David Smalldon  

Church before and after by David Smalldon

October 2018 - Church before and after

October 2018 - David Smalldon

Original

About the Image(s)

On September 24, 2018, I used an app that I have to create a random assignment for me for my 365 project that I am still doing. The assignment came up as: CHURCH which meant that I was to go out and photograph all elements of a church. So I hopped in my car and drove downtown near where I live and started photographing this local church from all different angles with my iPhone 7 plus. I have started using my iPhone to do more architectural photography lately for some reason.


Once I took the photos, I went home and looked at them and thought this would be a perfect candidate for something that I do which is a type of “smoke art” technique on my photos. Essentially I put an inverted mask on the photo and then brush in with varying degrees the parts of the photo that I want to show through. I then matte this on top of solid black or sometimes white background and the results are very Interesting. I typically also usually increase the CLARITY once I™m done as well as the vibrance also. I think that I might have also put this photo through a Basic Adjustment in Topaz Studio as well. I also used the Lightroom tool to straighten the building. I also used Photoshop to put some lighting effects on the building itself.


Typically I do this type of “effect” on photos that I feel might not otherwise be “perfect” because it allows me to “hide” the flaws that I feel are inherent in the photo themselves. It™s actually a technique that I saw being used on the web quite frequently to varying success and it™s something that I enjoy using now and then on some of my own photos to give the pictures their own unique look.


Shot with the Camera app on the iPhone 7 plus

This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted

 
Just for the record, those holes just above the trees in the church wall shouldn't be there. It's just that I was a little sloppy in my post-processing and didn't notice it until after I posted it out in the digital study group. oh well!   Posted: 10/01/2018 16:57:19
Dr Isaac Vaisman   Dr Isaac Vaisman
David, interesting process of PP, and if you did not mention the holes above the trees, I would take them as part of the process. Anyway; you made a snapshot into a dramatic seen HDR like. I believe you are keeping very busy with your 365 project.   Posted: 10/03/2018 21:10:26
 
Well, it's certainly more interesting than the original. It must have been fun to do it. I particularly like the halo around the cross. Might have been a good idea to straighten the tower before you did the rest of the post.   Posted: 10/09/2018 12:55:47
Bill Buchanan   Bill Buchanan
David, Once again you have demonstrated the capability of the iPhone camera. Your technique and camera apps have worked well. I noticed the subtle lightening around the two crosses on the church. I don't know if you're old enough to remember sandwiching Kodalith with color slides to achieve a similar effect. The only thing your composition needs is a full moon in the sky.   Posted: 10/09/2018 15:02:17
Dr Isaac Vaisman   Dr Isaac Vaisman
Bill and David, I know I am getting out of the subject, but reading Bill's note where he mentions the use of Kodalith with slides to obtain special effects, well, back in the wet Lab days, we used Kodalith as an internegative (first you made a B&W positive) then by contact method a new high contrast negative all developed in the Kodalith chemicals, then made a print with it. Was First price in Black and White at a couple of Camera Clubs in Venezuela   Posted: 10/09/2018 15:10:42
Comment Image
 
That's a very interesting picture that Isaac posted and I am not familiar with the process however I have another photographer friend of mine (coincidentally his name is Bill also and he's in Lansing). He's from the darkroom days and if I mentioned this to him, I bet he would pick up on it in a heartbeat because he's been taking photos for a while.

Thanks for the compliment on the crosses. What happened with the crosses is when it came time to "paint in the crosses" to reveal them, I just gave up and got sloppy. I was like, "Oh whatever, I'm not taking the time to meticulously paint in the crosses." and so that's why they have a circular effect which was the size of the brush I was using to paint the mask back in.

You know, I have this perfect moon from a photo I took a while ago. I should take the moon from there and try to place it in this scene. It gives me some ideas to think about so thanks for that :)   Posted: 10/09/2018 20:41:08
Ian Chantler   Ian Chantler
Hi david
Again you are teaching and informing us of another technique which I certainly appreciate.For me this effect makes the church almost 3D it really stands out and is different to anything I have seen before.
Again thanks as always for another photographic lesson.   Posted: 10/16/2018 15:45:40
Guy Davies   Guy Davies
That's a very interesting process David, and it has produced a more eye-catching image than the original. It also illustrates the quality of the modern phone-camera. I quite like the haloes round the two crosses. They add a touch of mystery to the overall scene. I like the idea off adding a full moon to the sky. Somewhere in the upper left would be nice.   Posted: 10/17/2018 10:53:58
Erik Rosengren   Erik Rosengren
Your end result is a far cry from the original Ian and that's a good thing. I love the feeling of the finished image. Must agree with Bill, your rendering is screaming for a full moon that should add balance. Joe's suggestion of straitening the vertical lines would add strength to your work. Think about adding a thin grey stroke to contain the image then place it next to the image with no stroke and see which one pleases you most,   Posted: 10/18/2018 04:56:24
 
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions from everybody this month! I'll have to add the moon when I get a second. I'm processing Halloween zombie pictures still. As for borders, I don't really use them much at all. I understand that other people use them and that's fine for them...it's all a personal preference thing. However if borders appear on an image of mine then it's there for a purpose. Borders, in my mind, ruin the illusion of what a photo does for me.   Posted: 10/26/2018 11:36:55