need Yosemite advice.....everyone

lark · April 11, 2005

I'd like to ask some advice/opinion on what I can do to take my Yosemite pictures to another level.
The opportunity in May got me thinking.....so much talent is going on that trip, how do I tap into that and at the same time come up with something that might help everyone before we actually get there...sort of a dry run.

I have a lot of Yosemite shots posted here:
http://den.smugmug.com/gallery/137648

What I'd like to open a discussion with is: Looking through more experienced eyes (yours), what do you see that I can do to make them better on my next trip? What mistakes do you see consistantly being made?
Basically what am I missing that I should pay more attention to?

I think, if this is done right, it could provide a good lesson before we go. So, please, rip them apart. We will all benefit. Sorta like having practice pictures to work on.

Two things: these were shot almost completely with a Sony F828 and 717 (didn't have my Canon stuff then). and 2: I know they are small. I let PS CS automatically prepare them for the web and this is the largest default size. So, I have to completely re-work this area and am aware of it but I want to wait until I get backfrom the trip up there in May.
I hope this works, it could be enlightening.

Thanks in advance for your help

Den

Dee · April 11, 2005

Post Processing
I don't think you are doing badly at all. I'll admit right upfront that I am not a mountain person so a photo has to really be different and exceptional to grab my attention.

The thing I noticed most was that your images would be helped by some color/level correction. I also have the 828 and will be bringing it with me for the Yosemite shoot out.

My personal goal is to practice more with exposure and bracketing and taking photos to use for blending to get greater dynamic range. This means I have to use -- ugh! -- a tripod!

I enjoyed the photos with the fog -- again a levels or curves adjustment, or a contrast mask, or shadow/highlight action would help punch up the color.

It would help us if you narrowed down your photos from 59 and assigned them some sort of number or title -- it's difficult to to critique when you have to say page 3 photo left to right, top to bottom 8... for example. Some people also hesitate to download, adjust and repost photos that are not their own without permission.

Page one, photo 6 for example, using the tree to frame the photo is a good idea, adds dimension and depth and compositional interest, but I would have rethought the angle a little, either more tree covering the mountains or less tree a little higher up. The reflections are really pretty.

lark · April 11, 2005

Dee wrote:

It would help us if you narrowed down your photos from 59 and assigned them some sort of number or title -- it's difficult to to critique when you have to say page 3 photo left to right, top to bottom 8... for example. Some people also hesitate to download, adjust and repost photos that are not their own without permission.

Page one, photo 6 for example, using the tree to frame the photo is a good idea, adds dimension and depth and compositional interest, but I would have rethought the angle a little, either more tree covering the mountains or less tree a little higher up. The reflections are really pretty.

Dee,
Thank you, lots!

I appreciate you looking at them............any of those can be downloaded by anybody for our purposes here on this thread. I will be replacing them in june w/other, bigger pictures......so they are pretty much fair game for anyone who wants to mess around w/ them.

Steve Cavigliano · April 11, 2005

Denny,

All I can say is WOW. If these aren't satisfying you, I don't have enough knowledge to help you get them to "the next level". You've got a fine array of shots there

Some very tough ones too. Like the fog/mist in the valley shots.

I'm not sure this forum is the best place for you to get the answers you're looking for. Maybe posting a couple of your sweet shots, asking for tips on "pumping them up" or otherwise improving them, in the Photoshop Shenanigans Forum would get you some ideas to consider. I don't see anything wrong from the shot point of view. They all look to be nicely composed, they have great color, very interesting subjects and are well exposed.

All I can say is, if I come back from Yosemite with even a couple of shots as nice as yours, I'll be ecstatic

Steve

Dee · April 11, 2005

Fixed versions of your Yosemite photos

lark wrote:

Dee,
Thank you, lots!

I appreciate you looking at them............any of those can be downloaded by anybody for our purposes here on this thread. I will be replacing them in june w/other, bigger pictures......so they are pretty much fair game for anyone who wants to mess around w/ them.

I used contrast masking heavily (still trying to figure out the highlight/shadow in the new Photoshop CS. Then I used curves for adjustments.

In this case, I had to use the mask to let some of the yellow grasses have more detail.

Adjustment on the top, original on the bottom.

Dee · April 11, 2005

Adjustment two
Adjusted on top, original on bottom.

Dee · April 11, 2005

Adjustment three
Original on the left, adjusted on the right.

After adjusting in curves, the water was still too dark. I duplicated the layer and adjusted for the water, added a mask and blocked out the trees so the lighter water showed through.

Dee · April 11, 2005

Notes about adjustments
Some of these look light on my monitor -- I use a Mac, so I'm hoping they will look a little deeper on a Windows machine.

Mainly I was hoping to show what the curves adjustment can do. I adjusted for black and white points and that pretty much cleared up color shifts. After that it was trying to balance the dynamic range by using contrast masking.

I'm no expert, BTW.... (in photoshop). Although I've been using it for years and years, there are just so many different ways to perform a chore, and so many levels to color correction, etc.

I have two photoshop color correction books out from the library hoping to improve my skills. There are tricks for adjusting for skin tone (by the numbers) for example that I'm not aware of.

And monitor differences can change an image.

What I'm seeing as too dark might be just right on someone elses' monitor and vice versa.

But the main thing I noticed was a lack of "punch" in your photos, and of course dynamic range problems.

There are shadow highlight actions you might find on the web that might help also.

If you are not familiar with contrast masking, do a search on the web and read several articles. Once you try it a few times it's pretty quick and easy.

Here's my brief method (using Mac key commands).

Load original photo
double click on layer to change from background to layer 0 (name change)
Adjust balance using either levels or curves
duplicate the layer
On the newly duplicated layer hit command shift U (desaturate)
then command I (invert)
Then blur that layer -- some poeple use a tiny blur, I tend to use a large blur amount
It should then be perfect! If not lower the opacity of the blurred layer.

Here's one link: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/contrast_masking.shtml

And another: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/u-contrast-masking.shtml

A link to a free plug-in for Photoshop: http://www.photo-plugins.com/Plugins/Plugins/Contrast-Mask.html

Dee · April 11, 2005

My favorite contrast masking link
http://www.outbackphoto.com/workshop/photoshop_corner/essay_06/essay.html

This is the one I learned from -- notice the large amount of blur he uses on the mask? I somehow have trouble using a small amount (under 5), don't know why. Others will disagree with me, so experiment and find out what works best for you.

The reason I was so taken with this tutorial, is that I know this scene -- I live near San Francisco and when we drive down to Santa Cruz we pass this very spot!

Hope it helps!

lark · April 11, 2005

Steve, thank you.........I'll try that. These are mostly May pictures by the way.
Dee, Wow! Thanks for all the work!!!! It's great. I agree I need to add more punch to the pics.........color calibration tools are on their way.........thank you again.

Anybody else want to see what they can do? Help yourself.

Thanks
Den

need Yosemite advice.....everyone

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