how do i lighten my darks....

[mparker]

i love taking 30sec exposures but i am not sure how to properly use the flash even if you can at all... i guess in hindsight i should have bracketed this shot and combined them in photomatix or photoshop...
anyhow, if there are any photoshop pros out there that could help me bring some of the detail out of the foreground of this photo that would be great... thanks

 

[THORHAMMER]

dont worry about merging exposures too much, it usually looks fake, (at least to me it does). The human eye likes the zen approach, find your pictures beauty and roll with it.

But nobodys saying you cant dodge and burn to bring out those little details that make all the difference in the world.

Also with 30 sec exposure youd be better off attaching a cable to your flash and popping it a few times each on different objects within a 20 foot range, for darker times then the picture above you need less pops

 

[mparker]

ahhh ok that makes sense....

what kind of flash do you recommend that you can self trigger....

 

[93rdcurrent]

I hotshoe flash made for your camera can self-trigger. I have the Nikon SB-26 but then I shoot with Nikon. The beauty of mine is that it will also slave to any other flash as long as the flash is within sight. Great for Strobist work as well.

 

[mparker]

i am sad to say, the boss (wife) was very unhappy when i did my digi cam research and decided on the d300.... so she limited me...lol

i picked up a very very gently used fuji s5600 i do love it...

anyhow.. it does have the sync port on it, (although i am not sure how to properly use it) i would love to find out if a flash like the nikon you mentioned would work... id like to be able to do remote flash shots... and eventually i will get a d300 lol (shhh just dont tell my wife)

you can see the little rubber dust cap for the connection i am talking about to the bottom left of the lens...

 

[93rdcurrent]

I've never used this brand before but here's a link to an ebay flash for under $100. I'm sure there are a few people on here that know better than I do about Fuji flashes.

 

[Chad Truss]

I have heard goo things about Fuji cameras and if I recall correctly they can use Nikon lenses.

As for your photo, it is the perfect candidate for the dodge and burn tools to lighten and darken. I would also play with curves some as well.

 

[mitsugirly]

I seen this picture and thought...man that looks familar, then noticed you were from Ohio. (Me too)

 

[bhop]

If you're using Photoshop version CS2 or CS3, you can use the 'shadow/highlight' adjustment bring up your darks easily. I usually only touch the top slider and even then, only by 5 or 10%. It's located under the image menu, in the adjustments section.

Or if you're shooting raw, you can adjust the shadows when you're importing it into photoshop.

 

[mparker]

I seen this picture and thought...man that looks familar, then noticed you were from Ohio. (Me too)

oh wow, its a small world... i am in galloway too... the photo is from queens NY


anyhow i currently use gimp but other than crop, sharpen and vignette i am not really any good at post production work...

thanks everyone for you advice..

 

[bhop]

Here's a quickie with the shadows/highlights. It's not a huge difference, but I didn't move the slider too much..

 

[myopia]

I like the original.
This also looks more like a 1/30 exposure, not 30 sec.