John Larson, FPSA, MPSA2
November 2023 - Split Rock Lighthouse
Original
About the Image(s)
My wife Carolyn and I made a trip to Duluth, MN for my sibling reunion. I had to walk down many steps to get to the bottom near Lake Superior. I entered the color version image of this lighthouse in a few exhibitions and got lukewarm responses.
Creation Date (xmp): 2022-06-14T17:03:29, Camera Make: Canon, Camera Model: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Original Date/Time: 2022-06-14T17:03:29,Exposure Time: 1/160, Shutter Speed: 1/160.00, Aperture: 9.29, F-stop: f/25.0
ISO Speed: 800, Lens: TAMRON 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD B028, Focal Length: 64.00
Post processing: Used Extract detail on Nik Color Efex to bring out more detail in sky. Cropped and applied normal LR color adjustments and then Photo AI. For the last step I used Silver Efex Pro to convert to Black and White.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
7 comments posted
Hi John, don't know if this is your first image in this group but if so, welcome. You say this image got lukewarm responses when in colour and there may be a couple of reasons for that. The colour version is a little flat and need more contrast. Another reason might just be that the subject didn't appeal to whoever was looking at it. I think you can say that this a record shot of what was there and as such you've captured the lighthouse well. It is sharp and well composed with good verticals. But like the colour version I think it needs more contrast to create more of an impact - if that is fact what you want to do. I see you use Nik Silver Efex and Color Efex so it should be possible to experiment with a few of their options to bring more impact to this image and in particular, the sky. Posted: 11/03/2023 17:38:52
Hi John,
Nice composition of the lighthouse. Well exposed. Sharp details. The scene has many interesting elements. I see more detail in the color image. The elements( rock formation, foliage, water) blend together in the black and white version. As Peter suggested, more contrast is needed. I would increase the vibrance and saturation in the color image before converting it to black and white. It helps with the contrast. Overall the image is well captured. It just needs a few post processing tweaks to give it the attention it deserves. Very nice shot. Posted: 11/04/2023 20:09:13
Nice composition of the lighthouse. Well exposed. Sharp details. The scene has many interesting elements. I see more detail in the color image. The elements( rock formation, foliage, water) blend together in the black and white version. As Peter suggested, more contrast is needed. I would increase the vibrance and saturation in the color image before converting it to black and white. It helps with the contrast. Overall the image is well captured. It just needs a few post processing tweaks to give it the attention it deserves. Very nice shot. Posted: 11/04/2023 20:09:13
Hi John -- A very pretty little lighthouse. I find myself wanting more from this image than it's giving me. I feel like I want to know more context for the Great Lakes environment around the impressive rock and this rather decorative lighthouse. It's a nice documentary shot but I'm having trouble with the tight vertical cropping. Just a thought! Welcome to the group. Posted: 11/05/2023 16:57:33
I increased the contrast and vibrance before converting to Black and White. I think it improved the image??? Posted: 11/07/2023 21:26:41
Yes, John. The image is sharper. The contrast brought out the nice texture in the rock formation. The water looks better too. Good job. Posted: 11/07/2023 22:00:55
John, I like both images. My favorite part is the light house. I used camera raw in photoshop and selected the lighthouse and gave it more contrast and darkened it a little. I flipped the image. I darkened the sky too. I used High Pass to sharpen the image. Posted: 11/18/2023 20:21:14
John - welcome into the group!
Great subject. I think your image conveys a cold and blustery day - which is the right way to go walking by the coast.
For my attempts to play with your image - I created two images in Nik - one for contrast (which I sharpened) and one for atmosphere - and then in photoshop I blended the two together using a slider until I was happy. Finally I used curves to adjust the contrast (though I confess I am often too heavy handed with this).
Oh, yes, and I eliminated the other tourists by painting them out (noise elimination I call it :-) ). Posted: 11/19/2023 17:27:21
Great subject. I think your image conveys a cold and blustery day - which is the right way to go walking by the coast.
For my attempts to play with your image - I created two images in Nik - one for contrast (which I sharpened) and one for atmosphere - and then in photoshop I blended the two together using a slider until I was happy. Finally I used curves to adjust the contrast (though I confess I am often too heavy handed with this).
Oh, yes, and I eliminated the other tourists by painting them out (noise elimination I call it :-) ). Posted: 11/19/2023 17:27:21