Eastern State Penitentiary ~ Philadelphia, PA
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION
I titled this blog post “Extracting An Image From A Photo” because I wanted to show the way I originally saw the scene and the image that I decided to “extract” from that initial capture. The first thing I do when photographing a mini-scene as above is to capture it in as many different ways as I possibly can. The reason for this is that sometimes what we initially feel will make a great image just doesn’t work or we’ve changed our minds. By capturing multiple views I have more flexibility when processing my images. This group of mops and the staircase were photographed together, separately, up close and at a wider angle, zoom blurred, etc… all in an effort to capture a few pleasing images.
To process or “craft” my image I desaturated it and revealed hints of color, I also applied Nik’s Glamour Glow Filter and Tonal Contrast to some areas. (Use BAA code to save 15%). I also added a slight vignette. I like to do this by duplicating my image then pulling down the curve and with an inverse layer mask I selectively add the curve adjustment to just the outside. I think it gives a more natural vignette that doesn’t scream vignette. I also softened the vignette with a slight blur. If you don’t know how to do an inverse layer mask shoot me an email and I will send you the easy to follow directions. Can you tell what else I did?
Eastern State Penitentiary ~ Philadelphia, PA
TOPAZ LABS ADJUST 5 RELEASE NEWS!!!
There will be a 30% discount towards the purchase of Adjust, the bundle or any bundle upgrade. The coupon code is: ” ADJUSTME ”
______________________________________________________________ denise ippolito
Don’t forget to enter ~ THE BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition
Fantastic as always Denise.
Thanks so much Edith, thank you for the tweet too!
denise
Wonderful lesson that I recently learned on a workshop with Bill Fortney. Great images that are so well processed.
Thank you Len. I’ll have to check it out.
denise
Nice write up, I think both images look great.
Thank you kindly
denise
Great post and both great images.
Thank you for the kind words.
denise
Denise, nice extraction, both images look great! I’m going to guess that you may have applied a little B&W Effects too? Love the processing!
Thanks Andrew, I didn’t apply any of Topaz” B&W Effects but that is a good guess.
denise
These are really nice, Denise. I certainly agree with the multiple exposures at different points of view, etc. I’ve had the experience of pulling up an image and wishing I had captured it a little differently.
Nice, creative work as always! I couldn’t begin to figure out what else you pulled out of that bag of tricks.
Thanks Jimi, I always tell my clients when you think you’ve gotten the image on the back of your camera – you haven’t, keep shooting.
denise
I’m sure you aren’t asking a trick question, so I won’t say that the other thing you did was to crop it. Desaturating should’ve left the image grayish instead of brownish, so I figure you either toned it in Silver Efex before bringing back the color in the mop or applied the brown tone in Photoshop.
Hi Dennis, I didn’t use Silver Efex. I added a slight zoom blur to just the window on the door. I was hoping it was subtle enough that folks couldn’t pick up on it. I thought it added just a little bit to the image
denise
Your narrative sums up what I think is one of the real bonus points of digital – the no-cost ability to snap away with different viewpoints of a chosen subject and then go through the decision making process in the comfort of a warm room. I know some people feel this is a lazy approach but I think you can learn a lot from analyzing a series of images back home – it helps train the eye. I like the way you’ve pared down to the basics for your chosen image. Good processing too.
I agree, I also like to see things on the big screen especially when I want to add a creative element to them
denise
I think the work you did with this is fantastic. I love the desaturization/color shift. Well done.
Thanks so much Adam
denise
Great atmosphere and composition Denise. I really like the effect that you created with the softened vignette. You’ve given me some more ideas to work on. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and for the inspiration!
Thank you Debra, I appreciate the kind words as always
denise
I’ve never used that method of creating a vignette, I’ll have to try it.
It was just something I happened upon out of need, I like the subtle effect and when you use your brush to apply it it never seems as exact which to me is important when using a vignette, the slight blur softens it even more
denise
Nice mops! I like both images.
I appreciate the kind words, thanks
denise