3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

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Photo Editing An Overcast Day in Lightroom

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For this edition of #FixitFriday photo editing I’m going to work on some of my favorite photos from last summer and in the process relive my Block Island dream trip.

My camera that year was a glorified point and shoot Fuji 1500S and I had not learned how to read histograms in camera.  I only had the option of JPS and can only dream of the possibilities if I had the RAW option. Most of the time the skies were overcast and cloudy, good when avoiding a sun burn, but I found it to be a photography challenge. The camera meter was reading the glare coming from the water and surrounding ocean. The result were photos that leaned toward the dark side, the cloudy skies were flat and drab. Although I reworked them a bit in Photoshop CS2 I still didn’t get good results.

Now that I use Adobe Lightroom  as my primary photo editing software program I have a much wider range of options with clarity, decreasing noise, saturation and tonal adjustments. I can instantly see before and after views and it is all non destructive to the original image. I love Lightroom, it is a wonderful photo editing program, every time I open an image I wasn’t quite happy with I find I can make it better even a jpg file. I can finally make a photo look like how I experienced the the scene in real life.

My goal with photo editing is realism. I’m not trying to create photo art, or make a photo look fake or something it wasn’t. The human eye can interpret a scene a the beach with so much more clarity and detail than a camera. Sometimes it takes some post production here and there with photography to return the photograph into an accurate depiction of reality.

Photo editing in Lightroom 4
Lightroom 4 screen shot (click for larger image)

I always shot on aperture priority and as a result many of my images were underexposed. These dark images took more editing than just increasing the exposure, I opened up the shadows, and eliminated the camera noise in the Lightroom detail option by moving the noise slider to the right.

On the left side of the Adobe Lightroom screen shot there are User Presets. Presets are saved adjustments you can use again for an image of the same type. For example overexposed images in bright sun is called “Dim the Summer  Sun” or “Bright and Sharp” for an underexposed image. Once a preset is saved it can adjusted and resaved under the same name. Presets save time when you have a batch of images under the same lighting that require the same adjustment.

Below is the straight out of camera shot and the resulting end photo in Lightroom.

SOOC (straight out of camera)
SOOC (straight out of camera)

Edited version, what do you think?

Edited Block Island photo in Lightroom 4
Edited Block Island photo in Lightroom 4

What is the Best Program For Editing Photos?

If you were to ask me what my favorite photo editing program is I would have to say Lightroom. There are many features I love about the program but my favorite is Lightrooms high dynamic range in opening up shadows and not blowing out my highlights. I also love the ability to edit a batch of photos in seconds with the settings from my previous photo.

But I still use Photoshop for my graphic designs involving text and layers. Adobe has a wonderful subscription program where for only $10 per month you can use both Photoshop and Lightroom creative Cloud all you want with no obligation.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (Photoshop CC + Lightroom) [Digital Membership]Adobe Photoshop Elements 13The Photoshop Workbook: Professional Retouching and Compositing Tips, Tricks, and TechniquesPhotoshop Elements 13 For Dummies (For Dummies Series)

 

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Seaport Fence

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Seaport Fence with Buoys

One of the benefits of not doing a 365 Project this year is the flexibility to use one of the thousands (yes, thousands) of pictures that didn’t make last years cut. Or, I can pull up an image from years ago, a forgotten neglected image from years gone by.

This fence on Block Island just called me over with the buoys hanging all in a row above the sunflowers. It is so New England and the overcast weather is probably comparably to what it is now, minus the sunflowers.

Photoshop processing: Levels, shadows and highlights, an artist plastic wrap effect at a low opacity and then a final sharpen unmask.

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Photographing California Beaches, San Diego Style

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While we were in California, for my son’s Marine Boot Camp graduation,  we took in as much beach time as possible. I love the ocean and surf, and my photography bucket list was to take photos of the sunset over the Pacific and the sunrise over the Atlantic, and I have accomplished them both.

The ocean skies remind me of the midwest and big sky country. With the right lighting the sunsets are amazing and it feels as though you can see to the end of the earth.

Father and Daughter at the Beach
Father and Daughter at Coronado Beach

To achieve the golden oranges of the sky and clouds under expose a half a stop, your subject matter will be dark, but silhouettes against the sky can be very attractive. follow the rule of thirds by placing your horizon in the upper or lower third of the photograph, depending on what is more appealing, the surf or sky. Focal points such as people, a sunburst, or landscape try and place in the 2/3rds of the frame.

Sunset on the Pacific Ocean
Sunset on the Pacific Ocean

The San Diego Pier is one of the most famous photographic landmarks in Southern California. We didn’t have enough time for me to hike and get the photograph I really wanted, but this year I will have another opportunity when my step son graduates from Marine Corps boot camp.

My goal is to duplicate the below images.

Scripps Pier 2 (Giclee Art Print), Martha DeanPier in the ocean at sunset, Oceanside, San Diego County, California, USA by Panoramic Images

My daughter and I could both live at the beach very easily, something soothing about the consistency and rhythm of the waves. Although the water was very cold, my daughter just had to go swimming, hey she’s sixteen, she knows enough to come in when she’s cold. Next day she learned to body surf, and did a pretty good job of it too. She was so proud.

Swimming in the Pacific Ocean, in October
Swimming in the Pacific Ocean, in October, just a little bit chilly

San Diego is a popular location for photographers and there even tutorials and guides to photographing the California coast. I am starting to take trips specifically for photographic purposes and with that quest comes preparation. Such as knowing the time of the sunset and when the lighting is best for certain landmarks, buildings and iconic landscapes. If you take your photography seriously then utilizing such guides is highly recommended.

Tips on Photographing San Diego

PhotoSecrets San Diego: The Best Sights and How To Photograph ThemPhotoSecrets San Diego: A Photographer’s GuidePhotoSecrets San Francisco & Northern California: The Best Sights and How to Photograph ThemThe Photographer’s Guide to the California Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to

Day 230/365: Playing in the Surf

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I little water on my toes...
I little water on my toes...

This rock was handy for sitting and getting a little water on my feet. What was I thinking? I know better than this.

OMG, the water is COLD!
OMG, the water is COLD!

By the way, this will be the first and last time I will ever be in a bathing suit and posted on the internet. But heck, it was Block Island, anything is possible there.