Out of the Gray

Learning a new post-processing technique and your comments are

very helpful. Thanks for looking. (Can be enlarged )

An interesting subject.

 

I think whatever you're doing though is creating a halo around your foreground subjects--I imagine the intent was to make the sky darker and more dramatic while making the subject livelier but to me it doesn't look very natural that there's a glow around the boundary between subject and sky.  Also, the green looks a little too bright considering the lighting, unless you can convince that the island is getting sun while the clouds are only in the background.

 

 

This looks like an HDR image, possibly done in photomatrix.  If so, try finding a way to adjust for the halo.  It is too noticeable.  K.

There's no need to enlarge it, I'm afraid.  The processing is evident even in the thumbnail.  The halo around the top of the trees is much too evident.  The rock face is much too bright given the cloud conditions, and the green is much too saturated as pointed out by Andrew.  The brightness in the water around the rock has no apparent source, given the sky conditions, and is too bright.  Keep trying, and let the natural world be your guide.

I really like the details of the stones/rock face you captured and brought out through your post processing (it comes out really nicely particularly in the larger image).  The halo around the island is not pleasant what software are you using for this HDR or HDR-like effect?  YOu need to play with the adjustments to reduce this halo.  Regards - michel

Thank you for taking time to help me with this. The halo is way to evident and I was tunnel visioned on the rocks and didn't see that until your comments. There will be a much improved version II. Take care, Deanna

Hi Deanna,

I can accept this image as a form of art.

You certainly developed were good clarity on the island itself through the use of the 90mm set to F/4.

Best Regards,  Mike

 

I agree with Mike, I like it as a work of art.

The halo around the island says to me that the island is a refuge in an otherwise gray and bleak landscape. The more I look it the more I actually like this effect.

I like it. When the colors change in those trees this effect will even be more dramatic.

More art than a photo.  Best Regards,

Personally, I'm not inclined to explain away shortcomings in processing by calling it art, as if so doing will make it "good" simply because any form of self-expression (i.e., art) is good.  Much depends on the original intentions of the photographer.  If transformation of a photograph into an alternative work of art was intended, I'd expect to find Deanna's photograph in the category of "digital alterations" rather than "landscapes."  Admittedly, there is not a bright line between the two, but I'm struck by the extent to which support for a striking photograph can turn to feelings of disappointment in the same viewers when they discover the photograph is a composite or somehow owes its existence to significant digital alterations rather than the presence of someone with a camera at a special moment in time.  IMO, of course.

I have just had Photoshop CS5 a few days and was experimenting with this photo. Clicking on a tab for HDR toning allowed me to see this intense version and although I am very aware of the halo control now I didn't have a clue at the time. This picture was taken while on a moving boat (hand held) on a cold rainy day in Alaska. There was no sunshine at the time but the sky lightened just enough to bring out detail and color on this rock. To me it was very beautiful. However, it did not look like this. I will upload the original and hope you will see that this started with a good picture that just needs a little tweeking. You have all been very helpful as I learn and I appreciate your time and interest. Take care, Deanna

There is halo around the island which is a small nit for me. I prefer the other one where I left a comment.

Tony's comment got me to look at the previous versions.  I can see why this little rocky island caught your eye.  I think your first iteration was quite good -- it simply "highlighted some of the highlights." I think the biggest problem (or call it a challenge) is how to select the sky in order to make it darker, thereby providing even more contrast to the island.  You might try the color selection tool, because that would get all of the nooks and crannies of the spaces between the tree limbs.  It would also pick up some or all of the water, but you can easily deselect that portion with the lasso tool.  At that point, I'd use the curves tool to both darken and add contrast to the sky.  I think this is where caution must be used, because there is a fine line between too much and too little.  You want to be like Goldilocks and find the adjustment that is "just right."  Too often, I think, we have a tendency to think that if a little bit is good, then even more will be that much better.  The key, IMO, is to make an adjustment that is hard for the viewer to discern -- it has to be relatively natural and not stand out like a sore thumb.  In this photo, I really don't know if the sky might be too dark or not (of course, that's entirely subjective) because the halo is preventing me from really seeing the sky.  I have a feeling, however, that the contrast between the rocks and the sky may be a bit much, and you might have a more attractive image if you back off just a bit from the darkening of the sky.

Getting a good selection on the part of the image to which you want to apply an adjustment is, in my limited experience, one of the hardest parts of processing.  There are several ways to do it, and some ways may work better on a particular image than others.  With lots of jagged detail present in the dark trees, selecting on various colors, as I said, might work best.

Hi Deanna. I think you have a very compositionally strong image here. What I most like is the light, detail and textures of the rocks and I think the halo effect can easily be rectified. Your version II would be a good compromise with a little more contrast to make the sky more  dramatic but a little less than what you have with this version so that it also looks natural.

I think you are already doing some great work with the CS5 software. All the best. Sarah.

Deanna - Maybe manually creating layers and gently "revealing" the brighter version in your chosen areas will give you the image that was in your mind's eye.  I often find blending just 2 exposures gives very realistic results regarding dynamic range while avoiding the HDR look - not sure if you prefer the "HDR look" or are going for a more realistic approach.

Deanna

I have worked a bit on your initial image which you posted separately to try to bring out the details and colors in the stone face and rendering the menacing sky as you desire.  The result is not perfect but maybe a good compromise.  I used Topaz adjust plug ins to make those adjustments and i did not have to select any part of the image.  See what you think.  Regards - michel

I am overwhelmed by the response to this image. What a great learning experience. One thing for sure is that we all have personal ideas of what the outcome should be and there is no right or wrong (except halos). Your suggestions and examples will all be tried as I continue to use CS5. A special thank you to those who worked with my original image, your time and talent is appreciated. Happy shooting, Deanna