Last evening the weather front came across from the Ranges to the West of Hawkes Bay. As the front moved towards here I decided to photograph it. (Now there's a surprise!). However when I looked at the photo it was rather poor. OK I'm still not quite sure why it was slightly out of focus. I think I'd left the camera on manual focus when I changed from automatic. The result was:
Please ignore the focus because this is actually about manipulation. I'd bracketed the exposures and the above was the middle exposure unadulterated from the camera. So I decided to adjust the shadows slightly in iPhoto with what I would accept for myself as showing you what I wanted to show ie the weather front:
However as I had bracketed the exposures I decided to unleash Photomatix on it with the following result:
Hmmm. I'm not sure about that if for no other reason that the front has lost its foreboding darkness. But at least it's a start.
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Graham, that's photomatix. Looks like you were wide open for the shots. You weren't it's what it does softens images. The foreground in this picture is irrelevant anyway so get it cropped out. After you have finished exposure blending. Go back into photoshop and give it a good seeing to. I'll do a how to for you next rainy day. good for a first attempt ..........you have the eye.
ReplyDeleteYes, it takes the moodiness out of the storm cloud, but you ended up with a gorgeous picture!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa.
ReplyDeleteAdrian. Thanks. How did you know I only have one (usable) eye?
I like all three, for different reasons and effect....they're beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI like the first one because it draws the eye to the weatherfront and makes it seem really threatening. In that one I'd not crop the forground because the glimpse of the blue flowers at the bottom adds something. In the third version though I would crop the bottom third of the picture. The the yellow light gets more interesting instead.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this isn't a commenting competition! The Big Guns are out! But here's my tuppence worth - I like the first one, where the cloud looks more threatening. I like the flowers in the foreground because they give me a sense of place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dawn Treader and Pauline - the first picture tells it as it is. Threatening - and it didn't just threaten did it? If it is the same front that you mentioned in your email - it sounds almost Hebridean! We have a huge thaw. Woke up this morning and the snow and ice were mostly GONE. XX
ReplyDeleteI agree that the first photo gives the sense of intensity and power.
ReplyDeleteAll three of them look like paintings!
;^)
Very nice.