The Pioneers Fall

[thejimmy86]

So I was pretty happy with this shot, other than the fact that I cut off the steel ring a bit.




Any thoughts?

Taken with my Panasonic Lumix LX100

[DwayneOakes]

Great comp and FG placement ! See strange halos over the left tree line in the far background ?
Also strange, low contrast in mid and background and clouds ? maybe hazy that day ?

Dwayne Oakes

[Colorado David]

It does what it is supposed to do; it draws me in. I like the composition and the elements. It has a Winslow Homer feel to it in my opinion. I'm looking at it on my phone so I can't tell for sure, but there appears to be some halo around the trees in the distance.

[thejimmy86]

Very hazy these last few weeks! And the light was odd that day due to the clouds, but it could very well be the processing, as I bumped up the luminance on certain channels which may have affected the back elements.

[Jeremy Roussak]

I like the composition and the clouds. I think it would benefit from re-processing: in addition to the haloes others have mentioned, I can see a marked halo around the broken wheel.

Jeremy

[Paulo Bizarro]

Great composition, light and subject. There are several artefacts, as others have mentioned. Perhaps you exaggerated with the blue channel too much to darken the sky? That can lead to haloes.

[thejimmy86]

Yep that was probably it. I should go back and locally darken the sky. Unfortunately post processing is a huge weak point for me.

[Bob_B]

Aside from the processing issues that can be easily corrected, your image is very compelling, with strong composition and tonality. It has interest in the fore-, mid-, and background, and is a continual treat to view. Nice work.

[thejimmy86]

Thanks Bob_B, I think it's a keep, maybe even printable. Going to reset the Raw and spend a little more time making it as good as it can be!

[luxborealis]

Thanks Bob_B, I think it's a keep, maybe even printable. Going to reset the Raw and spend a little more time making it as good as it can be!

Thank goodness you shot this in raw. The halos are easily corrected. It seems you are trying to add drama to the sky. Rather than changing colour channels (a throw-back to PS), if you are using LR, try a series of adjustment brushes. People generally underestimate LRs power to "correct" things like this. Don't try to do it with just one adjustment brush application because some blending will be needed to prevent the sudden, extreme changes that produce the halos. Using a combination of Contrast, Exposure and Clarity should go a long way towards achieving the desired effect.

When post-processing an image, think about it in sections. Ask yourself, "what does this section need to bring it back to what I had envisioned when I was capturing the original image?" If the mid-ground needs more contrast, use a brush or blend of brushes to add Contrast to Clarity (more often Clarity for things like grasses). Then treat the sky differently as is needed for it. Work the different sections using different tools and settings to achieve the final effect. Then walk away from it for a few days. When you come back to it, ask yourself "does it work as a whole? Does it re-create what I saw and felt?" Be critical with yourself and the photograph. (And try your best to never show a photograph with processing artefacts except in the User Critique section! )

[thejimmy86]

Thank you Lux, that was basically a tutorial haha. In the future I may spend the time (sounds like a fair bit of it) actually working the local adjustments as you said.

With regards to 'does it work as a whole, does it re-create what I saw and felt' I feel that it already does that. The only people that are going to say 'what the H are those halos in the trees' are photographers.

I normally balk at spending the time described by you in post processing. But if I do want to print this, I suppose it makes sense that I would spend some extra time on it.

Thanks

Dave

[thejimmy86]

Oh and by the way, I've been to many of the places you photographed in your Ontario section. Lovely areas.

[luxborealis]

Thank you Lux, that was basically a tutorial haha. In the future I may spend the time (sounds like a fair bit of it) actually working the local adjustments as you said.

With regards to 'does it work as a whole, does it re-create what I saw and felt' I feel that it already does that. The only people that are going to say 'what the H are those halos in the trees' are photographers.

I normally balk at spending the time described by you in post processing. But if I do want to print this, I suppose it makes sense that I would spend some extra time on it.

Thanks

Dave

Three things to consider, Dave...

• Never be satisfied with the idea that "only photographers will notice" as many others do, too. They may not say anything or they may not notice at first, but if they spend longer than 15 seconds looking at the photo (15 seconds is along time in a forum setting!), they will notice something peculiar, even if they don't understand what it is. This is especially true with prints - once they are displayed in a frame on the wall (and hopefully long before that!) people will notice the imperfections.
• Any time and effort put into making the photograph better than what the camera spits out is time well-spent. The camera cannot possibly know what's important to you, the photographer, as it just creates a "flat" file into which you breathe life with post-capture processing (unless, you are only interested in "machine prints").
• The adjustments I described above would take 5 minutes or so, once you have learned how to use them - which is time well-spent, as well.

Cheers.

[thejimmy86]

Outstanding advice, thank you. I will have some time tonight to sit down, so I'll take the raw down to the beginning and try again. Thank you for the encouragement.