Blast to the Past



I love the composition of this image but, the original photograph (top) did not deliver. The sky was blown-out and the rest of it was too washed-out. I could do nothing to improve it. Yea, it happens sometimes. So when I have an image like the one at the top, I apply the old saying from Dale Carnegie: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” And that’s exactly what I did in the following two images. The image was already distressed so why not distress it even more but, in a good way. I used presets in Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro 2 and Color Efex Pro 4 to create aged images.

Image No. 2: After doing minor post processing in Photoshop CS6, I used Silver Efex Pro 2 to create an aged black and white image with burnt edges. Within Silver Efex Pro 2 I selected the “Full Spectrum Inverse” preset. This particular preset created the right tone and mood for an aged B&W image. To finish-off the image I added a distress white border and burnt edges.

 

Image No. 3: Once again, after doing minor post processing in Photoshop CS6, I used Color Efex Pro 4 to create a postcard like image. Within Color Efex Pro 4 I selected the “Kitschy Postcard” preset. It should not be a surprise that this preset is perfect for creating a postcard style image. I only had to make minor adjustments to finish the image.

 

The great thing about Nik Software’s presets is that once you select a preset, you can then further make adjustments. Plus, you can also combine multiple presets to create something different.

 

To learn more about Nik Software's Presets and Recipes go to: Nik Software
 

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Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S 70-120mm f/3.5-5.6G lens, Exposer: 1/500s at f/5.6, IOS: 200, Focal Length: 95mm, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority, Exposure Bias: 1.00 EV, Metering Mode: Matrix Metering, Filter: Ultra Violet, Subject Distance: Infinity, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Date: 08/4/2009 at 10:15 am, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS6 (images 2 & 3) & Nik Software - Silver Efex Pro 2 (image 2) - Color Efex Pro 4 (image 3)

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved

 

ISO: It's Important

 

Sometimes the use of dappled sunlight is just the effect a photograph needs. Dappled sunlight can make an image feel more relaxed to the viewer. It can also give an appearance of spontaneity. Because I did not use any artificial fill-light I had to use a higher ISO*. I chose to set my ISO to 1000 to compensate for the lower light levels. Basically ISO represents a value of sensitivity to light that a camera’s digital image sensor processes into an image. The lower the ISO number the less sensitive to light and the higher the number the more sensitive to light. Please note that a higher ISO level can increase the noise (grain) in your image. Sometimes noise can be a very desirable effect. In photography, you must have a comprehensive understanding of three important and interlaced functions.  These functions are shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Today I briefly touched on ISO. If you understand and control these function, then you can control the outcome of your image. Among the most important things I can leave you with is READ YOUR MANUALS. Understand every function, button, knob and icon on your equipment and most importantly how they affect each other and your results. Photography is an art and a science. These are the steps that will begin to separate you from just taking pictures to creating photographs.

 

See my Facebook page for additional Photography and Photographic Art discussions.

 

To view my Photographic Art visit: Windows of Photography

 

Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G lens, Exposer: 1/250s at f/10.0, IOS: 1000, Focal Length: 300mm, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority, Exposure Bias: 0.00 EV, Metering Mode: Pattern, Filter: Ultra Violet, Subject Distance: Unknown, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Date: 03/31/2012 at 9:10 am, Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5

 

*ISO: International Organization for Standardization

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved

 



First You See It and Then You Don't
(Photoshop Tip - Spot Healing Brush Tool)

Photoshop’s Spot Healing Brush Tool is easy to use and indispensable. If you look at the BEFORE photograph you will notice a leafy branch hanging over the statue.  And, in the AFTER photograph along with same additional post-processing the offending branch is gone.  To remove an un-wanted element form you image in Photoshop, just open your desired image. Then, select the (Spot Healing Brush Tool) from the left-side icon menu or press the (J) key on your keyboard. You will then see the Spot Healing Brush Tool options at the top left-side of your screen. Out of the available options I find that I use the (Content-Aware) option the most. You should make your brush-size optimal to the size of the object you wish to remove from your image. Sometimes you may need to remove items in small sections. Even though the Spot Healing Brush Tool seems like magic sometimes, it is not necessarily the right tool for every situation. If the object you wish to remove is large or there is a great deal of detail around the object, the Spot Healing Brush Tool many not work to your satisfaction. The Spot Healing Brush Tool is one of those tools you must use for yourself to learn it limits.  Remember, you can always use the (Step Backward – Alt+Ctrl+Z) command in Photoshop to undo any changes that do not work for your image.

 

See my Facebook page for additional Photography and Photographic Art discussions.

 

To view my Photographic Art visit: Windows of Photography

 

Technical Data: Nikon D3 with a Nikon NIKKOR AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G lens, Exposer: 1/200s at f/8.0, IOS: 200, Focal Length: 300mm, Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority, Exposure Bias: 0.00 EV, Metering Mode: Pattern, Filter: Ultra Violet, Subject Distance: 7.5 meters, Lighting: Natural Daylight, Date: 07/02/2012 at 12:25 pm, Post Processing (AFTER image): Adobe Photoshop CS6 & Nik Software – Color Efex Pro 4

Copyright © 2012 Windows of Photography, All Rights Reserved