Exercise : Strength of interpretation

STRENGTH OF INTERPRETATION

This again is creative interpretation, I have selected a picture to make strong adjustments to to see the effects it will have on both colour and black and white.  Performing a strong increase in contrast and low key / high key treatments.  The first two are black and white and I have firstly increased the exposure +300, and +25 the brightness, I didn't want to go any further as this would really over expose the sky too much.
For the second picture I have taken the brightness down -200 to make as dark as possible ... I could take them lower but have done this for the project.
Again with the next two pictures, colour, I have made the same changes +300, +25 in the first pic and then a reduction of -200 in the second picture.
This was all done in lightroom.


Original Picture Img 7362

Images after changes 

Exercise : Black & White

Black & White

I am a black and white fan.  I can always admire someone else's black and white shots, when I do my own I sometimes worry they are not as good and cant always see the error of my ways.  I think maybe i'm over critical of my own pictures, one fault I do notice is that maybe I have the shot too dark but this can be easily rectified.

I often look at something or a set up and think it would look good in black and white and my picture below was one of those.  Since starting this course I do try and imagine things colour then black and white.  I have a farm near me with all machinery and tractors, bales of hay etc.. I always think this would make a good black and white photo shoot.

A black and white picture needs line, shape, form and texture.  I feel my picture below fits the bill.  Its an old barn with rickety roof.  The roof is a beautiful colour so this is lost in the black and white but the shadings are still showing and you can see the uneven shapes of the tiles with the light on them.
The is not too much shadow and lost information just enough to add interest.
I did lift the exposure a little and twiddled the contrast which defined the picture well.  I like this picture and was pleased with the results when converted to black and white.
You have to, in your mind, block out the colour and look at what is left in the greytones.  Make sure you picture is still interesting too look at.  Also the barn is very old and this adds to it being black and white.

Exercise : Interpretative Processing

Interpretative Processing 

We have been, so far, trying to get our pictures exact, trying to perfect the exposure, colours, tones etc..
We do also have a choice to make the pictures look exactly how we want, with the obvious limitations of photoshop or Lightroom.

I have chosen a couple of examples, the image 6881, I have tried three variations.  The first is a colour enhancement which I really like, It lifts the original picture giving it life and vibrance.
Then I have turned this image into a cinema Black & white, which again I like. The third is a basic black and white transformation but it looks a little flat.  I feel I now want to raise the exposure on this one as feels very dull.

The second picture, img 6131,  Brocket Hall - I was pleased with these.  The one I was least pleased with was where I raised the blues.  I probably over emphasised for the project and wouldn't have normally taken it this far as looking too blue but it may have been required in some magazine article or something like that.
The second is Sepia which has turned out well slightly yellow but really suits the picture I feel, as does the Antique which is my favourite.  Obviously there would be a time and a place to use it but it looks good.  This was just one of the effects from iphoto and just clicks on - very easy.

These effects would obviously be used depending on the situation in which they were needed.  I feel they have been successful here and I proved to myself that the Brocket Hall photo was a good choice. I wasn't sure to start with.  Where as I was more confident with the portrait picture. I could imagine the alterations on this more easily.


Below are two images to which I am going to make adjustments to - to enhance - or change to suit my needs or that of a client.


IMG  6881

IMG 6131

Antique

Exercise : Managing Colour

Managing Colour 

I hate to admit but these were actually from a mistake that I made on my camera - forgot to change the settings back - which I am prone to doing... a habit in which I will over come.. but handy for this exercise so lets make the most of it.

I treated all the pictures in the same way.  In photoshop, these were jpegs otherwise I would have been able to adjust the white balance completely.  The setting I shot in was Tungsten I think and I easily could have swopped over to daylight / sunshine.
What I did here was, went to Photoshop and increased the reds and pinks, Keeping an eye on the results all the time.  Increased the yellows and then re adjusted down a little the pinks.  I was both happy with the results and delighted that I hadn't waste these lovely pictures of the children, I would have been really cross had they been ruined.


Three images below with colour cast, before adjustments.

IMG 7180

After Adjustments

IMG 7181

After Adjustments

IMG 7186

After Adjustment

Exercise : Managing Tone

MANAGING TONE 

Colour and tone ALWAYS need some adjustment - however these can be just small amendments - you will become to consider these as standard things to do and you will do them automatically to achieve your best picture.
However, you should try and get your photo technically as good as it can be on the camera first, you shouldn't use the wrong settings etc, planning to improve on the PC in photoshop.

Managing tone and colours should become a natural thing for you to do as a matter of course, checking and perfecting every shot.



I have selected this image ( 7307 ) to make adjustments for this exercise..

On clicking the triangles on the histogram it shows I have some lost detail in the shadows to the left of the picture, mid, but not too much..  I have increased the exposure so this has lessened this loss however I don't want to raise too much otherwise I will get highlight clippings in the sky.
The brightness is increased a little, making the leaves on the trees sharper.
The contrast was adjusted too define the darks.. The temperature I moved towards yellow and tint towards green, brightening the colours.  It has also added a bit of interest to the clouds, although I wouldn't want it any greener / yellow.



This is the original jpeg and then raw, before adjustments..

RAW

Back Garden Lightroom Jpeg

Back Garden - Raw 

PART 3 - Exercise : Raw

RAW

I don't know why, but I have never wanted to leave my camera in Raw.  Even though there is a setting for both.  My lack of knowledge on how Raw works or why you needed to use it may have held me back.   I had this feeling it was detrimental to the camera in some way so only use it if you had to, and thought it might zap up all camera storage space.  But now, at last I feel more comfortable with it and my camera is now set to take both Jpeg and Raw.

I went on a course also this week and he said absolutely put your cameras in Raw - I listened to him - and my cousin has been saying it for years. So now I'm a reformed character.

The two main reasons for capturing in raw are 1. to capture a wider range of brightness and 2. Settings such as WB and contrast are kept separate so with a raw file you can go back and select any setting you like at a later date.  This is particularly useful, if like me, you have  tendency to forget to change your settings ( still )....

Here below I have taken shots in both raw and jpeg, with the appropriate settings for the conditions.
The first two are from the camera, not adjusted and then I just looked at both in Lightroom and made adjustments to suit the eye.

Before that I noticed and you can see from the image that the Raw image is slightly darker initially.  I tested all the different settings as I went through to see what effect they had on the picture.  I have lifted
the greens and the hedge has come to life - I took the temperature slider, moving towards the yellow enhancing the tips of the bushes - looking again it may be just a little too bright - but its ok for this project.  Obviously if you were printing for a client you would need to more exacting.
I clicked on the arrows on the histogram and they showed just very slight clippings in the tiny bit of sky showing, in this instance not really for concern.
I looked at the White Balance and tried them all to see their effects.  Daylight added some yellow, and looked quite nice, made it less blue than the original which was taken on a cloudy day.
Shade / cloudy - Yellow tints again but slightly too much.
Tungsten - far too blue / green - dark and strong.
Fluorescent - too blue, but not too bad, not as strong as above.
Flash - added a nice amount of yellow, enhanced the picture.



Here are the originals of firstly the Jpeg, then Raw.

IMG 7306 - Garden Bench

Daylight

Raw - unaltered

Garden Bench - Jpeg

Garden Bench - Raw

Portrait - IMG 7270

The second picture here the raw and the jpeg did differ a little more, the raw showing a little less red. Not having the same glow to it. For my image, the third picture below, I have altered the exposure and adjusted the colours until I was satisfied with the image.
Also here I experimented with the white balance.
Daylight - this has taken some of the colours from the skin tones on the face.
Cloudy - Puts the face colour tones back.
Shade - has added, it seems, more yellow.
Tungsten - has gone completely dark blue ..
Flash - gives a nice even colour to face.

I slightly raised the yellows and reds, along with the exposure.  But I feel like I am changing for the sake of it with this picture - I quite like the original.

Artificial Light 

Mina - Raw

Cottage - IMG 7358

Here as with picture one the Raw photo is slightly darker than the Jpeg.  There isn't a lot of colour here anyway as its mainly green/white/grey, and the weather conditions weren't great - more blue in the sky would have been a bonus - but I did  have the benefit of no harsh shadows so cant have everything.

Again here I adjusted the exposure and colours adding a little yellow, lifting the trees, building and giving the image a bit of a glow, maybe a little sun imitation.

The effects of white balance are as follows..
Daylight - seems to take out all the yellow, Cloudy puts its back..
Shade - added a small amount of yellow
Tungsten - again a large amount of harsh, dark, Blue / Green.
Fluorescent - Blue but not too harsh.
Flash - good adding a small amount of yellow.

Im going to leave on cloudy as I like the effect, and it was a cloudy day.  Some detail is lost in the sky but I didn't want to darken any more.  The colours in this picture are not too interesting and I actually quite like the jpeg.



High Dynamic Range 

Cottage - Raw 

Raw gives you more choices and therefore making your image exactly how you want it or how you feel it should be. Giving you the chance of recovery if needed.

Response to Tutor report - Re Assignment 2

Thank You for you report on my assignment 2.

Its true my lack of confidence is showing through, I feel I don't want to be a pest with my camera (still ) although I am better, more comfortable than I was.. also with this assignment I was lacking lots of spare time and so maybe wasn't as adventurous as I should have been, and want to be.

I have been asking some friends if I can take some photos for them, with a positive response, so that should help my confidence and technique, and improve my pictures hopefully.

I shall continue to look out for better examples of the backlit gate photo.  I think when you have done the exercises you are on the look out for better options and see more readily.  I have got reflectors but don't use them much.  All these things are new to me so take some getting used to, learning everything from scratch.

As you know I have repeated the Tolerance of noise exercise.  I do understand the noise aspect - and not sure what went wrong with the exercise when I did it, it couldn't have been worse - oh well.
I like to look at the wedding photographer Jeff Ascough he uses a low ISO and uses the noise as part of his photos, I love these but can't imagine ever producing such a shot.  I'll have to try..

I note also I need to increase my learning log, which I shall do by adding all things photography.. and hopefully improve my marks, which I want to do.

I may have said before but I didn't enjoy this section - Im not really sure why - but I shall put behind me and move onto assignment 3.