Here's a quick tip for the day:
So I was driving out to L.A. from
Albuquerque, New Mexico the other day and I wanted my son to see the Meteor
crater-because he is fascinated with all things space-related, and because I am a geologist who also finds it fascinating. We get there in the middle of the afternoon,
the sun is high, and there is not a cloud in the sky...worst photography
situation possible. So what can you do
to make a decent photo from crappy conditions? Since the lighting was as flat
as possible, I shot the same-that is, I shot to capture as much dynamic range
as possible (leaving the image looking very flat and dull) in order to be able
to bring detail back in post. I then
concentrated on adding depth to the image.
I look for all of the shadow areas of the rocks and cliffs, and add some
adjustment layers to give them more depth.
Of course I did some other things as well, more general adjustments like
clarity, exposure, highlight reduction, shadow lift, luminance and saturation
shifts, etc., but these are normal, and minor.
The main focus is on bringing that sense of depth back. Because when you see the words Meteor Crater,
you have an image in your head, and the image that you make with your camera
should try to match that grandeur, even if you have less-than-desirable
lighting conditions as I had; Photoshop is a wonderful thing.
Before and After
One more tip concerning situations like this. So I went to Meteor Crater...a seriously big
tourist destination. One bad thing about places
like this is that people most often will take the same pictures, from the same
places, at the same angles as everyone else.
Google images of meteor crater, and other popular places like half dome
in Yosemite, Grand Canyon, etc., and you will see many of the same-looking
images from the same places. This is
from a lack of thought concerning composition.
Try to find even just a slightly different angle, add a person
(landscapes with people for presence, emotion, and scale are always
better). Even a slight adjustment to
composition and framing can make a big difference in the overall feeling of the
image.
Here's the typical shot, from the typical spot at the top observation deck, from the typical angle, with minimal editing...quite boring and mundane.
Here's the typical shot, from the typical spot at the top observation deck, from the typical angle, with minimal editing...quite boring and mundane.
Here's one from the same spot, but with a slightly different angle and with a person added for emotional feeling and scale.
And here is one from another popular spot near the lower observation deck, but again, from a slightly different angle with a different perspective:
And here is a lizard for sheer randomness and enjoyment-I saw it as I was walking away from the lower observation deck:
That quick tip ended up being not so quick, though hopefully
still informative and enjoyable.
Here is a link to the Facebook post I did on this with the images and descriptions:
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