I’ve been working through an upper respiratory tract infection. Normally I would just plow right ahead, but with the current COVID-19 concerns I’m banished from work currently and fooling around with older and “Also Ran” images.
This is an image I took back in 2013 that’s been on my list for forever to process again. (I’ll post the old version below.) The dynamic range made it a tough one to blend, and I’ve learned a trick or two since then.
Balancing the contrast in this image, keeping shadow detail while looking it make realistic, was challenging. I’d love your thoughts on the final product, and any suggestions for improvement.
Nikon D80
Nikon 12.0-24.0 mm f/4.0 at 12 mm (18mm equiv.)
Blend of 2 images at 1/180 and f/16 for DOF, and one at 1/500 and f/22 for DR; all at ISO 200
John, as an ice hockey player I’m glad to see someone else using the old “hat trick”. It sure makes a big difference.
I do a lot of dynamic range blends like these, and they are not easy to do, and require a lot of time. But this is an outstanding job, it looks amazing in comparison to the 2013 version. The current version has such a luminous quality to it.
This is such a good job of blending, I almost hate to offer any critique. But i could see adding a tiny, tiny bit more shadow contrast, especially around the flowers. Just for a hint more crispness. Here is a rework, where I used a TK Darks 4 selection on a curve layer set to Soft Light blend mode, and dialed down the opacity to taste.
Hi John. It’s apparent your blending skills have improved since 2013, but the newer version seems to lack the crispness of your earlier version. I do think Ed’s additional step does seem to bring that crispness back into it while allowing the more refined blending to still show.
I’m impressed by the blending job. It looks natural. Did you consider not accentuating the pink tones in the sky? I rather like the sky color in the raw file. It feels more harmonious with the yellow flowers. Lovely no matter what, though.
The revisit of this older file has resulted in an improved version, John. You did a masterful job on the blend in what had to be challenging conditions. @Ed_McGuirk’s small tweak has elevating an already outstanding image another notch. I keep telling myself that I have to learn how to do exposure blending and get rid of my GND filters. BTW, I hope you have a speedy recovery from the infection.
I prefer your original work. Yes, you have brought out more detail in the background but that is working against you in that it’s a distraction from the flowers. Even the area around the flowers has distracting bright spots. As a total composition the older is stronger in my opinion. The new version looks busier.
Hello, John, this is a great image, and a tricky one, technically. I love the smaller line of sunflowers behind the foreground ones. I think the midground is just right in terms of clarity and colour - the original edit being a little fuzzy and the colour not quite right (how difficult to get those shadows right. In Ed’s version he has managed to get more clarity there than your new one, but I quite like your new version, as I prefer not to have my eye taken to the base of the tree and want just the right amount of detail in all that midground foliage. I agree that looking through old images and re-doing them is a good idea at this time!! Philip
I prefer your new version. The most realistic version of a backlit scene, i.m.o. , is the 2nd raw file, but that is not the image that we in general “like”. Many exposure blends result in unnatural images, when we bring life into the FG. I like this one, for me it is a nice balance between a fine image at first sight, and sufficiently realistic when you keep looking. @Ed_McGuirk’s rework is a bit too far away from natural, for my taste. @Ed_Lowe: keep your GND filters, there will be enough windy scenes where they will save your day, where exposure blending will fail
Tunnel vision is a funny thing. Processing this, I was much happier with the shadow detail in the new blend, especially on that ridge and around the sun star, and I really focused on protecting shadows in the new version. In the end my favorite part is the light spilling onto the balsamroot, much like was present in the original raw foreground image , and your comments helped me realize that keeping so much shadow detail robs from that. In the end the shadows are just not as attractive as the brighter areas, so why emphasize them?
With that in mind I went back and played with the image, trying to just keep the shadows from plugging too much while letting the balsamroot shine through. I also played with @Bonnie_Lampley’s suggestion about the sky, and decided it was a good one. I’ve posted the new version above.
Thanks again, the feedback here on NPN is so valuable because it let’s us “open our eyes wider” and break out of “tunnel vision.”
I did want to add a final thought on this. For me the best and central part of this is the bright yellow coming out of the black. If you lighten the black or include too much incidental yellow within the black the image starts to lose its magic. It was for that reason that I liked the old version. I agree that the technical ability to regain some of the tonal variation may have blinded you to ‘the art’ of the composition.
I most like your last edit, you did a great job responding to the suggestions and (I hope) keeping your own vision of the scene. After all, it is YOUR image.
I like it Igor! Thanks again for all your insights.
Thanks Han! One of the best parts of NPN is you can take or leave suggestions as you choose. Much like having someone taste a recipe I am cooking, other opinions sometimes help me find things I like more than what I came up with on my own.
One aspect of the process I find amusing is I often have to let the comments “settle in” before I can appreciate them. @Igor_Doncov’s comment that he liked my original better is a good example; it came as a surprise and I initially passed it off. Once I thought about it a little, and went back and actually studied what he was saying as opposed to just blowing by it, I realized he was right. In fact, once I played with the image and thought about what I liked I realized he was very right.
Thank you for taking it in stride. Not everyone does, including me. I can be sensitive about criticism. You just never know how much ‘honesty’ to write before you cross the line.
