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Author Topic: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP  (Read 4096 times)

orchidblooms

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greetings, I am P. I. Murphy,involved with our family flowershop & Orchid nursery in Mpls...

I have long admired many of the amazing images I have seen over the years in books, magazines and on the www

Only last summer with the peter lik series on the weather channel did i come to appreciate how much work seems to go into many of these images in Post Processing...

There is one particular image i have loved by jim brandenburg, he took at the 'crow hassen' park reserve, not too far from me...

Last summer i went out there and found what seemed to be the exact area and the 'tree' featured in the image seen here on his blog...

http://jimbrandenburg.blogspot.com/2009/05/collectors-print-20-crow-hassan-prairie.html

in real life, i did not see anything like this...

turns out another fellow had the same idea as me...

and he has come to the conclusion this image was the result of  a keen eye on the part of jim b and quite a bit of photoshopping...

http://joemamerphotography.blogspot.com/2009/08/photoshop-by-jim-brandenburg.html

there is no way in the world i could do photoshop work anywhere close to this level...

i am sure now, that many of my most appreciated images i see on the www are worked over in post...

looking for pointers, on how a guy can get a handle on such a robust and seemingly complicated app as ps6

thank you

a smattering of my photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iggyweb/
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Paulo Bizarro

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2012, 04:24:34 am »

This business of altering the image is all very subjective, of course. Artistically, I can accept it, since the photographer is trying to convey his vision and interpretation of the place. However, I also think that the photographer should make clear that he/she has altered the image for artistic reasons. Where should one draw the line? Is it ok to remove electric poles or power lines, but not trees? Is it ok to change contrast and saturation (just as examples of common changes we do), but not ok to do something else?

Walt Roycraft

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2012, 06:47:38 am »

P.I. welcome to the forum. I would suggest trying Lightroom and learning what can be done there first. The LR tutorial on this site is an excellent resource.

One thing you will discover is there are a staggering amount of different opinions on whats best and how to do it. I humbly suggest finding a well respected photographer(or2) whose work you admire and listen to them.
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Walter Roycraft
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orchidblooms

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2012, 10:26:17 am »

many thanks guys...

when i was out at that crow hassen park reserve, and i fount what i thought may be the area in the 'image'...

i was perplexed...

after finding the analysis of the image - it makes 'sense'

that 'scene' is now very 'marketable'...  i would imagine that Mr Brandenburg had thoughts... perhaps indeed images in his mind of exactly what he would perhaps do with this shot once he got home with it...

i am realizing that i have to perhaps add a new dimension to my what i guess we can call imagery?  since they clearly are not photographs once dolled up in post production...

I see now why they are often referred to 'images' on the www....

when one presents a 'photograph' for view - there is no way to know way for the viewer to know what is the difference between imagery and imagination...

Mr Brandenburg has made this very evident...

Sort of pops a bit of a bubble for me... and makes more work..

Personally i will continue to strive to 'as nature scenes', in my imagery for my photos


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orchidblooms

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2012, 12:58:48 pm »

... ok so it is the wild west and all is fair game...?

whatever we come up with and deem 'marketable' or presentable is OK unless we are clearly trying to present an image as a 'fact of some matter'?

is this the 'vibe' ??
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orchidblooms

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2012, 01:52:39 pm »


 "whatever we come up with" wouldn't be OK?


I am then, suggesting whatever we come up with is indeed ok...

:)

and things i would imagine would be filtered out by the response to our work...
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tived

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2012, 04:37:50 am »

Hi,

looking at the two images, reminds me a bit of before and after ads you see on TV or other media, the before looks dull and sad, where as the after photo looks fresh and inviting.

could it be that when Jim where there in the prime of the season with all the wild flowers out, waited till last light "the golden hour", took his shot and got pretty damn close. lighten up the foreground or took several exposures and skillfully blended them together?

To me he needs to work on his masking, but other then that,, its a lovely image.

i don't know, but its possible. Sometimes magic do happen other times we make magic..... i am only saying that because i have polished many turds in my time, with the help of the trusty Photoshop.

if the question is how far is too far? Then i would say its in the eye of the beholder... if you don't like it, don't buy it.  ;) 

Henrik
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PeterAit

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2012, 11:15:46 am »

many thanks guys...

when i was out at that crow hassen park reserve, and i fount what i thought may be the area in the 'image'...

i was perplexed...

after finding the analysis of the image - it makes 'sense'

that 'scene' is now very 'marketable'...  i would imagine that Mr Brandenburg had thoughts... perhaps indeed images in his mind of exactly what he would perhaps do with this shot once he got home with it...

i am realizing that i have to perhaps add a new dimension to my what i guess we can call imagery?  since they clearly are not photographs once dolled up in post production...

I see now why they are often referred to 'images' on the www....

when one presents a 'photograph' for view - there is no way to know way for the viewer to know what is the difference between imagery and imagination...

Mr Brandenburg has made this very evident...

Sort of pops a bit of a bubble for me... and makes more work..

Personally i will continue to strive to 'as nature scenes', in my imagery for my photos

Remember that the photographer was there at a different time, with different clouds, different lighting, different plants, different shadows. That may account for as much of what you didn;t see as the "Photoshopping."

My goal in post-processing is to make the image look like the scene did - not in a literal or scientific way, but as it looked TO ME. In other words, I want the image to communicate the aesthetic perception that I experienced. That's my goal, anyway.
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orchidblooms

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #8 on: July 14, 2012, 04:01:25 pm »

well... the curvature of the earth...  and trees are quite different in what he finally published...

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Matt Tilghman

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2012, 04:28:12 pm »

Hey PI, welcome aboard.  Not to plug myself, but since you asked for pointers... check out my blog.  I've recently began to go over my photoshop routine/workflow in great detail for each post.  It might be helpful. www.MattTilghman.com
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Check out my gallery and photoshop blog:  www.MattTilghman.com

orchidblooms

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Re: new to forum.... greetings... amazed what can be done with PP
« Reply #10 on: July 14, 2012, 05:28:50 pm »

i will have a look...

i am NOT a ps guy.. may have to start to learn a few things...

and i like your notion... we all need to 'turn around'... to see what a person may be missin...

i caught this with one capture...  (bigtime crop of orig 'photo')  by indeed simply turning around...  i was actually shooting the new mn twins stadium...  i actually like the flags in a row and the light...  - that is what initially caught my eye... set down the tripod - checked expoure - waited for streetlight to 'change' fired off one shot - and moved on...

certainly pays, sometimes literally i would imagine to have a 'look around'



« Last Edit: July 14, 2012, 05:31:53 pm by orchidblooms »
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