After the tragic death of his beloved wife, Harlon decided to start a new life in the wild wide open West. While a single photograph is the only physical thing he has to remember her by, she will always be with him in spirit. The memory of that Christmas past... the two of them together, in love... is one he will forever cherish.

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Daz Studio Iray render with a bit of postwork in Photoshop. Some of the elements I modeled myself in Blender including the Christmas tree and ornaments, and the fire pit (but not the flame.) The photograph used in this image is also a render, which I specifically made for this piece. The total time spent, including the Blender work, was about 20 hours.

I was inspired by the fact that this will be my first Christmas without a close family member who passed away earlier this year. I wanted to create an image in which the "ghost" is actually the spirit and/or memory of family and friends who are no longer with us in the physical world. Many scenarios crossed my mind, but I felt this one conveyed my idea best.