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Raw Editing
 
 
 
 | When editing this second image I decided to use a stylised approach, to enhance colours within the photo. The original image itself did not need much touching up as the exposure, sharpness and colours were all true to life. Therefore to begin with I simply increased the blacks to +17 using the blacks tool on the Basic tab. This defined some of the details, especially on the tree and pedestrians. I also thought the image was slightly too dark, therefore I increased the fill light. The reason for choosing fill light rather than exposure was due to the fact the sky in the top left hand corner was already bright, therefore changing the fill light would enhance other areas of the image without overexposing this corner. When it came to changing the colours within the image, I decided to increase the most prominent colours within the image, making them brighter and more eye catching than they usually would be. The most notable colour was red, therefore i decided to increase the saturation of red on the HSL/grayscale tab. I then continued to lower the shades of green, however increase the green saturation. This enhanced the brightness in the yellow of leaves on the trees, making a more eyecathing image. Next, I chose to lower the blue saturation within the image. This gave contrast between the colourful trees and traffic barriers in comparison to the dull concrete. In the final step I chose to make the blacks more prominent using the blacks tool on the Basics tab. This was due to the fact that some of the detail had been lost when changing colours and saturation.
One technique I wanted to apply to one of my photographs was to create an image which visually resembled those of Cartier-Bresson's. To do this, I immediately changed the saturation of the image so there was no colour, only grayscale. I used the basics tab to decrease the saturation all the way down to -100 to ensure no colour was present within the image. I then darkened the shades of black by increasing the Blacks to +16. This created a look similar to those taken by Cartier-Bresson and the Magnum agency. I also used the recovery tool to add more detail where some was lost during capturing, increasing recovery to +15. To finish I used the tone curve editing tab to change the highlights. Increasing this to +64 brightened areas of the image, particularly shadows which had been overemphasised when increasing the Blacks, thus defining edges. The reason I chose this image to create a Cartier-Bresson look was due to the presence of stillness combined with motion, giving a sense of the decisive moment. Lack of clutter in the foreground juxtaposed with the presence of many people in the background also draws focus on the primary point location. The immediate change I made to this image was to use the recovery tool on the Basics tab. Ths was due to the fact areas of the image had been lost during capturing. I increased recovery to +100 in order to see the white building in the background alongside the overcast sky. I then continued to increase the fill ight to +11 in order to brighen elements in the foreground of the image. I then also increased the blacks to +11 to define outlines and details. Using the HSL/Grayscle tab, I then decreased the saturation of the reds to -48, and the oranges to -3. This was to draw the viewer's attention away from some elements in the image, particularly the bright red bins to the left, and make the girl on the bike more prominent. I also chose to increase the saturation of purples and magentas within the image to +52 and +83. I hoped this would brighten the frame of the bicycle, therefore drawing the eye to this area. Then I decreased the luminance of the blues to -66. This was done due to the fact the 'Ogle Road' sign was slightly over exposed. changing the luminance of the blues therefore defined the details in this area without defacing much of the rest of te image. Lastly, using the Effects tab I decided to use post crop vignetting in order to frame the image. This was used to draw the viewer's eye away from the edge of the photograph (where there are few points of interest) and make it more likely that they will look centrally, where the girl is placed.
Deconstruction of image: Horizon line: Usually, a high horizon line tends to draw attention on elements in the foreground of the image. Additionally, a low horizon line will tend to draw focus on visuals in the background. I personally feel that this convention is broken within this photograph, as the horizon line is placed just lower than the centre of the image. This would typically mean that the eye would tend to be slightly more drawn to the background elements. This is not the case for this photo, as the wall to the right of the image helps to bring focus to the girl riding the bike, situated in the foreground. Rule of thirds: The rule of thirds has been adhered to, as shown to the left, as the girl on the bike is situated where these intersections cross. This helps draw focus to this part of the image, making it a primary point location. This also reinforces the importance of this element of the image. Following the rule of thirds helps balance the image and draw attention to the primary visuals. Of course, this rule does not always have to be followed, and breaking it can create contravertial and memorable images. Use of lines: The presence of the wall to the right hand corner of the images also helps to draw attention to the centre of the image through visual lines. This draws the audience's eye down the edge of the wall, to the primary point location. This is shown here using the red arrow. Yin Yang theory: Good/bad opposites? The way in which this image is split into two sectors reveals much about the context and meaning behind elements within it. To the left of the image, large office buildings, superstores and industrial bins, connote a messy, commercial, city lifestyle. The right half of the image has bright trees, signifying life, and a sign for a small, independent car wash business. These two elements show differring contexts and are therefore are juxtaposed against each other to create visual meaning. The way in which the girl is moving from the left to the right could signify how she may be about to bring trouble from the city lifestyle into the quieter area. The decisive moment: There is also evidence of the decisive moment, as the image was captured just at the moment the girl on the bike was revealed from behind the wall. Any sooner and the girl would not have been wholly in shot, any later and the bike would have already passed by. The stilness of every element of the image indicates a fast shutter speed and enhances the presence of the decisive moment. |
