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The image I chose for this episode turned out to be one of my favorites of 2009, once it was completely transformed in Photoshop from a muddy, dark, and underexposed mess into a truly vibrant and heartwarming shot. It's really amazing the things you can do to rescue a bad photograph sometimes, and I think this is probably the best example in my entire portfolio.
When I'm out shooting with a client, my goal is of course to capture the absolute best images possible, and in the best light. Sometimes, however, the light changes unexpectedly (e.g. the sun goes behind, or pops out from behind a cloud), and it can fool the camera into severely under or overexposing the image. Shortly after this image was taken, and largely in response to the frustration I experienced while trying to edit it, I began shooting exclusively with my camera in Manual mode. This technique certainly isn't for the faint-hearted, but it really helps prevent such situations from occurring.
Although this fairly remarkable transformation just goes to show how much leeway can be enjoyed by a bad photographer who happens to be handy with Photoshop [pointing the finger squarely at myself], it should be noted that this particular example is truly the exception rather than the rule.
Anyhoo, to see the before & after, simply move your mouse pointer over the picture and then back off again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Enjoy!
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7 comments:
The roll-over is a fantastic idea. Photoshop truly is magical :)
"Although this fairly remarkable transformation just goes to show how much leeway can be enjoyed by a bad photographer who happens to be handy with Photoshop [pointing the finger squarely at myself]"
With all due respect, if you are really handy in PS, note that there's blue chromatic-abberation still on top of the boy's head and by increasing the brightness you also blew out your sky and left the kid's head bleeding into it. Mom's hair looks fried and noisy from the increased exposure in post, not to mention the reds are oversaturated in some areas like her jaw line. Ignoring the fact that this all could've been prevented with some fill flash (not the point of your article), it also could've easily been handled better in PS and I don't even consider myself "handy" in it.
"to the average pair of eyes such things are not quite as obvious." Glad your well-trained eye picked up on those things.
Having said that, I think you have some nice images and you've followed Z.Arias's tutorials on white seamless very carefully. We are all continuing to learn and, hopefully, progress. Don't let my comments bring you down. I'm just jealous that you got an Emerging Photographer nomination at Photofocus. Congratulations!
Keep up the good work but may I suggest picking a better example for your PS horn-tooting next time.
Anonymous-
I really appreciate your feedback, both because of its technical content and the fact that it's so rare for me to hear truly constructive criticism. With all due respect to my loyal fans and clients, who I cherish and appreciate beyond measure, a constant stream of positive feedback does little to help me improve as a photographer. So your comments didn't bring me down at all-- I'm truly glad that you decided to take the time to share your perspective.
I really don't know how I managed to miss the (now painfully obvious) chromatic aberration. I suppose maybe I was so happy with the transformation this photo underwent that I was transfixed by the forest and missed a few trees.
I think the rest of the items you mentioned could be considered a matter of artistic interpretation, depending on your school of thought, but I can certainly see where you're coming from. Also, up until this point, the primary readership of my blog has been predominantly non-technical, so I think it's safe to say that I've allowed myself to get a bit lazy with my post work.
That having been said, if I ever wish to be taken seriously as a pro, I've gotta raise the bar and maintain a constant level of quality regardless of the audience. So I'll take this as a wake-up call that I need to step it up a notch.
Again, thanks for your feedback and for the congrats.
-Russ
Amazing. Not only did you accept the feedback of a quasi-belligerent coward (me), but you humbly applied it. While I'm no voice of authority I believe your attitude reflects your tremendous potential in this field, if not life itself, and your response has caused me to take a good long look at myself. Your mistakes are minor, technical... easily solved now and avoided with experience. My issues, however, are deep-seated traits and I'd be failing myself to not follow your example of character. So thank you, Russ.
Anonymous
Nothing can stop the man with the right attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong attitude. (Thomas Jefferson)
Anonymous-
Thanks once again for your candor. The bottom line is that I completely and wholeheartedly acknowledge my many deficiencies with this art form, and I do not claim to be an expert by any stretch. In fact, I would love nothing more than to network with folks like yourself for my own personal improvement and for the betterment of the industry in general. It may sound bizarre, but I actually need more folks like you around, because you help me to deconstruct my methods and think critically about what I'm doing. I just don't get that kind of feedback from the folks I know, so I view it as an opportunity to learn from someone who knows more than I do.
I keep telling my friends to be brutally honest with me about my work, and that it's the only way I'll really improve, but nobody seems able to provide much more than general, anecdotal comments. So again, the fact that you pointed out specific areas in this photo (chromatic aberration, color casts, noise due to artificially bumping exposure, etc etc), this kind of input provides me with *actionable* items that I can work on to improve my craft.
Anyway, I just want you to know that I wasn't trying to blow smoke with my reply, and that I am truly appreciative of your input, regardless of the spirit in which it may have been offered. I really would be interested in connecting with you moving forward, so if you'd oblige me with a quick email or "friend" me on Facebook, that would be awesome.
Thanks again,
Russ
Russ, I love your photos! And Congrats on the emerging photographer of the year!
One thing that stands out in all of your portrait work to me is the smooth skin and tonal qualities of skin color. It's hard to get "glamour skin" but it looks like you've mastered it perfectly! Can I ask you what your post work flow looks like to get skin to look so great? Are there any tutorials you've followed that have been super informative! A step by step tutorial would be super appreciative from one emerging photographer to another! Thanks for all your work! I look forward to seeing what your post workflow looks like!
Anonymous-
Thanks a bunch for your comments!
If you haven't voted in my latest poll, please do so. I would be more than happy to begin a series on my post techniques, assuming that's what everyone wants to see. So vote away, and tell all your friends to vote too! ;-)
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