposite
#HistoricalFiction
#studiophotography
#photoillustration by @debralill

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6 months ago

Working on a series of still life setups with vintage pieces.

A little-known fact: I own a vintage bookshop filled with antiques, which provides a wonderful source of props for my shots—each item with its own history.

For this first one, I wanted to focus on textures and patina with just enough detail to suggest a travel narrative.

#stilllifephotography
#visualnarrative
#stockphotography
#propstyling
#studiophotographer taken in Whiting Mills LLC by @debralill

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6 months ago

What if she wasn’t lost at sea…but chose to disappear?

On April 15, 1912, the Sinking of the Titanic became a story the world would never forget.

The Lost Passenger - a historic fiction novel by Frances Quinn tells an unusual tale about one of the passengers — a young mother with her son, who uses the chaos of that night to vanish and start a new life in New York.

For this cover, I created a composite image by blending a portrait by Richard Jenkins with historical photographs from the Library of Congress.

#bookcoverartwork
#PhotoshopComposite
#Titanic
#HistoricalFictionCovers
#TitanicStories by @debralill

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6 months ago

Playing with vintage color FX as I prep new stock images…
Imagining a world where Polaroid meets a Diana camera—
the Polaroid with the uncertainty of uncontrolled color shifts,
and the Diana with dreamlike distortions you could never quite predict.

#StockPhotography #CreativeProcess #photoshopediting #PolaroidStyle #AnalogVibes by @debralill

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6 months ago

For the cover of Come to the Edge by Christina Haag, my client provided a photograph and requested effects that would evoke the nostalgia of youth, friendship, and first love. To capture that feeling, I reworked the photo to resemble a vintage Polaroid— softly colored, gently faded, and just imperfect enough to feel like a memory.

#polaroidfx #photoshopeffects #bookcoverart taken in Whiting Mills LLC by @debralill

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6 months ago

Not all colorizing is about realism. Sometimes it’s about adding a mood and evoking another time. I wanted to give this archival black & white image a retro aesthetic of instant film - soft color distortions and sunflares - that beauty of imperfection that makes it feel aged, like it’s been hidden in a drawer for years.
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#polaroid_esthetics #colorizemood #photoshopmanipulation #photoshopediting by @debralill

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6 months ago

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Thought I’d share one of my recent book covers – perfect for a spooky night. This one was for a fascinating read about séances in the 1800s published by @sourcebooks

This one was especially fun to bring to life thanks to some brilliant hand modeling by my neighbors & friends at Whiting Mills!

Huge thanks to:

@TylerGreenFX
Karann Schaller of @sunlightartistry
as well as Roxanne, Nola and Aiden

#BookCoverArt #PhotoIllustration #SpookySeason #VictorianSpirits #DarkArt #MysteriousMood #Spiritualism #WhitingMillsArtists #CreativeCommunity #BehindTheCover #HappyHalloween #americanhistory #nonfiction #bookstagram #bookworm #booksbooksbooks by @debralill

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a year ago

I just found out that today is National Coloring Book Day! Who knew???
I thought it would be fun to share one of my colorization projects. My clients often ask me to tint black and white vintage photos and it’s one of my favorite things to do. Here’s an example. Swipe to see the original image.

#bookcoverart
#bookcoverartist
#photoretoucher
#tintedphotography
#coloring
#colorization
#colorizationphotos
#colorista
#vintagephoto
#photomanipulation
#photoshopartistry taken in Whiting Mills LLC by @debralill

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3 years ago

So honored to have my work on the cover of this biography by Pulitzer Prize-Winning author, Stacy Schiff. I really had to go back to my illustration roots for this one! The book was just recently released and guess who’s reading it? (swipe to see photo reposted from @littlebrown by Vogue/Twitter)

#bookcoverartist
#bookcoverart
#bookcover
#bookjacket
#bookjacketart
#bookcoverillustration
#bookcoverillustrator
#bookpicture
#bookstagram
#published
#booklover
#photoillustration
#makeportraits
#historicalbiography
#americanrevolution
#foundingfather by @debralill

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4 years ago

“The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls.” -Edgar Allan Poe

One of the things I love about being in Whiting Mills is that I have the opportunity to photograph student work from the @tylergreenfx studio right next to me. Here are some examples of their amazing work!

Goblin Witch by:
@hair_and_horror_by_dk
Using prosthetic design by: @tylergreenfx
Model: @direshewolf

Mother Nature Spirit by:
Jamie Martin

Jester by:
@scaripari

#creepycharacters
#goblin
#witch
#creepyclowns
#halloween
#sfxmakeup
#sfxmua
#cosplay taken in Whiting Mills LLC by @debralill

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4 years ago