Project 52 by Cheryl (CeeCee)

[CeeCee]

I'm a late entry but I call it another phase in learning. I hope to grasp the needed knowledge to create at least one photo I can "wow" over and say "I know how I did it and can duplicate the process". I feel Project 52 might be able to help me in that quest.

So in my first entry I was only looking at the story, the elements. I wanted to make sure that everything was in the picture; if the canoes where there, the river, the life jackets, the feeling of the environment was there. It was late in the day and the sky seemed to have been blown out. (D7000, 18-105 lens) I was probably stupid on this shot and had a CP filter on.

[FrankMi]

Hi Cheryl! Project 52 seems to be helping a lot of folks reach beyond their comfort zone and learn new things. Great to see you joining the fray!

Great composition! Nice colors and patterned lines. If you do post processing, you could try selectively reducing the contrast just a bit to lighten the trees and see if you can bring out some of the color in the sky.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

Welcome to Project 52 Cheryl - great to have another keen photographer on board In my experience my wow photos were ones I didn't realised I'd even taken - just something I saw in the moment and captured - but that doesn't stop you from learning how you took them

Looks like you've tried to capture a pretty challenging scene with the contrasting light. Do you do any post processing at all?

[CeeCee]

I have used Adobe photoshop before I crashed my PC, now I am on an apple with Adobe Element 10, I also have Lightroom 2. Of course there is the software that comes with Nikon. But I use the Element the most. I'm in a learning curve but I learn easily. Do you have any ideas?

[CeeCee]

Week of April 9th

I was working so hard all week I only had time to poke my head out of the house and snap this before the sun went down. But I did think about it before I did it. I was waiting all week to get some clouds which had been absent all week. My idea was to capture the sky and just the edge of the ground and I was lucky to get a little opening with the sun inside it. I hope it wasn't too dark.

[FrankMi]

Hi Cheryl. The interest is held not only by the sunset but also by the intricate combination and pattern of the clouds. As the foreground isn't the subject and the silhouette is very appropriate to the composition, I don't have any problem with it not being lighter. In fact, if it were lighter it would likely diminish the impact.

[Andrew76]

Hi Cheryl, I agree with Frank. I think you've exposed it perfectly. Great detail, and I really like the colors.

[Geoff F]

I think, Cheryl, I would experiment with a tiny increase to the highlights, but leave the shadows as they are. I'm not really sure if it would work, but I would like to have a try then decide.

[CeeCee]

Week 3
I'm playing with Light Rendering in Adobe Element 10, Omni. Don't ask, I'm justing doing what I think sort of looks good. I went to lightroom2 first and graduated the sky a little darker. Brought the pic over to element and lightened the pic, enhanced the color, sharpened, cropped and well, maybe the edges are a little dark (due to the Omni lighting I selected in Element 10). I'll keep trying.

[Geoff F]

As an alternative edit to this scene, Cheryl, I might have been tempted to put a gradient mask over the sky, and part of the land. Thereby darkening from top to bottom.

[CeeCee]

A gradient Mask, is that from Element 10? I'll go look and see about trying that. The more I looked at this the less I liked it, it is too dark in the corners.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I have used Adobe photoshop before I crashed my PC, now I am on an apple with Adobe Element 10, I also have Lightroom 2. Of course there is the software that comes with Nikon. But I use the Element the most. I'm in a learning curve but I learn easily. Do you have any ideas?

Sorry Cheryl - we moved house and I've just got back online. I use Lightroom 3 but I have a feeling that Elements isn't too different. There's a Gradient Adjustment tool that allows you to adjust the brightness and exposure across sections of photos that might help in high contrast situations. I use it a lot instead of doing HDR photos.

With your second photo, the top edge of the photo is just a touch dark for me, but that's just a personal preference. The bottom half of the photo looks great and if you were to have allowed more light into the bottom part of the photo I would imagine you'd lose the orange highlights in the clouds. Again, if you feel so inclined, you can you a gradient tool to just ever so slightly light the top part of the photo.

And then I get to the third photo and see that Geoff has also mentioned the gradient tool Playing around with a photo's light characteristics to suit your tastes style is an absolute must as part of this project! For me the vignetting effect is a bit over pronounced - I'd be inclined to pull back a bit but again, that's my personal tastes. Composition wise however, I think you've captured a very interesting scene.

[CeeCee]

Thank Goldcoastgolfer, you are right on all accounts. After I post and then comeback after 24 hrs I see it. It's the "boy what was I thinking". I just returned from North Carolina. Let me try this one. It has not been touched. It might be a bit dark but it portrays the evening sky as it appeared, on top of Wayah Bald.

[Geoff F]

I'm just wondering, Cheryl, about a slight crop from the bottom and right. That would remove some of the darker areas without altering the good exposure on the sun.

Great potential in this shot.

[CeeCee]

I'll try it. My thoughts were that I was afraid it would take away from the heights of the mountains and the vast range. PS when I do the crop am I to post it after the comment?

[CeeCee]

[Donald]

Yep, I think that's been a good idea Cheryl. I don't think you lose anything at all in terms of the scope and height of the mountains, but you do lose some of that very dark area that was pulling it all down a bit.

[FrankMi]

The changes look good to me, Cheryl. I'm noticing things like the layers of hills now that they are more prominent. Nice capture!