Farthest explored

[Kris_Smith (Kristen M Smith)]

Hey guys - I admit that I’m posting this here because there are so many directions a person could take with processing. This time of year the ice and snow are mostly gone and the rivers and creeks are running high (although in some place the banks had been over run by as much as 10 feet!). This is one of my favorites - Ripley Creek and this is a shot from as far upstream as I was comfortably able to get. After the trail ends one side is basically an over grown boulder field that would be enough as an ankle breaker, but also has its fair share of fallen trees. The other side continues from the trail in a more open way, but then a snarl of deadfall blocked me. Since I was losing the light I didn’t climb the hill to the back of a field to see if I could come back down to the brook in a more open area, but maybe I can try that next time. As far as I know, the Ice Age Trail Alliance has a back-of-the-napkin plan to extend the trail segment further and it may come close to the creek again since the trail terminus is basically at its headwaters.

But anyway…show me what you can do with this. I’m really curious to see what interpretations come to the fore.

My Ripley Creek Album is here if you’re curious - https://flic.kr/s/aHsm5GEp8g

Raw File

Kristen_SmithApril 23, 2023P1113444.dng (16.5 MB)

You may only download this file to demonstrate how you would process the image. The file is Copyright of the photographer, and you must delete the raw file when you are done. Please post a jpg of what you created, along with an explanation of what you did and why you did it.

My Edit (click to see)

[David_Bostock]

Hi Kris,

This was a fun one to play around with. I started out in color, but decided, like you, that B&W was a better bet.

I first brought the raw file into DXO PhotoLab to get the benefit of their lens sharpening technology and the DeepPrime XD noise reduction. I know you shot it at low ISO, but it still can benefit…

Then I brought it into Capture One, did some basic adjustments, and hit it with the B&W tool.

I then did a few local adjustments with linear and circular gradients on layers…seasoning to taste.

I also brushed in a highlights recover in the white water, and brushed in a bit of detail (clarity) in the foreground water.

I finished up with some healing/cloning and a small crop on the right.

Anyway, here’s what I came up with. A bit more traditional compared to your more moody version.

Cheers,
David

[Kris_Smith (Kristen M Smith)]

Hey thanks @David_Bostock - there is so little color this time of year that I fear a B&W is inevitable. I experimented with this one by going darker and leaving only smaller light areas to draw attention. Your version has a much more open feel.

[Tom_Nevesely]

I finally had some time over the weekend to have a go at processing this image. I find the whole exercise of editing images that I didn’t shoot myself rather enjoyable and because I don’t have the associated memory of shooting the image, I feel freer to take the image in any direction that I feel suits it best. With that said, here is what I did:

1. I opened the image up in ACR and did some basic edits – white balance, exposure, contrast, shadows, and highlights. I also cropped a little off the bottom in this step.
2. Next, I cloned out the distracting tree branches in the water near the left shore.
3. Then, I tried TK’s Make-It-Glow action.
4. Next, I brought the image into the NIK Vivaza plugin to give the water in the middle of the stream around the big rock a bit of “structure”.
5. Next, I added a vignette.
6. Then I burned the background trees to frame the stream a bit more.
7. And dodged the big rock to make it stand out more.
8. Then a slight contrast boost with a curves layer.
9. And finally, into the NIK Color Efex plugin for some “Brilliance/Warmth” and some “Glamour Glow”.

[Kris_Smith (Kristen M Smith)]

That is so intense, Tom, I really like it. Quite the opposite of what David and I did. Very cool. Thanks for taking the time. I hope it was fun.

[Lon_Overacker]

Kris,

I was purusing this category in anticipation of the big Sean Bagshaw reveal later this month. I saw the edits and thought I would give this one a spin. I agree with Tom’s sentiment that I too like the exercise of working on an image I wasn’t present for. For one thing, it’s really a chance to not only hone our skills, but to improve and grow them as well.

My main goal for this image was to see what I could do with the water. For my preference, the shutter speed was too short and the water just isn’t giving me that easy going, peaceful, flowing impression. But what could be done with that since the pixels are already fixed.

So I thought, hmmmmm, could I blur the water? or treat those areas somehow to give the impression of more flow and less shutter speed? Actually not something I’ve ever thought of let alone tried.

For the rushing water areas, I created a “motion blur” bg layer, masked it out, then painted back in the effect - just like brushing on a canvas. The great part about this is that it’s quite easy to “erase” and start over, adjust the opacity, etc. I then also duplicated the layer to try and apply some manual Orton effects(blending mode of multiply, low opacity). Additionally, for the flowing water areas I dodged a little to enhance the path of the flow.

For the main image, I created a Smart Object bg layer where I then utilize ACR and Topaz. In ACR, I did some basic adjustments with the exposure, blacks, whites, Texture/Clarity and of course Vibrance and a little sat. I wanted to bring out the reds a bit in the stream bed, but not too much. And actually, it’s because of the reds in the rocks/stream and the mosses and greens in the bg, that I think color works best for me. After finishing the color, I did go ahead with the b&w to see what impact, if any, it had on my blurring of the stream.

A great exercise! A lovely and peaceful scene btw, but again not a fan of the shutter speed’s effect on the flow.

Here’s my edits:

[Kris_Smith (Kristen M Smith)]

Hey, that’s pretty cool, @Lon_Overacker - I wouldn’t thought of trying that. Lately I’ve been playing with shutter speeds and water for different effects. For me such an early season shot is full of tension and worry that it could snow again any second, so a fast shutter speed conveys some of that to my mind. But if you’re not there and you’re not used to springs that can be cold and mean, it won’t signify.