Making the most of a bad situation...

[SkipRD]

In a previous post I was sort-of whining about having driven hours to Monument Valley only to find less-than-ideal conditions and wondering what one does in such a case. I got some good suggestions as well as some instructive edits to the image I posted as an example. But, as I reported in that post, while I was in MV there was an obviously serious photographer (maybe a pro) and I asked him what he was doing about the terrible light we faced. He said something like, "Make the conditions the point of the picture." At the time, his comment seemed too metaphysical and in any event I didn't understand what he was talking about.

Fast forward... we ended our southwestern trip at Grand Canyon. For a couple days (thankfully not all), the conditions once again weren't great. Cloudless skies, and very hazy, and the canyon walls were basically flat, and the canyon itself just disappeared in the haze. For some reason, the words of the photographer came back to me and I started thinking of ways to be creative with the haze. Here's one shot I took.




Instead of sitting there kicking my tripod because the conditions weren't great, I thought I'd try seeing if there was some way to make the hazy, flat conditions interesting.

Another day, there were a few clouds at sunset but it was still hazy, so again I thought I'd try to do something fun with the haze.

I had to do a composite of several shots to avoid having the foreground completely washed out, although I kept it hazy and mostly flat because that's actually how it looked to the human eye.

Anyway, I know these aren't pro-quality shots, but I am starting to realize that playing the hand you're dealt is its own skill set and, even though I'm still on the newbie end of the spectrum, it can be fun in its own way.

Skip

P.S. I still wish I could have had just one of those spectacular days where great beauty just materializes in front of the lens. But I still had fun.

 

[Just Tim 3]

"Make the conditions the point of the picture."

Exactly, or in other words your vision is the scene you're presented with, at the time, at the place. It is all to easy when sitting in front of your computer to forget that and start processing it with other "classic" shots in mind, to make it look like those shots instead of what is was, the iconic view you saw in another image taken on another day and didn't see when you were there.

I would say that you do yourself a dis-service as they are good images for anybody, don't be too afraid of enhancing for emotional impact rather than reality.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

Yes, very nice.

 

[sabrina81]

"Make the conditions the point of the picture." At the time, his comment seemed too metaphysical and in any event I didn't understand what he was talking about.

Fast forward... we ended our southwestern trip at Grand Canyon. For a couple days (thankfully not all), the conditions once again weren't great. Cloudless skies, and very hazy, and the canyon walls were basically flat, and the canyon itself just disappeared in the haze. For some reason, the words of the photographer came back to me and I started thinking of ways to be creative with the haze. Here's one shot I took.

Good advice and well executed by you. I love pictures like this with "layers" of ridges, and haze is what brings them out. Just as an experiment, I tried increasing contrast below the horizon to increase the sense of depth. Not sure how well it works, but you never know until you try.

 

[hotdog321]

I think you did a wonderful job with the hand you were dealt. I know what you mean about the Grand Canyon--I've been to the North Rim three times and never been very happy with my photos.

I had a similar experience the first time I went to Yosemite. The weather was all gloomy, foggy and rainy for 10 solid days and I was grumpy. Then I started embracing the moody weather and got some really spectacular images of the foggy mountains and wet boulders and full streams.

 

[osv]

Fast forward... we ended our southwestern trip at Grand Canyon. For a couple days (thankfully not all), the conditions once again weren't great. Cloudless skies, and very hazy, and the canyon walls were basically flat, and the canyon itself just disappeared in the haze. For some reason, the words of the photographer came back to me and I started thinking of ways to be creative with the haze. Here's one shot I took.

i like what you did there, and the way that sabrina tweaked it, but i think that there were additional options that you could have looked at, as well... or perhaps you did, and just haven't posted it.

most people who shoot the grand canyon are fixated with including the sky in the shot, because putting sky in landscapes is what all good internet photographers do but it fails to show the detail of the canyon itself, or the shot looks awful because of extreme unnatural hdr attempts to show the canyon.

look at what ansel adams did with the grand canyon, when he was shooting it under contract with the u.s. government... he chose to shoot it in more direct light, and leave the sky completely out of the shot:





i have been to the north rim a couple of times, and i either got dense high clouds or no clouds, so by chance i did the same thing that ansel did there... my processing skills aren't all that good :-0 but with modern gear we can see that there are many layers, and a huge amount of detail, down inside the canyon... the vistas are incredible, easily 20 miles or more across in places.





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dan

 

[Bobthearch]

In a previous post I was sort-of whining about having driven hours to Monument Valley only to find less-than-ideal conditions and wondering what one does in such a case. I got some good suggestions as well as some instructive edits to the image I posted as an example.

I remember that well. All I can say is, I wish I could learn that fast!

Instead of sitting there kicking my tripod because the conditions weren't great, I thought I'd try seeing if there was some way to make the hazy, flat conditions interesting.


I had to do a composite of several shots to avoid having the foreground completely washed out, although I kept it hazy and mostly flat because that's actually how it looked to the human eye.

Anyway, I know these aren't pro-quality shots...

Darn close.

P.S. I still wish I could have had just one of those spectacular days where great beauty just materializes in front of the lens. But I still had fun.

I don't know if it ever does that. And if it did, everyone else would already have the shot.





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Personal non-commercial websites with no ads or tracking:
Local photography: RatonPhotos.com – Local Photography by Bob Wick
Travel photography: Places and Pics – From the Rockies to the Blueys

 

[Bagofdimes]

With the two examples you posted, you have succeeded. I dare say I find those shots quite a bit more interesting than many of the "classic" shots I've seen of the Grand Canyon, Well done.

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

That's interesting, Sabrina. It's basically filtering to produce haloes (which, by the way, the eye might also produce). It's really the effect we would all like to get much of the time. I tried a little bit with unsharp masking with a very large kernel. I thought that should have produced the same effect, but it didn't. How did you do that?

Incidentally, it's a very difficult image to work with, since the foreground has so little exposure. My hat's off to you and the OP.

 

[sabrina81]

That's interesting, Sabrina. It's basically filtering to produce haloes (which, by the way, the eye might also produce). It's really the effect we would all like to get much of the time. I tried a little bit with unsharp masking with a very large kernel. I thought that should have produced the same effect, but it didn't. How did you do that?

I used Topaz Clarity with these settings:

 

[Cerebral Knievel]

Happens all the time. I live in San Francisco, and while many people thinks it's one of the best places to live, for photography, the truth is it's got a great deal working against you in the weather - it's generally either empty skies or fogged in.

As you mentioned that working with the hand your dealt is a key skill set to a professional, I'll toss in another: persistence. Pros travel to spot and often spend 7-10 days to give themselves an increased chance of ideal conditions. That said, do work with what you have - especially if you just drove an hour to get there.

Although I will say, I have driven to a location only to turn around and leave once I looked up to an empty morning sky. ;D

 

[ThrillaMozilla]

I used Topaz Clarity with these settings: ....

That's pretty sophisticated filtration. Thanks.

 

[sabrina81]

I used Topaz Clarity with these settings: ....

That's pretty sophisticated filtration. Thanks.

Yes, it really is. It also has a full set of color controls like the ones in Camera Raw, but for some reason the colors are more responsive in Clarity. Also note there are masks panels for each section, which allows you mask the effects in or out. Topaz Clarity and Topaz Detail (which has the same level of sophistication for sharpening) are two plug-ins that are well worth the cost.

 

[SkipRD]

Thanks to everyone for the comments/suggestions and encouragement.

Sabrina -- I love the effect of the increase in contrast. (I assume Topaz is a plug-in to Photoshop, which I don't have, although I keep thinking I'll bit the bullet and do the monthly subscription thing.)

Dan -- I hadn't seen those Ansel Adams images, and I like your pictures a lot. I did come to realize at one point (when the atmosphere completely cleared out) that if the sky wasn't going to cooperate and be interesting, then I'd just take the sky mostly out of the mix. Here's one, for example:




Atmospheric conditions seemed intent on thwarting my plans, either being hazy and obscuring or cloudless and crystal clear. So I took a stab at this. In looking at other images posted here, I think I could have minimized the sky even more.

My original idea on the trip (where, because this was an RV tour with my wife and not a photo trip, I had to cram photo sessions into a few open moments here and there) was to see if I could develop the skills and techniques to grab a few of the iconic shots at our various stops. (I know, I know ... those are all "trite" and they've been done a gazillion times before, but they haven't been done by me and I'm just learning.) Anyway, because I was never really any place when the "iconic" conditions presented themselves (and I didn't have the chance to do what pros do and camp out until conditions were right), I rarely had the conditions I hoped for. But, as it turned out, I had just as much fun figuring out how to capture any image that would be special for me, even though it wasn't what I originally had in mind.

And I have especially profited from the comments and guidance on this forum. Thanks again.

Skip

 

[osv]

Dan -- I hadn't seen those Ansel Adams images, and I like your pictures a lot. I did come to realize at one point (when the atmosphere completely cleared out) that if the sky wasn't going to cooperate and be interesting, then I'd just take the sky mostly out of the mix. Here's one, for example:

i like the way that you framed and composed that shot, with the white water in it, and the canyon leading the eye into the photo.

the good thing about shooting the grand canyon in daylight is that you can see the colors in the rocks a lot better.

i would suggest being careful about stopping down to f/11 with m4/3, because that setting has the equivalent dof to f/22 on ff... it ends up making the photo soft, without much increase in dof... i can see visible diffraction by f/10 on ff, maybe try running some comparisons with your gear, viewed at 100%.

softness due to diffraction could be more of a problem than haze, in that shot you posted... if the wind is fairly mild, the dust shouldn't be too bad... later versions of photoshop have a de-haze filter, but you can also do it manually.

here is an example of what happens when too much de-hazing gets done :-0 i really screwed up the processing here, that bend in the river is at least 20 miles away, but without natural haze in the shot, it looks like you can almost touch the far wall of the canyon.

it was made worse by the really flat light, there was solid cloud cover the entire day, practically no shadows.

Atmospheric conditions seemed intent on thwarting my plans, either being hazy and obscuring or cloudless and crystal clear. So I took a stab at this. In looking at other images posted here, I think I could have minimized the sky even more.

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dan