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Author Topic: Karoo Windmill  (Read 1502 times)

Heinz

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Karoo Windmill
« on: February 24, 2013, 03:14:06 pm »

Any thoughts on how to improve this pic?
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2013, 03:44:25 pm »

I am sure there are many ways to interpret this scene, both at the time of capture (i.e., in camera) and in post-processing. I do not see much that needs improvement in this one.

Tony Jay

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2013, 03:53:55 pm »

This is a fine image Heinz.
You have gone for a B&W treatment and I can see why - the image is all about texture and contrast.
It is somewhat difficult to know whether another approach might work since we don't see the original capture.
Perhaps posting the original colour image may help.

Tony Jay
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RSL

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2013, 04:35:19 pm »

I am sure there are many ways to interpret this scene, both at the time of capture (i.e., in camera) and in post-processing. I do not see much that needs improvement in this one.

+1
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2013, 05:05:25 pm »

I am sure there are many ways to interpret this scene, both at the time of capture (i.e., in camera) and in post-processing. I do not see much that needs improvement in this one.
+2.
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2013, 03:37:55 am »

Any thoughts on how to improve this pic?

Not unless you want to spend hours in PS cloning out the fence, no (and I doubt it would be worth the effort, anyway). Great sky!

Jeremy
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wolfnowl

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2013, 06:44:13 pm »

I am sure there are many ways to interpret this scene, both at the time of capture (i.e., in camera) and in post-processing. I do not see much that needs improvement in this one.
+3

 ;)

Mike.
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francois

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2013, 03:59:33 am »

I would leave it as it is… and remember the old proverb "The best is the enemy of the good".
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Francois

rogerxnz

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2013, 05:00:12 am »

Any thoughts on how to improve this pic?

Oh, well, I can never resist an invitation to tweak an image. So, here goes:

I think the composition is great but I would crop away the image from just below the white rocks at the base of the fence. I would clone away the white rocks and the white branch by the tower base because I find them distracting and I would darken the base of the fence and the right edge of the image.

For reasons that don't exist in reality (when you measure), the wind turbine tower seems to lean in and I would gently tilt the image clockwise to correct this. 

Then I would get some real blacks into the sky. I would darken the top right corner and the dark areas at the top left corner and the left edge. This suggestion is based on how your image looks on my monitor. There may, in fact, be plenty of black in the sky but the effect I would try for is to get the same strength of black in the sky as there is in the bush at right edge beside the tower.

I would make the turbine blades stand out more by lightening those in the top left quadrant. I would clone away some odd fluffs of white in the dark areas of the sky.

Then you would end up with something like the version I have attached . . . and decide it's overcooked and trash it!
Roger
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Roger Hayman
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Riaan van Wyk

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2013, 08:10:40 am »

Hello Heinz, I wouldn't change a thing either in this.

nemo295

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2013, 01:12:03 pm »

Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. I prefer the first version. The sky in Roger's version is a bit too dramatic for my taste. If you want a nitpicky criticism, I would also say that in the original there's too little tonal separation between the lower part of the tower and the trees behind it. Parts of the tower merge into the trees. It might be possible to improve on that by tweaking the B&W conversion filter in Photoshop (assuming you're using it). For example, increasing the green level in the conversion might lighten the tree foliage which in turn would allow a clearer delineation of the tower. But not knowing what the color version looks like I can't tell for sure.
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Heinz

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #11 on: February 27, 2013, 02:34:29 pm »

Many Thanks for the feed back Guy's.

@ Doug, I also have not seen the pic in colour, I shoot in B&W in camera. I will convert it in RAW and give your suggestion a bash.
@ Roger, I really like the extra black in the sky. (how do you do that?). The white rocks I think I will keep. For me they form a base at the bottom end of the pic and one's eye in the image.

Heinz
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rogerxnz

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Re: Karoo Windmill
« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2013, 05:30:07 am »

Roger, I really like the extra black in the sky. (how do you do that?). The white rocks I think I will keep. For me they form a base at the bottom end of the pic and one's eye in the image.
Heinz

There are many ways to selectively adjust the tones in an image. What I did here was create a new layer with overlay as the blend mode and filled it with 50% gray. You can paint on this layer in shades of B+W. Any brush darker than 50% will darken the underlying image and any brush lighter than 50% will lighten the image.

I use a soft brush sized to suit and paint away in 100% opacity and sometimes, to get a lesser effect, with 60% fill. I use B+W as I require to darken or lighten parts of the image. Usually, the effect is overdone so I dial back the fill of the layer to suit.

I've attached the layer to show what I mean. You can see where I have lightened the blades of the turbine. You can insert the layer into your jpg and play around with it.
Roger
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Roger Hayman
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