Another pier shot. Asking advice...

[mudder]

G'day all,

Went out to Altona Pier this moaning, thought there might be a good sunrise coming... Didn't catch the sunrise from where I was, but anyway, not sure whether this really works or not, I tend to think not... The bright highlights in the sky seem to take me away from the pier subject, but the light was nice...

What do you reckon? Any PP suggestions?

12-24@12mm, 1/60th, F10

[Alpha_7]

Hi Andrew,

I like the shot, but I am a little confused by the right hand side and the flareing / or banding ?

[Alex]

I think this one is great as is. The pier is just a bit too dark, I think, but on the other hand it's not. I like it.

Alex

[big pix]

what a great capture....... for a different look try adding a tad more contrast and saturation, this will give the image some real punch and will suite the subject..........

[Jamie]

I really like this one as well, the colours are fantastic!

I do however keep wanting to look to were the sun is coming from rather than the pier (as you said yourself). Lens flare on the right is also a little distracting but that can be cloned out easy enough if you wanted.

Up that early on a Sunday morning.......you must be mad.

[big pix]

I have a quick play using LAB Colour to show what I mean. the lens flare can be cloned, but not too much of a worry, to spend a little more time on this image would improve it even move.......... going into smugmug and out again it has lost a little punch but you can see where I was heading......

[Alex]

I have a quick play using LAB Colour to show what I mean. the lens flare can be cloned, but not too much of a worry, to spend a little more time on this image would improve it even move.......... going into smugmug and out again it has lost a little punch but you can see where I was heading......

bp,

Just wondering what you did. Did you make L and b curves a bit steeper? Just curious.

Alex

[mudder]

G'day BP,

I can see where you're going... Hmmm, think if I push the highlight levels of the pier a bit harder, just need to do it selectively so I don't burn the sky detail...

I always seem to whoos out on things like contrast and levels...

I'll go have a play...

Thanks.

[vort]

This is a fantastic shot Good on you! The colors are incredible.

[CraigVTR]

Love the shot. Have set it as my background for the next week or so.

Craig

[big pix]

I have a quick play using LAB Colour to show what I mean. the lens flare can be cloned, but not too much of a worry, to spend a little more time on this image would improve it even move.......... going into smugmug and out again it has lost a little punch but you can see where I was heading......

bp,

Just wondering what you did. Did you make L and b curves a bit steeper? Just curious.

Alex

lab colour I find hard to explain but easy to do, it is a bit like playing with curves but with a lightness channel and a&b channels which are the colours. Various reference on the web, and I have only started to understand the power of this function. I should get out and take a few more pix's but have been very busy of late and I am off to Singapore in a few weeks........

[mudder]

... Have set it as my background for the next week or so.Craig

That's quite an honor! Cheers...

LAB stuff is really interesting for luminosity and color adjustments, I've only just started playing with LAB and it seems to enable you to push colors and luminosity types of stuff further...

Singapore BP? Business or pleasure ?

[Alex]

Alex[/quote]

lab colour I find hard to explain but easy to do, it is a bit like playing with curves but with a lightness channel and a&b channels which are the colours. Various reference on the web, and I have only started to understand the power of this function. I should get out and take a few more pix's but have been very busy of late and I am off to Singapore in a few weeks........[/quote]


bp,

I recently purchased a very nice book on PS in LAB mode by Dan Margulis. Very complicated at times, but very useful at the same time.

Alex

[big pix]

Alex ....... I have this book and it is the bible....... I have reread the first 5 chapters 3 times, I must be a but thick or just too old, but getting to understand how it all works.........

Mudder...... pleasure, as my son is getting married....... should get a few pix's.......taking the D70 and D70s, and my trusty nikon 4500 coolpix just in case

[Alex]

Alex ....... I have this book and it is the bible....... I have reread the first 5 chapters 3 times, I must be a but thick or just too old, but getting to understand how it all works.........

I read the whole book but only once. Beyond chapter 5,6 is a dark thick forest for me, but I intend to get back to re-reading this. You really need to read each chapter several times to understand completely. Especially anything beyond chapter 6.

Funny, I've only been through the book once and it is already falling apart ...

Alex

[wendellt]

andrew how are you fortunate enough to witness all these great atmospheric phenomenons
the colours are just insane
the comp is excellent too

big pix's version is just vivid to the max

[gstark]

Andrew,

This is a very nice print. The way the brightness has been reflected along the rh side of this image is very nice, and you've captured it well.

I'm wondering what our friend energypolice might have to say about this, given that a sunrise is one of god's most sublime creations., yet it contains a range of contrasts way beyone those that it's possible to ordinarily capture within the scope of of mere digicam.

[mudder]

Andrew,

This is a very nice print. The way the brightness has been reflected along the rh side of this image is very nice, and you've captured it well.

Thanks mate, I appreciate that...

... I'm wondering what our friend energypolice might have to say about this, given that a sunrise is one of god's most sublime creations., yet it contains a range of contrasts way beyone those that it's possible to ordinarily capture within the scope of of mere digicam.

Tsk, tsk tsk I can see you waving a red rag at a bull...

[big pix]

[gstark]

Andrew,

... I'm wondering what our friend energypolice might have to say about this, given that a sunrise is one of god's most sublime creations., yet it contains a range of contrasts way beyone those that it's possible to ordinarily capture within the scope of of mere digicam.

Tsk, tsk tsk I can see you waving a red rag at a bull...

Perhaps, but at the end of the day, it's actually a very serious question.

Michael has his point of view, which, while I respect his entitlement to it, I believe is not simply restrictive, I think it's actually very illogical and quite full of holes.

In your image we clearly have something that exists in real life, and through the wonders of the way human sight works, if we're fortunate enough (and not as lazy as some of us ... ok, me ) to be able to enjoy first hand, then we will truly see a miracle of light, as painted by nature and/or whatever greater diety we might or might not belive in.

But the realities of modern day film emulsions and modern day digital photography are such that they still have a very long way to go before they can even begin to approach the capabilities of the human eye, and it's only with some elements of post processing that we are able to bring to the fore something as beautiful as you have done here.

I think I'd be correct in sugesting that the raw image, out of the camera, doesn't look as good as what you've presented here. And I think I'd be also correct in saying that you needed to do not all that much in terms of PP to the file in order to bring it to the state that you've shown it to us in.

So the point, and the question for Michael, should he decide to not act like a troll, but engage in serious discussion on this point, is that here we have an image of a very natural, every day occurrence, that in its raw state simply isn't capable of being captured by any means in a manner that is truly representative of what you would have observed.

Yet Michael would, by my understanding of his PoV, call what you have done a misrepresentation and perhaps even "art".

I would say that only after you have brought out the image to its hidden potential have you produced a photo, but with respect and without wanting to offend you, I'm not entirely sure that I'd necessarily call every photographic image "art".

Some are, some are not, and it's really byond the scope of my fields of expertise to try to define that can of worms.

[jben_net]

usually I don't really like sunsets/sunrises I feel that they are the most overshot subject.....HOWEVER.... I really like this one and it goes to show there is still room for fun with this sort of thing..... great work on the perspectives and colours.

[stubbsy]

Andrew

As has already been said by many, this one is a definite keeper. Lightening the pier and bringing out the pier elements that are reflecting the sunrise along the lines of what Bernie has done would make this even better.

[mudder]

Okey dokey... Had a play in LAB, I tell ya what, it's a great way to play with color... BP, thanks for the suggestions... Had a quick play, this is one verion...

Anyway, this is what I tried:
- I think I stuffed up the WB on the original, it seemed to have a strange greenie/yellowy(?) cast (I'm hopeless like that with color ), so firstly I tried to address that using a LAB color curve
- Glow to be a smidge warmer, used a LAB curves on the a and b channels (both above the first curve)
- I wanted to darken the floor boards of the pier but add more highlights to the pier

Orig:


Modified:


Oh, and while I'm here, I'll chuck in another one from this moaning that I just had a play with... Hope I get over this pier fetish soon...

[stubbsy]

Great work Andrew. A definite improvement.

[ABG]

Hi Andrew,

I really like the image you've captured here and your PP work has really enhanced the original. Great stuff. Thanks for sharing.