This is a more technical Blog that I’ve wanted to do for some time, and even if you’re not interested in reading the descriptions, you can view the “before and after” images that demonstrate how processing images in Adobe Lightroom can transform otherwise apparently dull images. While I endeavour to capture the optimum image in the field, most images require some processing for a whole host of reasons. I find that this process is as creative as taking the original shot in the field and, for me, adds greatly to the satisfaction of producing finished images.
I take all images in RAW format i.e. the digital data of the image is unprocessed and is what the camera records when the shutter is pressed. This image is then imported into a processing programme and any features can be manipulated in myriad ways to achieve the desired result. This doesn’t damage the original shot as the processed image is saved separately. I’ve used Adobe Lightroom for over 10 years now and as with any skill, continual practice helps to improve results. I hope you enjoy the three examples below:
This “Hardy birch” was perched high on a rugged cliff face and I noticed it as I was driving: a swift detour into a handy car park enabled this composition. The sun was just lighting the foliage which was about to disappear so I had to work quickly. Using my 300m telephoto on a tripod, the “Before” shot came out darker than I’d anticipated. The main steps to process this included: * cropping the image to 4:5 for the tree to fill the image more * increasing the overall exposure to bring out the background rocks * increasing the clarity for crisper foliage and more highlighting * using a radial filter to further highlight the foliage and bring it more to life and * carefully “painting” the trunks lighter so they stand out more against the dark rocks.
“St. Benedict’s church” was taken before dawn after a slight fall of snow. The darkness required the lowest f-stop of 3.5 and a high ISO of 6400 (I normally try to shoot at ISO 100). Despite this, and as I was on my way to another location, rather than using a tripod I hand-held my camera. Even though I tried to be careful, the tower is clearly crooked! The processing here included different elements: * cropping and straightening to ensure the tower was absolutely central and the foreground was reduced * as the “Before” image is very blue, the temperature was changed to make it look warmer and less harsh * a gradient filter was applied to the top right sky to soften and lighten it * radial filters were applied to the foreground leaves and the tower to bring out the details more and provide a warm glow * the overall luminance was enhanced to eliminate the graininess in the sky as much as possible.
“Sunrise kisses St. John’s” is a more subtle processing project. The “Before” image looks rather flat, which is the norm for RAW files that are unprocessed, and often produces some initial disappointment when the image is first downloaded and viewed on the big screen. This can then be more challenging to process as the danger is in overdoing certain stages and producing a final image that doesn’t look realistic: * the image was cropped to focus more on the church and eliminate distractions like the tree on the horizon in the top left corner * the sky was darkened with a gradient filter to give a little more drama and contrast with the snow * the general highlight and white adjustments were used to make the snow look crisper * the temperature was increased again to bring our the warmer tones of the rising sun * the clarity tool was used to sharpen the finished effect and provide a little more highlight overall * two radial filters were used, one on the tower and the other along the body of the church to emphasise the orange glow of the sun on the main subject of the church.
CONCLUSION: Each image can take 10 - 30 minutes to process, and is a very subjective process: anyone else processing these same images are likely to have taken a different decision at each stage to provide more or less impact of each tool used. Some might even prefer a black and white rendition. This then becomes the essence of one’s personal style and how one “sees” the world. I hope you’ve found this an interesting insight into the creation of such images. Please do let have your comments in the box below …