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09/04/2006 08:47:09 PM · #1 |
Thank you everyone for the high votes and for your exceptionally nice comments, I'm humbled :) I feel it's only fair to share techniques so here's how I did the shot.
The final result / from the camera
 
For the shot I stacked
- circular polarizer
- graduated ND filter
- a duotone sunset-type filter
Post processing was minor: open, levels, NI, SS, crop, rotate, save. I think I burned a small bright spot, too.
The piece of wood
That piece of wood was under a foot of the tripod so I tossed it, when I looked through the viewfinder I knew it had to stay in the frame -the fg was sorely lacking *and* it was an excellent leading line- so I adjusted it accordingly, snapped a couple of shots. Without the wood (which is just a little twig-stick) the photo does not work, imo. Very serendipitous, that wood. Ohhhh - the camera is about 2-3 inches (5-7 cm) above the ground.
I did scout a more photogenic spot further along the trail but decided I wasn't going to hump the junk one more foot away from the vehicle.
Once done snapping I proceeded to rue my hike up the hill. The hill, btw, is named Silver Mountain. This is the place where, if memory serves,  ShutterPug (Linda) had a little heart issue climbing. I twisted both ankles and lost 34 pounds sweating (which brought me down to just under 400 pounds). I was going to stay for the sunset but decided I didn't want to go down the steps (yes, there are a $h*tload of steps) in the dark. As it stands I'm still sore. I'm such a wuss.
Anyway, the shot turned out almost like the image I had in mind before I went up the mountain.
The title
Sartre. I could think of nothing more fitting, not for the image nor to suit the challenge topic, than Being and Nothingness. As usual I think titles are super important to complete the presentation.
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09/04/2006 08:50:18 PM · #2 |
So all the clarity and color came from sharpening and levels?? (Other than what was there from the filters with respect to color, of course.)
Pretty durn nifty! And thanks for sharing the info - very much appreciated. |
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09/04/2006 08:57:07 PM · #3 |
Great result you've accomplished. I've always wondered though why use a a mounted filter vs accomplishing the same effect in post. Since you have that filter have you tried doing a side by side comparision to see the difference? Would be curious of the results. Also, I much prefer using levels/curves like you did to achieve that dodge/burn look instead of using the actual dodge/burn tools. Much less destructive that way plus you maintain the sharpness the image has.
Message edited by author 2006-09-04 20:58:13.
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09/04/2006 09:22:05 PM · #4 |
I used a filter because I knew how I wanted the shot to look (to a degree) before I took it; I much prefer to get as much done in front of the lens before the shutter is tripped. Previsualization helps immensely.
I did take unfiltered shots at the same time, I'll compare and contrast. Honestly though, the non-filtered shots are very uninspiring and doubt I would have thought to have done *anything* with them, let alone apply photofilter.
I think it's more my workflow than anything else, I want to PP as little as possible.
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Ok - here's a couple. The first is unfiltered, the second is filtered in PP. I think I could get to what I ended up with, but I honestly don't think I would have gone down that road looking at the original; it's so blase I would have passed it by.
 
ETA
Don't mind the lack of PP on the example (or the flares), the photo is only for demonstration purposes.
Message edited by author 2006-09-04 21:23:29.
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09/04/2006 11:16:27 PM · #5 |
The reason why I asked had more to do with me not owning a filter like that and wondering if it is worth buying. I'm glad you posted the unfiltered version as it illustrates pretty well what one can do with almost any scene with or without photoshop. I know many times I get so tired of what's around Austin that I think nothing is worth shooting any more and I want to move to Iceland but then I see stuff like this that shows if you look hard enough you can find beauty anywhere. So thank you for that inspiration!
Message edited by author 2006-09-04 23:17:08.
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09/04/2006 11:39:09 PM · #6 |
Thanks, JP, for taking the time to share the info for your photo with us. I enjoy seeing the originals, hearing the stories behind the photos, and reading about the post processing steps. I wish more folks would put this kind of information at least in their photographers notes, if not opening up a thread like you have.
I have to agree with you about the filter and your 'vision'. I think the filter not only helped to make it a unique shot, but also helped to keep the colors the same, drawing less attention to any items which may have been considered the subject of the photo.
Oh, and it's nice to see that I'm not the only one who can't seem to take a level shot when holding the camera vertically. :P
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