Windblown forest

[John R]

From High Park, Toronto, where I noticed the boughs swaying in the wind. It's an Orton style image. It looks good in BW too.

JMR

[JeffKohn]

Nice. I like the composition, lighting, and the motion captured in the branches.

It looks good in BW too.

I'd like to see the B/W, as the only thing I find a bit bothersome in the color version is the saturation of the greens.

[John R]

Nice. I like the composition, lighting, and the motion captured in the branches.

I'd like to see the B/W, as the only thing I find a bit bothersome in the color version is the saturation of the greens.

Thanks for the comments and feedback. For some reason whenever I do Orton type photos, I get a colour shift on the greens, especially if their is an overlap. But I think I have a handle on it now. I can reduce the shift somewhat by desaturating the green, but it it appears unavoidable in double exposures or compsoistes. I am attaching the BW version and another image which shows the dappled light under the trees, as the sun was continually dancing behind the clouds.

JMR

[JeffKohn]

I do like the B/W conversion, but I'm not so sure I prefer it over the color like I thought I would; I like the 'glow' effect in the color versions. The second color image you posted is really nice as well.

For some reason whenever I do Orton type photos, I get a colour shift on the greens, especially if their is an overlap.

I assume you're using a background layer, plus one or more additional layers that have a blend mode of overlay, soft light, hard-light, or something similar? If so there's a trick to eliminate the hue shift and keep the saturation in check. Create a Curves adjustment layer in between the background layer and the softlight/overlay layers. Don't adjust the curve, just change its blend mode to luminosity. Now right click on the softlight layer(s), and choose "Create Clipping Mask". This should give you the 'glow' effect of the softlight/overlay without the color changes.

[John R]

I do like the B/W conversion, but I'm not so sure I prefer it over the color like I thought I would; I like the 'glow' effect in the color versions. The second color image you posted is really nice as well.

I assume you're using a background layer, plus one or more additional layers that have a blend mode of overlay, soft light, hard-light, or something similar? If so there's a trick to eliminate the hue shift and keep the saturation in check. Create a Curves adjustment layer in between the background layer and the softlight/overlay layers. Don't adjust the curve, just change its blend mode to luminosity. Now right click on the softlight layer(s), and choose "Create Clipping Mask". This should give you the 'glow' effect of the softlight/overlay without the color changes.

Many thanks for that information. I will copy and keep it for reference. I guess I will have to break down and buy Photoshop. I much prefer the colour version also. But the BW does look fairly good in large size and this smaller version does make it look uninspiring.

JMR

[shutterpup]

I am not a big fan of the Orton method, but I definitely prefer the B/W version to the colored version. It's toned down sufficiently for me to look beyond the green and the swath of horizontal green in the middle of the shot that is central to what I don't care for in the color version.

[John R]

I am not a big fan of the Orton method, but I definitely prefer the B/W version to the colored version. It's toned down sufficiently for me to look beyond the green and the swath of horizontal green in the middle of the shot that is central to what I don't care for in the color version.

You know, at first I thought it was the process, but now I am not so sure. I just took a few shots in a conservation area, and it appears to me, whenever there is movement of green, the green becomes lighter. Either that or my Pentax produces 'Velvia' like greens. See this example, nothing special- just a movement of the branch with no modifications, a jpeg straight out of the camera. I shoot only jpegs and couldn't be bothered with keeping 'raw' copies.

John R (JMR)

[JeffKohn]

You know, at first I thought it was the process, but now I am not so sure. I just took a few shots in a conservation area, and it appears to me, whenever there is movement of green, the green becomes lighter. Either that or my Pentax produces 'Velvia' like greens. See this example, nothing special- just a movement of the branch with no modifications, a jpeg straight out of the camera. I shoot only jpegs and couldn't be bothered with keeping 'raw' copies.

John R (JMR)

Part of it could be white balance, as this image has a noticeable green cast (not at all unusually when shooting in the woods/forest, especially under overcast light).