Bill Buchanan, HonPSA, FGDC  

Charleston Swamp by Bill Buchanan, HonPSA, FGDC

March 2025 - Charleston Swamp

About the Image(s)

I dug deep into my hard drive for this month’s image, which I captured with my then-new Canon 7D and an 18-135mm kit lens during the 2010 PSA Conference in Charleston, SC.

This image was shot using a manual five-exposure sequence at f/13 and ISO 100. The original RAW files were processed in DxO PureRAW 4, then imported into Photomatix Pro 7.1, where I processed them as an enhanced HDR image. Next, I imported the image into Photoshop for further refinement. Using the Camera Raw filter, I applied a brush mask to tone down the bright areas in the background. I then created an oval mask around the bright foreground area that initially caught my eye, inverted the selection, and darkened the surrounding areas.

Following this, I applied an edge darkening vignette. To finish, I brought the image into Topaz Photo AI for sharpening and noise reduction. The final touch was adding a two-pixel gray stroke around the image.

3 comments posted

Rick Cloran   Rick Cloran
Nicely done. A realistic range of tones and colors, highlights and shadows. The only nit for me is that one bright bit of tree (?) upper edge center, that I would be inclined to remove.   Posted: 03/12/2025 14:07:08
Bill Buchanan   Bill Buchanan
Good catch Rick. I was more worried about the bright tree on the right.   Posted: 03/12/2025 14:17:32
Brad Ashbrook   Brad Ashbrook
Overall you have done a nice job of creating an image by manipulating the light. Perhaps a pinch more darkening around the grass to allow it to stand out a little more and be more of a center of interest.   Posted: 03/17/2025 13:43:20

 

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