Debbie Chasolen
March 2023 - Waterfall
About the Image(s)
January 2023 – Waterfall
Sony A73 – 24-70 – 68mm, F/14, .5 sec – Variable ND Filter – 5 Stop
I went out purposely to shoot a waterfall to practice a long-exposure using my VND 5 stop. I wasn’t happy with the post-editing after applying standard color adjustments or the black and white conversion, I thought both lacked drama. So, I took a risk and played with the saturation and the white balance to come up with something different.
Post editing consisted of typical Lightroom, tight crop, adjusted highlights, shadows, whites and blacks and then went bold with saturation and white balance.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted
Good on you for experimenting Debbie. I think you did a good job of capturing the creamy nature of flowing water. It seems sharp where you want it and soft where you want it. Exposure looks good to me, as I don't see anything that looks blown out, which is a major accomplishment in its own right with this subject. Kudos. I appreciate the composition of the three different tiers moving throughout the frame.
I assume you played with series of shutter speeds, gauging what the different settings had on your sense of motion and detail in the image. This looks really dreamy.
Re: your tight crop, this is just me, but if possible (distracting objects permitting), I'd kind of like something wider, with a little more context. Having said that, I didn't see your original, so your decision to crop tightly was probably perfectly warranted.
Uh, you mention that you managed white balance and other settings. What adjustments did you make? I ask that because this looks very monochrome blue to me. So, if that's what you were going for, you succeeded at your artistic intent.
Posted: 03/09/2023 08:11:08
I assume you played with series of shutter speeds, gauging what the different settings had on your sense of motion and detail in the image. This looks really dreamy.
Re: your tight crop, this is just me, but if possible (distracting objects permitting), I'd kind of like something wider, with a little more context. Having said that, I didn't see your original, so your decision to crop tightly was probably perfectly warranted.
Uh, you mention that you managed white balance and other settings. What adjustments did you make? I ask that because this looks very monochrome blue to me. So, if that's what you were going for, you succeeded at your artistic intent.
Posted: 03/09/2023 08:11:08
Thank you for your comment. Attached is the original unedited version- I looked back at the history and it was actually an HDR, although I'm not sure I combined correctly. I did a lot of experimentation along the way, having said that color temperature and contrast were the big players here.
As far as your comment on context I think this is an excellent point. I think as photographer(s) we or I look at the image so many times that I know the context and the subject, but I forget that it's the one and only time my viewer will see the image. I have to get better at remembering this very important point.
Quick question on HDR - I had three images different exposure compensations - do I post edit each image before combining or combine and then post edit - I did the second approach. I think that's the right one. Thanks. Posted: 03/11/2023 06:28:43
As far as your comment on context I think this is an excellent point. I think as photographer(s) we or I look at the image so many times that I know the context and the subject, but I forget that it's the one and only time my viewer will see the image. I have to get better at remembering this very important point.
Quick question on HDR - I had three images different exposure compensations - do I post edit each image before combining or combine and then post edit - I did the second approach. I think that's the right one. Thanks. Posted: 03/11/2023 06:28:43
This is just me Debbie, but I love the rest of the falls. I think if it had been my photo, I'd have cropped to 1/4 down from the top, and 1/4 in from the right, putting your crop in about the crunch point of the lower right. Just me. Still, very cool.
As for HDR technique, I think it really depends. When you say that you had "three different exposure compensations," what do you mean exactly? Did they have three different exposures? The way I do HDR, is to use the exposure bracketing feature on the camera, which allows the camera the choice on which control (f stop, shutter, or ISO) to vary in order to give me an a) under exposed (according to the camera's perception of an proper, 18% grey exposure), an properly exposed, and an over exposed image (again, according to the camera, and by the number of stops that I've requested).
Then, I use Lightroom (I think it's under the Edit menu, Combine Images...don't quote me) to have the system automatically combine the three exposures. Then, I mess around with the final product.
There are however, other ways to do this, notably in photoshop, with layers.
As for your WB experiments, are you familiar with the LrC Color Grading Panel, and the idea of split toning? It's super powerful, and if you're at the point in your experimentation where you're looking to move into color effects, this might be the panel for you. It's not my thing, but maybe it's for you. Posted: 03/11/2023 09:35:12
As for HDR technique, I think it really depends. When you say that you had "three different exposure compensations," what do you mean exactly? Did they have three different exposures? The way I do HDR, is to use the exposure bracketing feature on the camera, which allows the camera the choice on which control (f stop, shutter, or ISO) to vary in order to give me an a) under exposed (according to the camera's perception of an proper, 18% grey exposure), an properly exposed, and an over exposed image (again, according to the camera, and by the number of stops that I've requested).
Then, I use Lightroom (I think it's under the Edit menu, Combine Images...don't quote me) to have the system automatically combine the three exposures. Then, I mess around with the final product.
There are however, other ways to do this, notably in photoshop, with layers.
As for your WB experiments, are you familiar with the LrC Color Grading Panel, and the idea of split toning? It's super powerful, and if you're at the point in your experimentation where you're looking to move into color effects, this might be the panel for you. It's not my thing, but maybe it's for you. Posted: 03/11/2023 09:35:12
I bracketed the exposure -3, 0, +3 and then combined in Lightroom and edited the final. Sometimes I crop really tight because I post to Instragram, but I will try your recommendation because I do want to the print the image. Color grading - I've played around with it in the past but I'm not really sure what it does. Google to the rescue. Posted: 03/11/2023 10:08:54
Debbie,
I like the horizontal lines and vertical flowing water. The contrast provides visual interest and the color makes it more unique than the typical water fall scenic. You turned this into a lovely abstract image. Posted: 03/09/2023 09:44:28
I like the horizontal lines and vertical flowing water. The contrast provides visual interest and the color makes it more unique than the typical water fall scenic. You turned this into a lovely abstract image. Posted: 03/09/2023 09:44:28
Thank you. Posted: 03/11/2023 10:06:44
Love the ethereal feel of this image. I am sucked into the cascades draw me in and I begin imagining what it would be like to be in a water world. Posted: 03/10/2023 05:22:06
No doubt you have several variations of this photo. All of them probably good. Either way I find the composition of this photo quite calming. Posted: 03/10/2023 14:02:27
I can't do this with water at all, so I am impressed with your effort and photo. I agree with Damon that more of the context would be helpful, and not take away from the blurred waterfall. Left as it is, a pretty blue shot! Posted: 03/18/2023 10:26:27
Thank you Rita. I've been working on my long exposure so I appreciate all the feedback. Posted: 03/29/2023 05:53:23