[LRflex] Re: IMG: Native American guide at Taos Pueblo

  • From: Peter Klein <boulanger.croissant@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2017 01:03:16 -0700

Godfrey, Aram and David:  I see you folks are getting much Photoshop/Lightroom training out of my photo. :-)  So how about showing the results?  I use Capture One, so your numbers won't translate, but the principles are worth a try on a rainy day.

Frankly, the best way to improve that picture would have been to take it several hours earlier, or several hours later, when the sun was at a lower angle. But that wasn't when I was there.  I did quite a bit of digital dodging and burning on the B&W to get the tones I wanted. I noticed the lack of detail/contrast on the building face, but whenever I tried to fix it, I ended up with tones I didn't like.  Then there is the problem getting contrast out of reddish adobe with yellow straw  mixed in, and similarly reddish soil. Especially when the B&W picture has been red-filtered to get the sky the way I did.  Some masking and contrast or black/white point gymnastics might very well help.

Interesting discussion, thanks for playing!

--Peter


> Have to say, I used the term "boosting the contrast" rather loosely. Decreasing
> the gamma does indeed raise the contrast, though.
>
> I nipped a PNG of each of the photos off the web image on my display and
> dragged them into LR. Applying a graduated filter to the bottom half of both
> photos with parameters Contrast +100, Clarity +90, dragged Shadow values down a
> ways while boosting highlight values just a little gave a bit more snap and
> sparkle to both photos. I painted in a little extra exposure just in the door
> region too. No blow outs and both have a nice "looks like I think it was" kind
> of feel to my eye. Of course
>
> (Of course, my display is calibrated too. The question is whether your notions
> of what is pleasing and mine have anything to do with one another… :-)
>
> G
> —
> The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.
>
> On Oct 2, 2017, at 2:29 PM, David Young <dsy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Godfrey, Aram:
>
> I've tried Godfrey's suggestion of boosting the contrast.  In the B&W
> version, increasing the contrast causes the are in front of the door to blow
> out.  But decreasing the Gamma, a wee bit, seems to improve things.
>
> In the colour version, again, boosting contrast causes problems - on my
> calibrated monitor, it causes the colour of the building to change.  But,
> increasing the black level, slightly, darkens the sky for a more dramatic
> look, and livens up the image without other artifacts.
>
> Aram, you might want to look at this idea.
>
> David.
>
>
> It's a nice shot.
>
>
> Looking at it critically, however, in both B&W and color the foreground
> needs a bit of a boost in contrast to make it come alive. The tonal
> separation is lacking giving a slightly dull appearance, at least on my
> display.
>
>
> G
>
>
> Peter Klein offered:
>
> Here's a view of a Pueblo house with the mountains behind. I liked this
> one in both B&W and color, so I made it both ways.
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/37167441980/in/dateposted-public/>
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/37424515271/in/dateposted-public/>


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