Black and White

King of the Hill – Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Abstracts, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Arizona, Black and White, Desert, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Grand Circle, Hoodoo, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Nikon D3x, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Photoshop Technique 2 Responses »

Dec 092011

King of the Hill, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This is an image I have affectionately named “King of the Hill”. It is a rather large pedestal of Navajo Sandstone perched on top of layer upon layer of serrated and swirling stone. To be honest this was a disappointing day. I was scheduled to make a trip into Canyon X but a massive front several states away brought clouds and flat, contrasty light. Not exactly the kind of conditions suitable for slot canyon photography. So with the Canyon X trip cancelled, and determined to shoot something, I wondered out into some slick rock areas near Glen Canyon. I do not like to shoot in desperation as it usually leads to uninspiring images and frustration. But here I was anyway. At the very least this would be a scouting trip for a future trip. I wandered for hours up, down, and through an amazing landscape of sharp-edged stone. They were like giant red layer cakes rising upward through a series of dimensional swirls culminating in a large rock “cupcake” with a cookie on top. But the light was just horrible – flat, contrasty, and featureless. Light brings form, shape, and definition. With it we can separate the elements of an image and bring it to life.

But even without the light I knew there was a shot here in this garden of stone. In conditions like this black and white can save the day. To begin to see the possibilities I set my cameras display setting to black and white. Immediately the possibilities began to surface. The flat red color and grey sky became more cohesive and interesting in black and white. And with a little Lightroom and Photoshop work I knew I could bring out the drama and detail in the stone. I also had to be a little patient with my subject. At time during the day a hint of form would appear in the featureless grey sky. For this shot I waited almost 45 minutes for a band of clouds to form over this formation. Waiting for just the right moment I was able to not only capture some interest in the sky but to also use this to frame around the sandstone pedestal. All day I played this “cat and mouse” game with vary degrees of success. With this image everything fell in to place and I was able to bring home a winner.

Technical Details: This image was shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 17-35mm lens at 24mm. The image was exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 30 seconds. Even though I had my screen display set to Black and White the RAW captured all the color data. I experimented with the RAW processing to bring out as much color detail so I could make the B+W conversion in Photoshop. For the final however I made the conversion in Lightroom using the Color Mode Sliders. I have found I have a great deal of control with these sliders and can produce an excellent file for final work in Photoshop.

My workflow in Photoshop followed my typical pattern with one exception. I began, as usual, with “digital gardening” on a filter layer to clean up a few dust spots and applying my Smart Sharpen layer to bring up the micro-contrast of the file. The RAW file brought from Lightroom, though solid, still needed some punch. To do this I “Merged Visible” to create a new Image Layer. Note that here that I could also have flattened the file but I almost never do this as I might want to make some adjustment to the Sharpening and I need the Layer Stacks intact for this. With the new Image Layer active I changed the Blending Mode to Soft Light. You could also use Multiply Mode but this usually requires reducing the opacity of the effect. With Soft Light I find I get a nice punch to the file by increasing the density of the pixels. It is a great technique in certain circumstances to add depth to the file. From here it followed my usual Layers including White and Black Point, several Contrast/Curve Adjustments through Luminosity Masks and extensive dodging and burning. Dodging and burning is where I paint with light and manipulate the highlights and shadows to add visual dimension to the file. Using a combination of the Brush Tool and D+B Tools I work light and dark values at low opacities along edges and flat areas to separate tones and emphasize light and shadow.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Bob

Glen Avon Falls No. 5-Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior

Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Black and White, HDR Photography, Lake Superior, Lake Superior Photography, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Minnesota, Nikon D3x, North Shore of Lake Superior, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Photoshop Technique, Robert H Clark Photography, Singh-Ray Filters, Split Neutral Density Filters No Responses »

Sep 252011

Glen Avon Falls No. 5, Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 28-70mm lens at 35mm. See article for exposure details.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am continuing to pour through images from the Lake Superior Workshop and keep finding hidden gems in some of my second tier selects. And though I know some of you may be getting tired of waterfalls I had to post this new image I processed over the weekend (But here is warning. I have some neat shots of two waterfalls from Crater Lake but I promise to hold off on those for at least a few posts). In any event today’s image was not included in my first edits for processing. One reason for this was it was a single capture scouting shot. At the time I must not have liked something in the composition and did not make a complete bracketed set. But on a second pass the shot really jumped at out at me. Which brings up the idea of karmic capture. During scout shots I will often make many captures in a row, often in an unconscious way, looking for compositional interest. At the time I obviously saw something in this collection of rocks and water to interest me but maybe not enough to stop and fully explore the options. But karma and serendipity often work together especially in this image.

I talk a great deal in my posts about the concept of leading lines and I don’t think it will take much description for you to see these in the photograph. But there is also shape repetition, shape intersections, and strong diagonal movement coupled with a way for the viewer to enter the image and move around. There is also some interesting “rule of third” stuff going on here but this gets so beaten to death that I won’t go into it. The point I am trying to make here is that for me, while I am in this self-critique moment, this image works on so many levels. It has a beautiful line of movement and simple forms but also strong, complex compositional elements as well. I also shot it straight into the sun which makes for very dramatic light. But that dramatic light comes at a price, namely a contrast range that is difficult for the camera sensor to deal with.

Technical Details: Even though I was in a scout shot mode I was still on tripod with the camera. Most of the time I will shoot scout images off tripod but I had just finished a bracket off to my left and simply turned the camera right and aimed into the sun. I still had on my 4-Stop Sign-Ray Neutral Density filter (to increase exposure time for water motion). I made one exposure at f22 for 1/4 of a second. I stopped down to f22 to create the starburst effect with the sun. I was in Evaluative Metering Mode with a WB of 5500K. Before the shot I added +1 Exposure Compensation using the button on the Nikon. This gave me the needed exposure to capture shadow details. I made the shot and moved on. Why I did not shoot a bracket is anyone’s guess. But the histogram was nicely placed with only clipping within the sky and sun which was to be expected. To process the shot I made two RAW conversions; one for the 3/4 to mid-tone values and a second to recover details in the trees above the river. So basically a “light” and a “dark” file that I blended in Photoshop. After merging the two files I used a series of Multiply Blend and Lighten Blend modes along with curves to finish the image.

Thanks for stopping by today. I promise to have a “non” waterfall shot next time. In fact the next one will be other-wordly.

Bob

Glen Avon Falls No 4, Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior

Black and White, Lake Superior, Lake Superior Photography, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Minnesota, Photography Trips, River, Robert H Clark Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

Sep 232011

Glen Avon Falls, Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 42mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1/3 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Here is another image from my Glen Avon Falls shoot on the Beaver River. On my other posts the images show the real power in the falls as a fast moving flow is cutting through a channel of granite. I love the power in those shots but the falls also contain smaller and more intimate vignettes that show a different side to the river. I passed this image over in my first cut and on a second look decided to give it chance to come to life. Aside from the trees along the banks and the water of the river Glen Avon is nearly monochromatic. The dark rock seems to swallow all the color and light. To this extent removing all the color and processing as a black and white makes the image, in my mind, more cohesive. The conversion simplifies the shot and reduces everything to lights and darks which in turn helps give emphasis to the forms. Like many of my images this one has a strong series of leading lines and anchor points that frame the main subject.

I did the black and white conversion in Lightroom and exported the file out to Photoshop for the final work. Oddly this was a scout shot only and I only took one exposure. Fortunately I pushed the histogram to the right and was able to recover a lot of highlight detail. To further aid the shot density I created a Multiply Blend Layer in PS. I needed this density increase in the upper regions of the file. I reduced the opacity of the layer to 80% and painted in where I needed the density increase. I also used several curves adjustments and a dodge and burn layer. I am glad I gave this one a second look.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Glen Avon Falls, Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 17-35mm lens at 17mm. See story for capture details.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today I am returning to Glen Avon Falls on the Beaver River. This is the companion shot to the composition I posted on August 22 and was taken the following morning from the top of the rock chute and just below the upper falls. On this day a light morning mist filled the river below the lower part of the falls and diffused the sunlight rising just behind the large rock on the left. I want to talk about this image in regards to some recent discussions I have heard concerning HDR photography. So if you don’t want to hear me get on my soap box then please stop reading here.

As a former 4 x 5 shooter I used to compose my shots and expose for one take. I had to use whatever means necessary ranging from composition to use of filters to get the shot in one take. Even today, as I have professed in this blog, I am still kind of a one shot guy. Get it right in camera can save hours of time in post production. But I have found that digital offers me a far greater opportunity to “craft” a shot that quite honestly would be nigh on impossible to do in one take. The above image is a prime example. I am shooting almost into the sun with a misty, shrouded fog, dark rocks, and rolling water. In terms of exposure I could get close but not where I needed to be to hold detail in the rocks, water and the mist. The solution is to expose for each and combine the files. My argument is that this shot is an example of HDR-high dynamic range photography. I am extending the capture range of the shot, which could not be covered by the sensor, through multiple exposure brackets.

HDR photography in its broadest terms is generally exhibited through what I might refer to as “wacked-out, over-processed, haloed, grunge” shots where multiple exposures are cooked in an HDR software. If it sounds like I don’t like this style then the answer is yes. I do enjoy looking at those that are well crafted but for the most part much of what I see is akin to velvet paintings. And before anyone jumps on me for that statement please understand that I do not begrudge anyone their art or practice thereof. If it makes you happy then I am all for it. There is plenty of room at the table for all of us to share what we do and love.

But the recent argument I heard, and I won’t say where to protect the innocent, suggested that the concepts behind HDR are not legitimate, partly because it is associated with the over-cooked look” or the “I did not capture it in one take argument” is puzzling to me. Is the fact that I shot and combined three exposures to craft the above image mean it is not a legitimate photograph? In my honest opinion it is legit. This photograph is not over-cooked, or wacked-out through over processing in an HDR program. It is true to my vision for this image and represents what I saw and experienced that morning. It is in fact a high dynamic range shot crafted through multiple exposures. HDR software such as Photomatix, Oloneo, and even Photoshop HDR are excellent programs to help you extend the dynamic range of a shot. All of them allow you, the photographer, to make processing decisions based on your perceived vision of the image. Wack it out if you want or keep it natural. Its your decision. The Glen Avon shot I posted on August 22 was processed in Photomatix. That shot, processed in Photomatix’s Fusion engine, is not over-cooked, in my opinion, but rendered in a natural look to create an image based on my vision. Today’s image was created through layer blends in Photoshop. Both images have a similar look but were achieved using different tools from my toolbox.

The argument that goes along with this that I, or anyone else who shoots in this way, and does not get it right in camera, is either lazy or not skilled just floors me. This might be true for a percentage of shooters but I just don’t think it holds water. If I was lazy and not skilled I would take one shot in .jpg, let the camera make the decisions, and move on. The image above took planning. It was scouted and included test shots for compositional decisions. Then on the day of the shot I had to deal with the light, the water, compose the final composition, think about the foreground, the corners, how I envisioned the final image, processing decisions, color or black and white, and the list can go on. It is the same for all of the other skilled photographers I know who use these techniques. HDR capture and processing is but one tool in our kit. I don’t shoot everything this way but its there when I need it for difficult situations. But to say it is not legitimate because it was not captured in one take or is practiced by lazy, un-skilled photographers is just bunk. I will now stand down from my soapbox.

Technical Details: Three images were combined to make the final shot. Exposures were at 1/4, 1/2, and 1 second. The RAW files were processed in Lightroom and moved to Photoshop where I used layer masks to paint in the parts of the shot I wanted. Once I had the file components to my general satisfaction I made the conversion to black and white. Just so you know I envisioned the shot at capture as a black and white. From there it followed a typical path with curve layers for various parts of the image, dodging and burning, and a mid-tone contrast layer.

Walk in beauty.

Bob

Hipstamatic Photography – Fun With the iPhone 4

Abstracts, Black and White, Flower Photography, Flowers, Hipstamatic, iPhone Photography, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Photography Tools 2 Responses »

Apr 142011

Daffodils No. 1. Shot with an iPhone 4 and the Hipstamatic iPhone App with Claunch 72 Monochrome Film and the Lucifer IV Lens.

Daffodils No. 2. Shot with an iPhone 4 and the Hipstamatic iPhone App with Claunch 72 Monochrome Film and the Lucifer IV Lens.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Well, I have fallen under the spell of my new iPhone 4 and my digital life may never be the same. Ok, that may be over stated but I have thoroughly enjoyed my iPad and found it quite a useful device for checking into my Facebook and Blog sites as well as housing my digital portfolio and providing hours of entertainment while on the road. So I did not think I could have much use for an iPhone. Well I am wrong. I really like it and I can do many of the things I do on my iPad but in a more portable fashion. And then there is the photography aspect.

I downloaded the Hipstamatic App for the iPhone and have a great time experimenting with all the film, lens, and flash options available through a variety of upgradeable Film Paks. The basic dowload comes with a few rolls of “film type” and lens and flash combinations. But you do not want to stop there. Just go on and buy all the Film Pak options to get all the various combinations. There are Black and White films, Infrared, Color, and Tonal Colorized Film options and most come with a lens or flash. The fun comes in trying out the various options. The camera looks like an old range finder and there are simple controls for setting the image quality, which affects the output size, selecting the film, and the flash. You can change lenses by swiping your finger across the iPhone screen. When you are ready to shoot you touch the screen and the camera flips over and you can compose through the viewfinder. It is a bit like looking through an old Box Camera. You can only see a portion of your composition which is part of the fun. All the compositions are square and come with various borders depending on the film type selected. My favorite combination so far is the Claunch 72 Monochrome with the Lucifer IV Lens. The two images above were shot in my garden this evening using that combination. The files are stored on the iPhone and can be downloaded into iPhoto. You can also share the files straight into Facebook or e-mail out to your friends. I shot each image in the highest quality mode and each .jpg was imported into Photoshop for a little curve work. Simple and fun. In fact its just liberating. Give it a try.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Vortex – Upper Antelope Canyon

Abstracts, Arizona, Black and White, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Photography Trips, Sony α900, Upper Antelope Canyon, Zeiss Lenses 4 Responses »

Feb 122011

Vortex, Upper Antelope Canyon, Page, Arizona. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 30 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image was shot on a recent trip to Upper Antelope Canyon just outside of Page, Arizona. It is one of those images that if I look long enough I can see many things. Carol Bigthumb told me once that the rocks hold many stories and if you look long enough they are revealed to you. When I look at this shot I immediately think of Jonah and the whale. Swallowed by the mighty whale, I am looking through the teeth of the great beast at the light beyond. As I peer from the darkness the light gives me hope that all is not lost. I also see waves on a rolling sea; the solidity of rock transformed into a symphony of continuous movement. I see stellar storms and gaseous nebulas in the far reaches of space. The stories are limited only by our imaginations.

To give you some perspective this image was made looking straight up through a slot in the canyon. The great shadowed forms of sandstone, and the waves beyond, become a metaphor to their very creation. During flash floods water rolls through these slots; violent, swirling waves carving stone into stories and images. Reduced to the simple tonality of black and white the image becomes a negative. The rock is carved by water and when the water recedes it leaves behind a picture of its formation. Water revealed in solid forms. Solid forms that evoke continuous motion. Yin and Yang.

What do you see?

Thanks for stopping by today. Hozógo nasádo. (From the Navajo, “Walk in Beauty”) Thanks to my friend Tom for leaving me that message.

Bob

Juniper Root – Navajo Lands, Arizona

Abstracts, Arizona, Badlands, Black and White, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Navajo Lands, Photography Trips, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses 2 Responses »

Feb 082011

Juniper Root, Navajo Lands, near Page, Arizona. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 35mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f14 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. The winds are howling today, part of an arctic blast of air moving down from the north. By tomorrow we will see single digit temperatures. Though we are ever so close to spring winter still has its icy claw around us. When it gets like this I think of the desert. It is a powerful and emotional draw that can only be satisfied by feeling the ground under my feet. In my mind I can picture all the formations along the highway from the east rim of the Grand Canyon to Page, Arizona. Today’s image was found near Page, Arizona on Navajo Lands. On this day the wind was also howling. It just would not stop. Gusts of sand were swept up and thrown at me, stinging my face and lodging in the folds of my clothes. Quite frankly the wind was distracting and for a period of time put a damper on my spirits. Wind is not the photographers friend and with this much sand it was sure to lodge in my cameras. But there was a lot to see and I carried on. I climbed higher dropping into a saddle surrounded on both sides by sand dunes. The wind abated, diverted over my depression by the mounds of sand. Climbing higher still I came upon a stark reminder of the harshness of the desert. This juniper, once alive and thriving, had lost in the struggle to live. I thought about a passage from Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey that “the strangeness and wonder of existence are emphasized here, in the desert, by the comparative sparsity of the flora and fauna: life not crowded upon life as in other places but scattered abroad in a spareness and simplicity . . .”. Indeed existence, that delicate balance of life and death, are emphasized here. So to are spareness and simplicity. Once vibrant and green the juniper would have stood out; defying the odds against the barren rock and moving sand. But the desert is a harsh mistress, relentless and unforgiving. What stresses were brought to bear are unclear but death occurred leaving only the tendril remains to bake in the sun. Over time sand piled against the gnarly remains forming a shallow grave. In time the dunes will move onward swallowing the juniper. And somewhere on the dunes a new juniper with take hold, drawing a line in the sand, daring to survive against the odds. The cycle continues.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Blair Pittman – Terlingua, Texas, Big Bend Country

Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Black and White, Desert, Photography Trips, Portrait, Portrait Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses 9 Responses »

Feb 042011

Blair Pittman, Terlingua, Texas, Big Bend Country. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f2.8 for 1/125 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I would like to introduce you to Blair Pittman, award winning photographer, writer, and folklorist. For several decades he has been telling and listening to tales on the Terlingua Ghost Town porch. On a beautiful late afternoon I found myself next to Blair as he recited a few yarns about the history of the old ghost town. With my beer in hand I sat back and soaked in the afternoon sun. I could smell the desert stretching out before me. Life just seemed to happen that afternoon. I had already spent time with Dr. Doug and here I was ending my day with Blair. I retreated to the trading post for another beer and as I paid I saw a small display featuring two books by Blair; Tales From The Terlingua Porch, and More! Tales From The Terlingua Porch. I bought them both and Blair signed and personalized each book. In one book he wrote “To Bob – If it ain’t the truth, it otta’ be. Viva Terlingua”. And in the other he wrote “To Bob – See you on the porch”.

The two books are a special reminder of an incredible week I spent in Big Bend. Small and easy to read the stories take you into the heart and soul of this place. That day on the porch life just happened and I was lucky enough to be there when it did. I did not intend to shoot an image of Blair but like life it just happened. As he was talking he looked off in the distance and I just brought the camera up and snapped the shot. For me it captured a lot about this man; wise and grizzled, but kind and reflective. If you let it, life just happens. And that is the truth.

Thanks for stopping by today. See you on the porch.

Bob

The Edge of Light – White Sands National Monument

Black and White, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, New Mexico, Photography Trips, Sony α900, sunset, Twilight Photography, White Sands National Monument 2 Responses »

Jan 212011

The Edge of Light, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 4 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image is from White Sands National Monument. When I was at White Sands I tended to gravitate to the south western dune fields. It is an easy area to access yet few people seem to make the trek away from the parking areas. In fact most of the parks visitor’s stay within two to three dunes adjacent to the road or parking areas. The further away from the road the more pristine the dunes. It is an alluring landscape that draws you in, beckoning if you will, to explore it’s subtle twists and turns.

In the late afternoon, just before the sun sets the world of light and shadow meet. Once hidden by the harsh midday sun, distinctive edges that I call the edge of light emerge revealing sinuous curves and soft ripples. From a high point you can trace unbroken lines of light from dune to dune until they disappear in the far horizon. It is not enough though to simply trace these lines. Instead they become a path-a way into the very heart of the dunes. When the sun sets cool air descends to wash away the afternoon heat. All is quiet as twilight envelopes you with it’s soft light. As night falls, the lines begin to fade. The edges become solid forms again-black shapes against the sky. What was once revealed by light is thrust into darkness waiting only for the suns return.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Half Dome Light and Yosemite High Country – Revisiting the Black and White Process

Black and White, California, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountains, National Parks, Photography Technique, Photoshop Technique, Photoshop Workflow, Sony α900, sunset, Yosemite, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

Jan 082011

Image 1: Half Dome Light and Yosemite High Country, Yosemite National Park. Final image after reprocessing to add contrast and punch.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today I am going to revisit the black and white version of Half Dome Light and the Yosemite High Country. Before I get into this I would like to thank all of you who visited the blog and commented and voted on your preference for color versus black and white. I started this blog ostensibly to get some visibility to my website and make connections to other photographers and folks who love landscape photography. To that end, a year down the road, more people are visiting my website and I have made some great connections. But something more powerful is happening. Recently I have been getting more critical commentary and dialogue about my photos as well as discussions on techniques and places to visit. A sense of community is beginning to develop which transcends everything that I thought would happen. When you put your work out in the public forum you open a door that invites the viewer into your world. It can be scary. The ”what if”s begin to surface. What if someone does not like my work? What if I receive negative comments? What if I am wrong about a technique? What if, what if, what if. We should not buy into this fear based position. Though I have been shooting for almost 35 years I think of myself as both a teacher and a student. It seems every day I learn something new. As a student I find the “what if’s” powerful and exciting. What if’s are teaching moments that help you along the journey of photography.

Today’s post comes under the heading of “what if”. I process a lot of images and there are instances when I am unsure about the photographs direction. I call this “getting stuck in the curves”. I never really think an image is finished. In fact I revisit them often in an effort to tweak out more detail, better sharpening, better color, etc. But sometimes I just won’t go far enough. When I converted the color version of today’s “revisit image” I stayed with the same curve sets and only applied a PS Black and White Layer. I did a few other minor manipulations but after staring at the image for several hours my eyes became accustomed to the result. When I posted the image I thought it looked pretty good. But as it turns out I did not go as a far as I could.

In a comment about the post, photographer Michael Trupiano, recommended some constructive suggestions on how he thought the image could be better. So here are Michael’s “What if’s”: What if the mid-tone contrast was increased. He thought the image looked a little muddy. What if the sunlight striking Half Dome and the snow on the far peaks was brighter. And what if the sky could pop a little more. Now the main problem here is that what looks good on my monitor may look different on others. I take care to calibrate my monitor and ensure that I am preparing good jpg files for display. Additionally I still believe the print is the final word. If it looks good in print then that is the final word. But still, after thinking about Michael’s comments and looking closely at the file, I think he had some good points. In order to achieve a better result I had to add several new adjustment layers and tweak a few others. So lets take a look again at the original image, (Image 2, below) I posted at: http://roberthclarkphotographyblog.com/2011/01/02/half-dome-light-and-yosemite-high-country-yosemite-national-park/

Image 2: Half Dome Light and Yosemite High Country. Original Black and White Conversion in Photoshop.

Now let’s take a look at the areas that I worked on in the image, (Image 3, below). Area 1: Increase contrast and drama in the sky with two new curve adjustments to increase darkness in the 3/4 tones and punch the 1/4 tones and highlights. Area 2: Darken this area to provide better separation. This was done through a Dodge and Burn Layer. Area 3: This was the real critical zone Michael commented about. This needed a real contrast boast that required a new curve layer to darken the 3/4 tones and lighten the 1/4 tones and highlights. In addition some additional dodging and burning was performed. And finally Area 4: Here just a little dodging and burning to lighten Half Dome. In addition to these adjustmentss a small amount of manipulation to the 3/4 tones on the “Darks” Luminosity Mask helped the contrast in the area below and behind Half Dome.

Image 3: Areas reworked to increase image contrast and punch.

So here is the final image with adjustments, (Image 4, below). I think you will agree that the overall increase in contrast in the mid tones and 3/4 tones and punching the highlights has made a dramatic improvement to the image.

Image 4: Half Dome Light and Yosemite High Country, Yosemite National Park, Final Image.

I want to thank Michael for his insightful critique. I really appreciate him taking time to visit the blog, being part of the community, and providing his comments. The result is truly a better image.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Older Entries

Robert H Clark Photography Blog

Black and White

King of the Hill – Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Glen Avon Falls No. 5-Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior

Glen Avon Falls No 4, Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior

Glen Avon Falls No. 2 – Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior

Hipstamatic Photography – Fun With the iPhone 4

Vortex – Upper Antelope Canyon

Juniper Root – Navajo Lands, Arizona

Blair Pittman – Terlingua, Texas, Big Bend Country

The Edge of Light – White Sands National Monument

Half Dome Light and Yosemite High Country – Revisiting the Black and White Process

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