LonPhotography
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Will be uploading pictures again, sorry I had to delete my previous photo thread. Anyways, all of these are taken from my Nikon D60 with a stock 18-55mm lens. I'll be posting some cool experiments and techniques I use in my photography.
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[size=22]High Contrast Cityscapes[/h]
Tools used:
-Microsoft Office Picture Manager
This tutorial will show those without Photoshop or other expensive photo editing and manipulating software how to enhance pictures using built in software for Windows. Even as a basic photo editing software, Microsoft Office Picture Manager can produce some striking results on your photos. My favorite editing tool would be the 'Brightness & Contrast' tool, which allows you to edit the picture's brightness, contrast, midtones, highlights, and shadows.
My main uses for this tool are to increase contrast, which helps make your pictures bolder.
Let's start with a simple picture of a skyscraper taken in Seattle.
Right now, it looks pretty boring. However, the brightness and contrast editor can amplify the colors and make lines much more vivid. We'll get to see some richer shades of blue that will make the skyscraper stand out against the sky.
Here I dramatically increased the contrast while slowly decreasing brightness. Then I increased highlights, slightly increased mid-tones, and darkened shadows all the way to 100. Afterwords I cropped the picture to just include the skyscraper. The result:
After some more cropping and rotating, you can get some really cool results. Click on them for a better view.
Experiment with yourself and see what you can make. Below are some more examples of what I've done by just using Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
^Reminds anyone of Mirror's Edge? :)
Just a reminder that all of these were done just using Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Have fun!
Tools used:
-Microsoft Office Picture Manager
This tutorial will show those without Photoshop or other expensive photo editing and manipulating software how to enhance pictures using built in software for Windows. Even as a basic photo editing software, Microsoft Office Picture Manager can produce some striking results on your photos. My favorite editing tool would be the 'Brightness & Contrast' tool, which allows you to edit the picture's brightness, contrast, midtones, highlights, and shadows.
Spoiler:
My main uses for this tool are to increase contrast, which helps make your pictures bolder.
Let's start with a simple picture of a skyscraper taken in Seattle.
Right now, it looks pretty boring. However, the brightness and contrast editor can amplify the colors and make lines much more vivid. We'll get to see some richer shades of blue that will make the skyscraper stand out against the sky.
Here I dramatically increased the contrast while slowly decreasing brightness. Then I increased highlights, slightly increased mid-tones, and darkened shadows all the way to 100. Afterwords I cropped the picture to just include the skyscraper. The result:
After some more cropping and rotating, you can get some really cool results. Click on them for a better view.
Experiment with yourself and see what you can make. Below are some more examples of what I've done by just using Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
^Reminds anyone of Mirror's Edge? :)
Just a reminder that all of these were done just using Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Have fun!
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Yay! you listened to me.How about some of the country side? BTW you should put those picture's in spoils.
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I'm not sure if I can do countrysides where I live, good ones at least...
Also the pictures are too big to put into spoils. Center alignment doesn't work in spoils so they'll show up to be too big. I'll resize them if I get the chance
Also the pictures are too big to put into spoils. Center alignment doesn't work in spoils so they'll show up to be too big. I'll resize them if I get the chance
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tswarthog
The Iconoclast
This is the problem with "modern" photography. You take a mediocre picture and photoshop the hell out of it until it looks like you took the time to capture a beautiful moment.
You need to go out and work on getting a picture that looks great without any help from post work.
Tips:
-The best lighting is dusk and dawn
-Think about the composition of the photograph you want
-Work outside the box, look at every angle
-Know the rule of 3rds
-If you want to do post photo work make sure it is not bluntly obvious. In each picture shown I would not need to see the original to know it was severely played around with. I recommend looking through some tutorials.
You need to go out and work on getting a picture that looks great without any help from post work.
Tips:
-The best lighting is dusk and dawn
-Think about the composition of the photograph you want
-Work outside the box, look at every angle
-Know the rule of 3rds
-If you want to do post photo work make sure it is not bluntly obvious. In each picture shown I would not need to see the original to know it was severely played around with. I recommend looking through some tutorials.
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Thanks for the tips, and certainly agree with you on most of your points. However, the purpose of my high contrast cityscape post was to teach people on how to use photo editing tools to achieve a certain style. Of course all the photos were obviously edited, but that's what gives it a striking appearance. People without high-end cameras and/or photography tools don't have the capabilities to shoot under certain conditions, and I'm just trying to show them what they can do with some fun experiments. By no means do all the pictures I have end up looking like these.
Also, there isn't anything 'wrong' about modern photography. Even back when I developed my own film, we were taught techniques to 'enhance' our photos such as double exposures and diluting fixer. My goal isn't to "photoshop the hell" out of my pictures, but to make sure that they make an impact. I understand you're view on photography is to keep the picture as close as possible to the original shot, but you should respect the fact that there are other viewpoints as well.
Also, there isn't anything 'wrong' about modern photography. Even back when I developed my own film, we were taught techniques to 'enhance' our photos such as double exposures and diluting fixer. My goal isn't to "photoshop the hell" out of my pictures, but to make sure that they make an impact. I understand you're view on photography is to keep the picture as close as possible to the original shot, but you should respect the fact that there are other viewpoints as well.
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tswarthog wrote...
This is the problem with "modern" photography. You take a mediocre picture and photoshop the hell out of it until it looks like you took the time to capture a beautiful moment.You need to go out and work on getting a picture that looks great without any help from post work.
Tips:
-The best lighting is dusk and dawn
-Think about the composition of the photograph you want
-Work outside the box, look at every angle
-Know the rule of 3rds
-If you want to do post photo work make sure it is not bluntly obvious. In each picture shown I would not need to see the original to know it was severely played around with. I recommend looking through some tutorials.
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Tbh the only way to get good at photography aside from grasping the basics is to practice and practice more. No amount of reading tutorials and/or books will make you better.
Wow my name is really lon wrote...
Thanks for the tips, and certainly agree with you on most of your points. However, the purpose of my high contrast cityscape post was to teach people on how to use photo editing tools to achieve a certain style. Of course all the photos were obviously edited, but that's what gives it a striking appearance. People without high-end cameras and/or photography tools don't have the capabilities to shoot under certain conditions, and I'm just trying to show them what they can do with some fun experiments. And by no means do all the pictures I have end up looking like these. Would be interested in seeing some of your work. Got a flickr link?
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tswarthog
The Iconoclast
Wow my name is really lon wrote...
Thanks for the tips, and certainly agree with you on most of your points. However, the purpose of my high contrast cityscape post was to teach people on how to use photo editing tools to achieve a certain style. Of course all the photos were obviously edited, but that's what gives it a striking appearance. People without high-end cameras and/or photography tools don't have the capabilities to shoot under certain conditions, and I'm just trying to show them what they can do with some fun experiments. By no means do all the pictures I have end up looking like these. Also, there isn't anything 'wrong' about modern photography. Even back when I developed my own film, we were taught techniques to 'enhance' our photos such as double exposures and diluting fixer. My goal isn't to "photoshop the hell" out of my pictures, but to make sure that they make an impact. I understand you're view on photography is to keep the picture as close as possible to the original shot, but you should respect the fact that there are other viewpoints as well.
I understand what you are trying to say here, and I apologize for using the term mediocre.
However your statement about high end camera's is definitely not true. I have gotten some amazing photo's off a old 100% manual Pentax camera, just need the patients for the right weather and lighting.
If your goal here is to take photos that you look at and go "meh why did I take that" and post work it to "ok thats pretty cool compared to what it was" I would look into some photoshoping tutorials. You can add a lot of impact into a picture while keeping the photo looking realistic enough to call the original.
