Lou McLove
July 2024 - Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Original
About the Image(s)
In the fall of 2022 my friend Pat and I went on a fall color photo tour around Bar Harbor, Maine. Before the tour started we spent a few days traveling around looking at light houses, etc. While doing so I got some interesting drone photos near Boothbay Harbor (and other places).
This is a frame capture from a video I shot with my DJI Mavic. I have some raw images from there but this is the one I like the best. I did some work in Lightroom to enhance the sky but the only major change I made was moving the sailboat. I thought that the lower left of the image looked empty so I moved the boat to that spot.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted
Great shot Lou,
I like the color the water has a little to much texture for me. I would also remove anything small not a boat/anchor in the water . Great scenery. Posted: 07/05/2024 21:53:07
I like the color the water has a little to much texture for me. I would also remove anything small not a boat/anchor in the water . Great scenery. Posted: 07/05/2024 21:53:07
Thanks for the comments Alex. I assume you mean I should remove the white buoys, etc. that are just floating out there. I will give your suggestion regarding the water a try. Posted: 07/06/2024 13:56:59
Lou, I like the photo with the boat moved. If I zoom way in, I think I see that the water ripples do not quite match thos that are in that area. But if I had not known what you did, I would not have noticed even if I zoomed in.
Great job. Posted: 07/08/2024 00:31:41
Great job. Posted: 07/08/2024 00:31:41
A lovely picture of the harbor! I like the subject and the composition, and I like what you did in moving the sailboat (the reflection edges from that boat are a little too stark. I suggest trying to soften them up a little bit).
But the image processing looks worse, quite frankly, than the original. You have vastly over-sharpened the photo, you have lightened and removed the color from the trees, and you have let the sky go to an unnatural cyan color. I also see a slight halo along the top of the treeline at the sky. The sharpening gives the photo a look I have heard described as "crunchy". I would suggest going back and removing the sharpening. If you want to sharpen some of the objects, then I recommend applying it lightly to specific objects, mostly in the foreground. The buildings along the water are part of the background and shouldn't be as sharp as the foreground. Be careful with the water, you don't want to sharpen it until it loses its color and takes on that crunchy look.
It is ok to darken the sky, but Photoshop/Lightroom tends to change the color to cyan when you do that. Try adding a tiny bit of magenta back in to give it a more natural sky color. I would try to leave the horizon at the treeline lighter so you don't get the halo. Posted: 07/08/2024 00:52:15
But the image processing looks worse, quite frankly, than the original. You have vastly over-sharpened the photo, you have lightened and removed the color from the trees, and you have let the sky go to an unnatural cyan color. I also see a slight halo along the top of the treeline at the sky. The sharpening gives the photo a look I have heard described as "crunchy". I would suggest going back and removing the sharpening. If you want to sharpen some of the objects, then I recommend applying it lightly to specific objects, mostly in the foreground. The buildings along the water are part of the background and shouldn't be as sharp as the foreground. Be careful with the water, you don't want to sharpen it until it loses its color and takes on that crunchy look.
It is ok to darken the sky, but Photoshop/Lightroom tends to change the color to cyan when you do that. Try adding a tiny bit of magenta back in to give it a more natural sky color. I would try to leave the horizon at the treeline lighter so you don't get the halo. Posted: 07/08/2024 00:52:15
Thanks for the comments Drema. I appreciate your in depth suggestions. I am going to redo this image. Posted: 07/08/2024 12:29:10
Hey Lou, great shot, the coast of Maine offers some great opportunities for photographers. In the post processing the reflection of the sailboat looks unnatural, especially when comparing it to the original. I also agree with the comments mentioned above. Posted: 07/09/2024 00:12:01
Thanks or the comments Richard. I got carried away in post processing :) Posted: 07/09/2024 20:57:35
As we all have done at one time or another. Posted: 07/10/2024 16:26:50
Once again as the last person to comment a lot of my thoughts have been picked up already. Yes, the water in particular looks unnaturally sharpened.
I also struggled with getting exactly what you wanted your viewers to look at. My eye just seems to wander everywhere.
And, if you were staying in the area, taking this image later/earlier in the day would have been better. Posted: 07/17/2024 02:43:49
I also struggled with getting exactly what you wanted your viewers to look at. My eye just seems to wander everywhere.
And, if you were staying in the area, taking this image later/earlier in the day would have been better. Posted: 07/17/2024 02:43:49
Thanks for the comments Pete. The water does look unnatural, good question about the main focus point, I guess I just like the image. Unfortunately I was not staying in the area. Posted: 07/17/2024 13:04:37