A story about editing

[joemc]

It seems today that many photogs think that the success is in post processing... I am telling you folks....get it right in the camera first.

This is a horror story that ended up being fine with much effort.

My wife and I attended a wedding in Block Island R.I a few month's ago...We flew from South Florida and took a ferry to the island from Montawk L.I. we were suppose to be guest...but I ended shooting the wedding for them because of major issues!! Not my cup of tea...but I did it to make my wife and her best friend happy.

After the fact...as we were putting the wedding album together, the bride wanted a picture of the lighthouse??? For sentimental reasons?? I did visit the lighthouse with my wife as tourist while we were there...but the lighting was so terrible I really did not "Shoot it".. Ok...now I have to make something from a snapshot??

I pulled the best that I had into LR....and made three copies of it with different exposure values of the same snapshot...I then dragged it into Photomatix and merged them....and then into CS4 to convert it to B/W!

The end result now graces the front cover of their album and she is thrilled.

I am going to include the original.... the first shot.... and then the finished product....the second shot....

Comments and suggestions welcome!...Please view them large to see what I pulled out with the HDR effect

Cheers, joe


Finished product!

 

[Sinister_kid]

I really like the finished product. Looks HDR, is it?

 

[joemc]

I really like the finished product. Looks HDR, is it?

Yes and no... I used a single frame, but I eddited it three different way and the tone-mapped it in HDR software.

Cheers, Joe

 

[Actor]

I hope I don't come across as come kind of sharpshooter in the following post. I'd really like to know.

What you would have done to "get it right in the camera first," assuming that the light was not "so terrible?" And what was "so terrible" about the light? It appears to be late morning or early afternoon on a cloudless day. What more do you want? One side of the structure is in shadow. Are you proposing some kind of fill?

 

[Dominantly]

There is 100% nothing wrong with editing in post. Nothing at all.

I thought you were going to tell a horror story about post, but all I see is you using post and creating something extra for the bride that she seemed to have loved.

 

[Buckster]

"This is a horror story..."

Pardon me, but... I fail to see even an inkling of "horror" in this story. :er:

 

[joemc]

I hope I don't come across as come kind of sharpshooter in the following post. I'd really like to know.

What you would have done to "get it right in the camera first," assuming that the light was not "so terrible?" And what was "so terrible" about the light? It appears to be late morning or early afternoon on a cloudless day. What more do you want? One side of the structure is in shadow. Are you proposing some kind of fill?

No ploblem at all..... And yes Horror story was little harsh of words.... But my wife had already told her "Oh my husband has great shots of the Lighthouse"... I knew all I had was a snapshot or two.

The lighting in the sky at around noon is hardest for me to deal with... I love clouds in the sky and if it is overcast it is even better.

Had I known in advance that this was something she wanted, I would have been there early early in the morning when the lighting is softer, or late evening as the sun is setting for the better light. I would have circled the building a few times to find a better composition and I would have taken multiple exposure at different values tripod mounted so I could merge them if needed.

Thanks for the comments,

Joe

 

[Actor]

Had I known in advance that this was something she wanted, I would have been there early early in the morning when the lighting is softer, or late evening as the sun is setting for the better light. I would have circled the building a few times to find a better composition and I would have taken multiple exposure at different values tripod mounted so I could merge them if needed.

And maybe you would not have come up with something as good. It's just possible that the limitations forced upon you also forced you to be more creative.

 

[joemc]

Had I known in advance that this was something she wanted, I would have been there early early in the morning when the lighting is softer, or late evening as the sun is setting for the better light. I would have circled the building a few times to find a better composition and I would have taken multiple exposure at different values tripod mounted so I could merge them if needed.

And maybe you would not have come up with something as good. It's just possible that the limitations forced upon you also forced you to be more creative.

You have a good point and thanks for pointing it out.... I do however think I could have done better given the notice.

Cheers and thanks for taking the time.
Joe