I loved the light on this mast and the fog but Know that my post-processing was not bringing it to life as much as I know it could. I have a few in this series that I struggled to process. I fell the fog and the water are too flat.
Specific Feedback Requested
Post-processing thoughts on dealing with fog and contrast in Black and white. I know that this could be a better image in the hands of someone who knows LR and PS.
Technical Details
Canon R5 RF 100-500mm, at 400mm, 1/200 sec (too slow for that focal length, I know ) at f/6.3 ISO 50 ( I know I could have bumped that up too.
What we think of after the light on the sail fades away. I hope this is in the correct category?
Ariel, this really caught my eye. I really like the light in the sail and mast, against the darker and foggier sky and water. It is just really pretty in its simplicity
The fog is there to see and it does add to image. Sometimes Dehaze is used to bring out fog, and you could use a mask in Lightroom to selectively Dehaze. Might help if you want more of the fog to appear. But this image looks really good just as it is, in my book!
I like this image a lot with the amazing light on the boat and the fog. Sorry, have no recommendations regarding the post-processing, but I think you already have done a good job.
Ariel, I really like this picture. It is well suited to black-and-white, and the clouds give it some mood.
I took the liberty of importing it into Lightroom. Lightroom Classic has some new object selection tools that make it easy to add some contrast between the sailboat and the background. (I presume the other version has them as well.)
In the Masking section of the Develop tool, I chose “Select Subject”. It picked-out the boat fairly quickly. I had to use a brush to subtract portions of the boat that it didn’t get right. After that, I could choose “Invert and duplicate mask” to get a good mask of the boat. From there, I could modify either the boat or the background.
The first photo, I simply reduced the exposure on the background a bit. On the second, I also lightened the whites on the boat a little. Once you’ve separated the two with masks, there’s a lot you can play with depending on the mood. I think if you play with the Shadows on the boat, you should be able to pull the top of the sail from the background a bit, but it’s up to you what mood you want to create. (As my Dad says, ‘if you make a decision, it’s art.’)
I hope this helps. It truly is a captivating picture.
A perfect scene, Ariel, and choosing B&W was certainly the right choice. I agree with the others that it looks great as is. However, @Warren_Paulson’s adjustments make it even stronger. Well done, Ariel.
This image caught my eye from the thumbnail. The sole sailboat looks lovely. The light for the image is special and has a nice quality to it. Very nice.
You asked about post processing. There could be a myriad of options to process an image like this. I did a little work in PS and came up with a different version. I wanted to see just a bit more drama without ruining the peaceful mood of the shot. This version has a bit more contrast. It also addresses the jpeg banding in the sky most noticeable on the left side of the boat at about the height of the sail. That could just be jpeg compression for the web post, or it could be an artifact of the processing you did. Can’t tell.
Anyway, here’s a version as an option. As noted, one of many, many possibilities.
Ariel, I like this image a lot and B&W is defiantly the way to go. I don’t know if it’s my browser or my eyes, but I do see a tad of magenta in the sky, not that it’s a bad thing. Like others have said, there are so many ways you could go with this photo. I like what you have done and could stay as is. I like @Warren_Paulson edit. It certainly is much more moody and makes it all about the boat. @Keith_Bauer also did a very nice edit. After going back and forth many times, I think I’m choosing Keith’s version as my favorite. The little more contrast does add some mood. @Mark_Muller suggested using Dehaze. If you want the fog to show up more, this adjustment might do that for you. Anyway you go, it’s a great photo.
I think that is what I was hoping in my mind was to have more whites in the fog to bring it forward. just enough to not distract from the sail. More like a support role. thank you for the feedback.
Thanks @Warren_Paulson I appreciate the extra time you took to bring it in to Lightroom and give it a go. I was looking for more contrast but would love to Bring out a bit more hint of the fog at least at the horizon. I will try the suggestions you gave thanks. I love how you brought more depth into the sails and the boat! thanks
Now to combine what you did and warren! I think we are getting closer to what I envisioned ! Thank you for taking the time to look at this and give your feedback. not sure what the banding issue is I will definitely look at that. I find the LR previews don’t always show me the true story compared to Photoshop. I will probably take this one in PS to see what is really going on there.
I will be giving this one a few more tweaks using the thoughts above and will post when I can. Thank you for the feedback and comments very appreciated.
Once you separate the boat and the background into layers, there’s lots you can do. You could also play with a linear gradient mask to get the fog effect you want. Have fun!
