Editing and cropping C&C

[mountainjunkie]

Brought the camera on my work trip to Wyoming...curious what those more experience than I would have done with this one;

Here’s one of the original exposures:

And here’s what I developed in LR:

My biggest disappointment is the street light in the background. It was obviously blown out, struggled with different strategies to work around it and finally gave up with this one. The resulting dark area behind it bugs me but I couldn’t seem to blend it effectively with the erasing brush.

Thoughts or suggestions on that area and/or the rest of the image?

 

[D7K]

I've had the same issue a few times and sometimes you just have to embrace it, It is hard to try and adjust without the RAW file itself. I like the image in general but for me it feels a little washed out, did you desaturate it a lot?

A way to handle these situation better (assuming you were on a tripod) is to shoot the scene as you did here, then take another shot exposing for the highlights, which will of course give yo ua much darker image, but you can then "paint" the highlights back in using PS.

 

[smoke665]

There's really only two practical ways of handling a high dynamic range image like this. Shoot it at dusk or early morning depending on the look you want, when the ambient light is closer to the street light or use a composite image taken with the camera on a tripod. My Pentax cameras allow you to do composites in camera which combine the elements of multiple exposures or as mentioned above combine the multiple exposures in post.

As to your original image, you can't recover blown highlights but you can minimize their effect. The desaturated edit looks strange. Since you're in LR try pulling a graduated filter up from the bottom, then use +/- brush to mask out the lights and reflection. From there you can raise the shadows and exposure on the foreground.

 

[Braineack]

my biggest problem is that it's just not that compelling of a shot.

 

[Christie Photo]

My biggest disappointment is the street light in the background.

Well, then take it out. Right?

-Pete

 

[Christie Photo]

my biggest problem is that it's just not that compelling of a shot.

Yeah... gotta agree. There's some interesting texture in the grass, but the leading lines lead... to nothing.

-Pete

 

[smoke665]

I had a second to look at the image in Lr. As per the comments above you have nice leading line to nowhere that unfortunately can't be changed (unless you want to do a composite in Ps). The original image itself can be adjusted to make the exposure better. You don't say edits are okay and you don't say they aren't so I took the chance on an edit to discuss some things that might help you. If that isn't okay, let me know and I'll delete this, no offense intended.

As with all edits, most are a matter of taste. In your original, when I used the eye dropper to in Lr on the white of the houses in the background, it changed the WB significantly. That was further adjusted in the tone curve channels to deepen the blues in the shadows and target adjust the colors in the trees. I used a gradient filter pulled from the top to drop the exposure to balance out with the foreground and a circle filter inverted on the hotspots. Other then that the sliders where adjusted, but no adjustment brushes used.

 

[mountainjunkie]

I like the image in general but for me it feels a little washed out, did you desaturate it a lot?

.

Yes I desaturated it quite a bit, I kind of liked the look that way for the scene. Apparently I’m the only one. Haha.

 

[mountainjunkie]

my biggest problem is that it's just not that compelling of a shot.

Yeah... gotta agree. There's some interesting texture in the grass, but the leading lines lead... to nothing.

-Pete

Certainly wouldn’t be an entry into a competition. Didn’t have much to work with, more something to practice night exposures with and it was close to the hotel.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[mountainjunkie]

I had a second to look at the image in Lr. As per the comments above you have nice leading line to nowhere that unfortunately can't be changed (unless you want to do a composite in Ps). The original image itself can be adjusted to make the exposure better. You don't say edits are okay and you don't say they aren't so I took the chance on an edit to discuss some things that might help you. If that isn't okay, let me know and I'll delete this, no offense intended.

As with all edits, most are a matter of taste. In your original, when I used the eye dropper to in Lr on the white of the houses in the background, it changed the WB significantly. That was further adjusted in the tone curve channels to deepen the blues in the shadows and target adjust the colors in the trees. I used a gradient filter pulled from the top to drop the exposure to balance out with the foreground and a circle filter inverted on the hotspots. Other then that the sliders where adjusted, but no adjustment brushes used.
View attachment 166997

Edits are fine, thanks for the feedback. Using the dropper for WB adjustments is something I need to use more.

 

[smoke665]

Edits are fine, thanks for the feedback. Using the dropper for WB adjustments is something I need to use more.

It's a tool, how you use it is entirely up to you, nothing says WB has to be exactly as shot. However it's important to understand where you are starting from as you make changes to suit your creative expression. Just like the desaturated look in your edit, there's nothing wrong with that approach but as presented it doesn't quite work IMO. I think it could with some further adjustment. Working from a Raw file with a good exposure gives you unlimited possibilities with the final image.

 

[Derrel]

I like the river and I LOVE the grass! THIS is the part of the photo I find most compelling:

I might try taking this part of the full-color frame, and working on that.

 

[mountainjunkie]

I like the river and I LOVE the grass! THIS is the part of the photo I find most compelling:

View attachment 167006

I might try taking this part of the full-color frame, and working on that.

Thanks Derrel.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I would've made adjustments before releasing the shutter button. Next time, take a few minutes to think about what you're seeing in the viewfinder. Take a step or two, walk around some, and see how that changes the perspective as you change your vantage point. My inclination is wanting to try to get lower to keep those street lights out of view (below the ridge), or move around and think about where to have them in the frame.

Getting a proper exposure is key. It can be more challenging in low light or evening light, and dealing with street lights, etc.

I think the first edit got too far away from what you were photographing and makes it look like it's midday the next day after a snow; the evening light got lost.

I'd think about cropping the photo; the right side is the least interesting part. I might try making copies of the original, and then do a crop of the right side just to the right of that bluish-white street light. Maybe try more than one crop. Then try doing some adjustments starting out with slight adjustments and go from there, do a little at a time. It helps to leave it and come back later since the more you keep looking without a break the more the editing can go overboard.

 

[OGsPhotography]

I think the crop was good and I like what you’ve done here.

Like some of the commenters above mentioned, it needs another subject. Put a Moose or something else profound where the lamp is and take a similar photo.
Pracrice makes perfect!

One of my largest pet peeves is purist get it right in camera “ I dont crop” gibberish that FroMosPhoto on youtube always went on about.

I crop almost every photo, or at least press the button compulsively in Lr during my workflow even if I go back to original.

Derrels hit it on the (shutter)button, find what you feel is compelling and crop into that.
OG