I don't think photographers way back when went to any efforts to achieve that effect - I think it just naturally happened with age. My hat says "photojournalist" on it, not "photo artist". When I look over photos posted on this forum, most of which are from a Leica camera, I enjoy seeing what the photographer captured with the camera, and that doesn't include bizarre "artsy" effects. To me, there is a line between "enhancing" an image (including correcting mistakes such as scratches or dust on the negative), and "photo art". There won't be anything like this in any of the dozens of railroad related photo books that I have. What I don't like, is that it doesn't look like a real photograph that I might have taken. It's an interesting effect - if I were making a billboard, this is so strong nobody could miss it.
I have high strength steel covers for all my toes, so feel free to stomp on them all you want. What I did is maybe more than you like, but it's no good going halfway to show an example.
The other changes I made were to burn in the edges of the frame so the increase in contrast doesn't just end up with pure white in the sky, and also dodge the hands so they become more powerful, and I added a slightly warmer tone for the image, it doesn't add a lot but it's another added benefit from processing as an RGB file. Increasing the contrast visually accentuates the arrow motif on the train and the cigarette and gaze that faces the other way, so it becomes a balanced image with the human element truly focused against his railway engine, there is a tension in what he could be thinking or waiting for. This is no more than using chemicals and paper grades in the darkroom.ĭu willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! Edited September 4 by 250swb I'll be impertinent (sorry if it treads on toes) and show you what I mean. I switched to 3600dpi, and maybe in the future, I should try 2400dpi. I used to scan at 7200dpi, which made my files too large. I didn't do my dust correction very well, as I didn't know I could select the point that PL4 uses to over-write the dust. If you want to read them, it's towards the end of this discussion:Īmong other things, I learned not to use telegraph poles for a help in making my photos "level", as these poles are often tilted. I posted one of these images in the DxO PhotoLab4 forum, and got so many replies on things I could have done better. One thing is for sure, the feedback from you guys is invaluable, as you notice things that I missed. Maybe a year from now, I'll be better at this. Those notes are obvious, now, as I read them and look at the photo, but most of them refer to something I never would have noticed, but for the notes.
Their skill is light-years beyond what I know how to do, but from now on, I'll try harder to get a more perfect image.
Hallo Gast!ĭu willst die Bilder sehen? Einfach registrieren oder anmelden! Please register or sign in to view the hidden content. Here is another example of how news and fine art photos are manipulated in the darkroom, no negative is perfect and the art is to see what type of treatment tells the story of the photograph in the best way.the dodging and burning notes for Don McCullin's 'Shell Shocked Marine' For Casey I think you need to accentuate the highlights a lot more.
As far as manipulation goes just treat the image as it if it was a traditional darkroom print, where you'd have a choice of chemicals and six grades of paper available to manipulate the contrast, plus all the dodging and burning that a great photograph would have applied to it (haven't you already posted a photo of James Dean with the printers notes, does the end result look manipulated?).