Vibrance Activate

Ever see those photos where the scene is impossibly vibrant? Where ever single color popping and every shadow as deep as the ocean's abyss? I think you know what photos I'm talking about. Here are two for example.

Seven Tubs, PA credit: Etan Wish

Chelsea Diner, NY credit:  PJZ

Both of these shots use different options in the post shot processes ranging from contrast to exposure, vibrancy included. There is a major difference in the two photo graphs however. The photo on top is only edited in Photoshop. One photo, with a little tweaking here and there. This method can be quite tedious if done properly. It involves working from dark to light, carefully tweaking to expose curves and shadows. It all depends on how you want your final product to look. I've been using this method on select photos. Other photos I don't want to touch because they came out just the way I wanted them too. When curiosity strikes, the photo may end up in Photoshop just for a little teasing and experimenting.

Now the trained eye can tell that the bottom one is actually an HDR photograph. HDR stands for high dynamic range. The one picture you see is actually anywhere between 3-7 photos blended together. There are settings on most DSLR's that doing the shooting for you automatically! However, just taking the shots (and taking them well) is one step in the process. Using different softwares to blend them together is another story. This method is said to be the most realistic looking photo you can take since it brings out the high, medium and low exposures and uses them to their full potential.

After just learning about HDR this past week, I am working on my first shot. I still need Adobe Bridge, so once I take the moment to grab that, I will begin experimenting on different landscapes. So far, I have found that photos of the sky are simply my favorites. If I had the chance to travel the world to shoot the sky all over, space included, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'll leave you with a another sunset shot I took and edited. Until next post!

Sunset Silhouette - Long Beach, NY credit: Etan Wish