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Thread: The Road

  1. #1
    manthos's Avatar
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    The Road

    Post processing was a pain in this one. I am not sure I did the right thing. The highlights on top seemed completely blown but there were some basic details. It did not seem right to have the far background with no detail at all, so I reduced the the highlights in PSE. The result was some information that had some very hard edges with 90 degrees angles (something like large pixels). I blurred them and I obtained the mountain shapes. This edit is probably not the last.

    Any feedback on PP as well as composition is welcomed.

    The Road

  2. #2

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    Re: The Road

    Learning is always good and while I really like the study, there were a number of issues I had in my first impression of this photograph and all were centered around distractive elements.

    The first, and generally the one I will catch with great immedicacy is the horizon line, which is off line significantly as you can see by the area I left yellow in the edit. It appeared you used the telephone pole to center.

    The telephone pole and the two figures at the bottom of the hill were also non-productive elements. In other words, as I have suggested on other occasions, if there is something in the frame which is NOT helping to push the primary focus area forward, then it has to go. So, I disappeared both and another pole upper left side.

    I am sure you will notice I cropped the bottom to eliminate the hole (which, while being a repeating element on the pathway, is too prominent thus taking away from the directed focus of the solitary figure.

    Whether in camera or during PP, it seemed the image was overly saturated in the shadows and underemphasized in the light areas. I used a layer mask to dodge and burn these areas a bit, especially in darkening the figure's shadow which I feel leads the eye directly to the figure.

    Using another mask, I added a bit of color to the sky and water which are way over-blown. Even with the mask function, both are still overcooked.

    The last issue of greatest significance is the over-sharpening which is quite evident in the separation between the foiliage and the background hills/sky/water. The evidence is in the heightened haloes in these areas as well as on the figure's leading sunlit edges. The last evidence is the hills in the very back, (right side of the frame) which haloed to the point of value separation.

    In your use of the basic tenets of composition, you used the curvature of the roadway and the parallel pathway to the left to guide both the figure's actions and the eye's direction in a very powerful way. As I stated above, I do like this study very much and hope at some time in the future, you are able to reshoot a similar image.

    I might tend to close a half-stop and allow more detail to emerge in the sky and water, or use a polarizer or GND to control the strength of the sky and water while allowing for detail in the rest of the scene.

    The Road

    Edit is to assist is making better photographs in the future, but never to offend.
    Last edited by MiniChris; 5th August 2011 at 12:14 PM. Reason: forgot a line

  3. #3
    speedneeder's Avatar
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    Re: The Road

    I like the tighter crop and keeping the horizon ... Horizontal. An even tighter crop of the guy's shadow might be cool too. If there was more contrast I think the shadow would be more important, though I think just part of it would be just as well. A little less sky might be worth a try too.
    I can go with or without the telephone pole.
    This shot makes me want to get my camera out

  4. #4
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    Re: The Road

    Hi Chris,

    Your comment is invaluable. Thanks for taking the time write such an extensive critique! I will note down all that you have said and give it another try. And the horizon...! How did I miss that?

    Quote Originally Posted by MiniChris View Post
    Edit is to assist is making better photographs in the future, but never to offend.
    I find it very helpful when other members take the time to edit an image and share their view. It is just a lot easier to describe what you are saying that way. It is also a reason I like CiC!

  5. #5
    manthos's Avatar
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    Re: The Road

    Quote Originally Posted by speedneeder View Post
    This shot makes me want to get my camera out
    Really? Even like this? I mean, badly processed? I'm happy to hear that!

  6. #6
    speedneeder's Avatar
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    Re: The Road

    Quote Originally Posted by manthos View Post
    Really? Even like this? I mean, badly processed? I'm happy to hear that!
    Yes really. Thank you for posting it.

  7. #7
    manthos's Avatar
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    Re: The Road

    Another try...

    Chris's and Brian's suggestions helped me very much to point out previously unnoticed issues.

    I think it has improved significantly.

    The Road

  8. #8
    speedneeder's Avatar
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    Re: The Road

    This is a nice improvement. Good job.

  9. #9
    manthos's Avatar
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    Re: The Road

    Quote Originally Posted by speedneeder View Post
    This is a nice improvement. Good job.
    Thanks Brian!

  10. #10

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    Re: The Road

    Second that!

  11. #11
    jiro's Avatar
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    Willie or Jiro is fine by me.

    Re: The Road

    Very good job on the collaboration, guys. The improvement was really nice.

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