Trying new methods

[farlymac]

I don't usually do much Photoshopping beyond what is needed to correct whatever faults are in a picture, but when I was taking this one, I figured it was a good candidate for some experimentation.


12_Standout 3 by br1078phot, on Flickr

Yashica 35 ME on Fuji Reala 100

It took a few trial runs in PSE8 to get the method down, but I think it came out okay. It's kinda strange to be thinking b&w while shooting color, but it's easier to do than the other way around.


Craig Creek Standout ver 2 by br1078phot, on Flickr

Let me know what you think.

PF

 

[Darshan]

Honestly, it does not look bad...but I still like the color one better.

I have seen a lot of selective color treatments on DPR, where some are better than others. I think it depends on the subject matter and composition.

 

[Doug]

Just a personal old-fogey opinion, but I don't care for this selective desaturation technique. It would seem intended to rivet the viewer's attention on one important aspect of the image...

 

[kutting]

It's a bit of hackneyed technique. Nice to experiment with though to see how it works.

 

[mooge]

I think it would stand out more if the B&W bits were darker. it's bright colours on a bright background. the original is a bit washed out too...

cool stuff though.

 

[JoeV]

It's a nice picture the way it is in color (and also nice purely in B/W). But the effect reminds me of video editing software with all of the special effects and transitions and dissolves that no one in the professional video business would actually use on a paying project, they're just there to pad out the feature set of the software.

~Joe

 

[farlymac]

This started out just as a test shoot to check the functions of the camera after I tore it down to replace the film take-up spool drive. I didn't bother to get the best scan as I had taken a bunch of stuff in for developing, and it wasn't in the budget for the full res.

I did no work on the original image shown since I was more interested in how the lens handled the angle of view, and if there was any flaring. And yes, the intent was to display one part of the image more than the rest. That's called "Getting your attention". It's not something that I would use a lot of, but this shot just screamed for it. Could probably make some money off it at a greeting card company.

I did try this using the infra-red effect, but it was a bit much, so I went for a more middle-of-the-road approach on the b&w. It looks really good as a desktop background on the computer with all my program icons lined up to the left.

Thanks for the comments, and hope to get some more thoughts on this.

 

[Colin Corneau]

I think it's always good to keep experimenting, trying new things, etc.

My personal take is, the first (colour) shot was pretty average...nothing really remarkable about the scene. Like you probably did, my eye went to the one tree...if I had to guess, I'd say that's what made you take this picture: this one, standout colourful tree smack in the middle of these not-so-colourful ones.

The second version of the image, to me, is more interesting than the first. Anytime anyone takes a picture, there has to be something that made them trip the shutter...one thing that makes the picture worth taking.

IMO, the second version works because the same thing that made the first shot interesting is kept in the second...indeed, it's highlighted.

 

[farlymac]

Colin,
I went to this spot along the creek because I knew what the lay of the land was, and at that time of day that the sun angles would be just right. As I made my way down the bank, it was something I didn't expect to see since most of the trees this year just went brown, or yellow due to a mild drought. There were a couple of other trees like this a bit upstream, but I was shooting into the light, and they didn't stand out as much. I also did this in a vertical format, but there was a tad too much reflection to suit my taste, so I went back to this horizontal offset style.

Very few maples around here in the wild forest, mostly oaks, poplars, and ash, but plenty of them in and around towns. Except then you are always fighting the site line problem of overhead power wires. If you look at the other photos in the set you'll notice the lack of that great fall color we used to get around here, but there was enough to get a good read on what the camera could do.

Overall, it was a pretty good day of shooting, even if I did almost fall in the creek.

PF

 

[MIkhail]

It's hardly a "new method" and a pretty weak trick... Dont like it at all. It did nto save the photo.

 

[tlitody]

don't worry, it's just a rite of passage you have to go through when learning about PS. The novelty factor will soon wear off and normal service will be resumed. i.e. getting a kick out of finding, capturing and presenting the subject as it really was rather than trying to make it something it wasn't.

 

[farlymac]

I don't know if it is a phase, or just my background in graphics design coming out. But the method itself does come in handy when you are trying to fix something such as an uderexposed face shadowed by a hat brim.

And folks may dismiss it as a fad, or hackneyed, but the fact of the matter is people pay good money for stuff like that, not that that's where I was going with this. Every art form has it's elites and it's experimenters, and as long as there is a paying public, you will see all kinds of stuff floating around. Whether it is art for art's sake, or for commercial remuneration, it is still art. So I'm not hurt by any remarks about this being amaturish, because I am just getting back into the swing of things after many years of not doing any photography, and things have changed dramatically in that time. I didn't make a lot of money doing photography before because I didn't have the time or resources to devote to it, but what I did, people liked most of it.

Ya can't hit em outta the park everytime.

PF

 

[Colin Corneau]

Me, I'm a big fan of following your joy. This is what you felt at that moment, so you did it...terrific.
Arriving where you want to go happens one step at a time. I'm not qualified to say if this technique is a fad or not - I just like this particular image. The reflection being colourized is well done, too.

I also seem to recall a few near-falls when I was out hiking around, too. 8^)

 

[btgc]

Just a personal old-fogey opinion, but I don't care for this selective desaturation technique. It would seem intended to rivet the viewer's attention on one important aspect of the image...

I agree with this. There are some better techniques to draw attention to certain object in image. Better to learn them than join kindergarten kids who draw apple red just because it's red.