Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Riaan van Wyk on December 09, 2010, 01:14:53 pm

Title: Untitled
Post by: Riaan van Wyk on December 09, 2010, 01:14:53 pm

Your thoughts on the processing please? Shot with the last glow of the sun on the cliff face, maybe not enough contrasty light as this seems to need some of the contrast medicine. 

Title: Re: Untitled
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on December 09, 2010, 02:09:47 pm

I would be tempted to raise the contrast a wee bit and lighten up the cliff face a bit more so the fact of the sun light is more apparent.
I a color version, the difference of color would make it easier to spot the difference between sunlit and shadow, so the B&W needs a bit of help, IMHO.

It's a nice image and worth some more work.

Eric

Title: Re: Untitled
Post by: Rob C on December 09, 2010, 02:36:00 pm

Yes, I'd mask off the sky part and play around with curves and introduce some white here and there; it does indeed need contrast, as you said.

On the other hand, I spent a lot of time yesterday or the day before - I no longer know the difference anymore - working up a shot I found of my wife on our honeymoon, a deteriorated Kodachrome, and the amount of masking etc. that I did to try to rescue it made me wonder how far anyone should go before just calling it a day. But, Photoshop can challenge you to beat it, kick its ass; sometimes it wins.

There comes a point where the fun goes out the window.

Not a reference to your shot, by the way, Riaan, just a gratuitous ramble on frustration!

Rob C

Title: Re: Untitled
Post by: RSL on December 09, 2010, 07:29:24 pm

Riaan, I'm not so sure it needs additional contrast as much as it needs more highlights, as Rob suggests. If you add contrast with the usual contrast curve you're liable to drop the lower mid-tones too low. Nik's Viveza is ideal for solving this kind of problem, but you can do the same thing with a bit more tone mapping in Photoshop. As it is, it's a very good starting shot.

Title: Re: Untitled
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on December 09, 2010, 08:12:20 pm

This is how I would process it, if you do not mind me playing with it…. different emphasis.

Title: Re: Untitled
Post by: wolfnowl on December 09, 2010, 09:03:17 pm

Much better...

Mike.

Title: Re: Untitled
Post by: RSL on December 10, 2010, 01:54:46 pm

Exactly.

Title: Re: Untitled
Post by: Riaan van Wyk on December 12, 2010, 11:09:48 pm

Thanks for looking everyone, it is appreciated. I like the reworked version Slobodan, it seems to be more of what I had in mind when shooting this. Thank you for taking the time to do so.