Olympic Rainforest shot, critique and tips?

05/23/2006 03:56:41 PM · #1

I'm finally getting around to processing some shots from a visit to the Hoh Rainforest. Moss and evergreen trees are so beautiful to the eye when you are there, but so difficult to capture with a camera. Here's one attempt.

Does anybody have any tips with either capturing or PP of moss and evergreens? The pictures can get so busy with detail the image degrades into a blob of chaos. Dark greens are particularly hard to make look good as well.

This shot has a bit of PP. The biggest thing is combining two shots so as to increase the dynamic range.

Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

05/23/2006 05:05:34 PM · #2

I take it you are using CS/CS2 "Merge to HDR" feature with a set of different exposures of the same scene. I suspect your biggest issues are the HDR settings, there are quite a few and therefore an infinite number of ways to screw things up. LOL! You will have to experiment a lot to figure out the best values and their effects (Smart Sharpen and Shadow/Highlight's default settings aren't all that great either)

Also, be sure the images are aligned properly to prevent a "jumbled mess". ;)

However, once combined they should not be any more difficult to post process than anything else. Moss requires very fine sharpening controls to get them right.

Years ago I went on a great weeklong hike from La Push to Ho Head. That was a blast. It is beautiful there and I have an idea how difficult that must be to capture.

Best wishes and hope we to get to see the images. :)

Message edited by author 2006-05-23 17:06:06.

ursula

Fujifilm X-T2

05/23/2006 05:13:18 PM · #3

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

.... Moss and evergreen trees are so beautiful to the eye when you are there, but so difficult to capture with a camera. Here's one attempt.

.... The pictures can get so busy with detail the image degrades into a blob of chaos. Dark greens are particularly hard to make look good as well.

You are right about the busy aspects of the area, and how beautiful it is when you're there in person, but in photos it's a totally different story. I've lived here (heavily forested, wet, mountainous area) now for more than 2 years, and haven't figured it out yet. I think that for the most part what I've been resorting to is showing portions (or closeups), simply because I haven't figured out how to show a large section of the area without it looking just plain way too busy.

I've been looking at images by Emily Carr (the painter) for inspiration, but so far it hasn't "jelled" for me.

Also, working in foggy situations has been interesting. Fog is a sort of equalizer in the area.

I'm very interested in any answers/ideas that might be posted to this thread.

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

This shot has a bit of PP. The biggest thing is combining two shots so as to increase the dynamic range.

How do you do this combining of two shots to increase dynamic range? Is there a tutorial somewhere for that? (Thanks in advance!)

Message edited by author 2006-05-23 17:14:56.

Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

05/23/2006 05:19:11 PM · #4

Originally posted by ursula:

Originally posted by DrAchoo:
.... Moss and evergreen trees are so beautiful to the eye when you are there, but so difficult to capture with a camera. Here's one attempt.

.... The pictures can get so busy with detail the image degrades into a blob of chaos. Dark greens are particularly hard to make look good as well.

... I've lived here (heavily forested, wet, mountainous area) now for more than 2 years, and haven't figured it out yet. I think that for the most part what I've been resorting to is showing portions (or closeups), simply because I haven't figured out how to show a large section of the area without it looking just plain way too busy...

I'm very interested in any answers/ideas that might be posted to this thread.

Ursula... are we in agreement that when DrAchoo figures all that out that he write a tutorial for the rest of us?

ursula

Fujifilm X-T2

05/23/2006 05:23:23 PM · #5

Originally posted by stdavidson:

Originally posted by ursula:

Originally posted by DrAchoo:
.... Moss and evergreen trees are so beautiful to the eye when you are there, but so difficult to capture with a camera. Here's one attempt.

.... The pictures can get so busy with detail the image degrades into a blob of chaos. Dark greens are particularly hard to make look good as well.

... I've lived here (heavily forested, wet, mountainous area) now for more than 2 years, and haven't figured it out yet. I think that for the most part what I've been resorting to is showing portions (or closeups), simply because I haven't figured out how to show a large section of the area without it looking just plain way too busy...

I'm very interested in any answers/ideas that might be posted to this thread.

Ursula... are we in agreement that when DrAchoo figures all that out that he write a tutorial for the rest of us?

Yes, that is, "if" he figures it out :)))

05/23/2006 05:35:26 PM · #6

Well, I've been trying for a while. ;) It's hard.

The combined images isn't using the HDR. I've only goofed with that once with poor results. Basically I shoot two shots in RAW, one "properly" exposed (which winds up having some blowouts) and one exposed for the highlights. Convert both in PS and then take the second shot (the one exposed for the highlights) and copy it as a layer onto the first. Mask it off and then just brush the highlighted areas to taste.

You can do it legally in Advanced as well by just converting the same shot twice in RAW (one properly and one for highlights). You don't quite get as much range, but it is an improvement. My Burst of Color shot and my Candlelight shot uses the one shot, twice converted technique.

05/23/2006 05:48:14 PM · #7

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

I like the mask technique a lot! That should work well as long as the areas of interest are properly aligned and nothing moves between frames. I use that technique for the "Kiwiness and his brothers" pictures and various other multi-frame combinations.

Achoo, I tried sticking up for you against Ursula about having to do tutorial for the moss and dynamic range stuff. But she said, "No way! He's GOT to do it!" Sorry, I tried.

05/23/2006 05:52:31 PM · #8

Don't know if this helps, but here is the best I've been able to do taking pictures of moss down here in Southern Arizona:

mpeters

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

05/23/2006 05:52:33 PM · #9

Doc,

What time of the day was the above picture taken?

Message edited by author 2006-05-23 17:52:51.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

05/23/2006 06:25:51 PM · #10

Originally posted by mpeters:

Doc,

What time of the day was the above picture taken?

Great question Mark. It was taken at the very blechy time of 11:58AM. I had no choice and thing your implied response could go far to making things somewhat better. The detail problem is still an issue in the morning though...

mpeters

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

05/23/2006 06:47:12 PM · #11

Sorry i didnt elaborate. I asked b/c i too have tried to capture the essence of "rain forest" green in the coastal redwoods of N CA. I have never had a chance to shoot early morning or late evening due to other obligations or time restrictions. The resulting contrasty pictures are disappointing and not at all like i pictured. :(

I wonder if the classical "rain forest", Olympic Ntl. Park, etc. pictures are always taken at either end of a day. It would seem so considering the exposure latitude problems presented with a daylight shot.

Relating to picture detail... would the softer light of morning soften the shadows just enough to allow for better extraction of the detail? I dont know, just speculating.

Don't know enough about the finer points of USM to comment intelligently.

Message edited by author 2006-05-23 18:50:45.

deapee

Kodak V803

05/23/2006 06:50:00 PM · #12

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Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

05/23/2006 07:15:41 PM · #13

Originally posted by deapee:

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I pulled the contrast way down in RAW conversion to keep it within dynamic range. I bumped it back up in CS2, but perhaps not enough. The background blacked out quite a bit with increased contrast.

ursula

Fujifilm X-T2

05/23/2006 10:52:53 PM · #14

Originally posted by stdavidson:

Don't know if this helps, but here is the best I've been able to do taking pictures of moss down here in Southern Arizona:

You really need to write a tutorial for this :)

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

05/23/2006 11:13:27 PM · #15

Doc, I really like this, and I think the perception of business comes in part from being just too too bright. The greens especially just dominate the shadows. For me, it screams for more mood:

I did just about 2 minutes work... toned down curves, including bringing in the black point globally just a bit, and a bit more on the green channel. Some midtone exposure reduction and contrast adjustment. A little gentle reduction of saturation. Increased exposure and contrast of foreground rocks slightly. Just a touch of very small radius USM (150%, 0.2 radius).