Tonight I feel a bit like a mad scientist. For some unknown reason I got an itch to try something totally new in Lightroom and Photoshop. I made this image of bison grazing in the meadow at Mormon Row in the Tetons while there a couple weeks ago. Straight out of the camera the image wasn’t terribly exciting but I felt it had potential. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that my images are generally pretty straightforward. I don’t apply creative effects and I process the images to look more or less like the scene did when I photographed it. A little tweak of contrast here, add some saturation there, darken a sky now and again and do a little dodge and burning – voila, the final image appears. I have nothing at all against images that have been heavily manipulated. Photography is an art and we should feel free to create our art on our own terms.
Now, I have obviously taken some serious creative liberties with this image. For starters, my camera doesn’t make square photos. I used a fairly heavy digital grad filter to darken the sky with a heavy dose of clarity to give more separation in the clouds, added some global negative vibrance to mute the colors, made a curves adjustment to increase contrast, dodged the bison to make them stand out a bit more from the meadow, added a vignette and some “grain” – all in Lightroom 3. I exported the image to Photoshop CS4 and experimented with different blurs using the gradient tool to keep the bison sharp-ish while blurring out the background. I didn’t like the results of any of those efforts. What to do? Hmmm…
I decided to see what Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 could do for the image. I used their “Classic Soft Focus” filter first, painting on the effects only where I wanted them. I was getting closer but something was still missing. I tried a few other filters that didn’t work out before discovering the “Glamour Glow” filter. A very subtle application gave me the results I was looking for, again brushed on sparingly. I used Nik Viveza 2 to add some additional global contrast and whiten the whites. The final step was to use Nik Sharpener Pro to sharpen only the bison. What you see here is the final result of all that wackiness. Total processing time: about 35 minutes.
I think one of the greatest attributes of digital photography is that it has opened up a whole new world of creativity, both in the field and in post-production. When it doesn’t cost a penny to click the shutter most photographers are more willing to try new things, experiment with composition and stretch the boundaries of what they’re comfortable with. Things get even more exciting in the digital darkroom with panoramic image stitching, HDR, blended exposures, an endless variety of filters and plug-ins, not to mention what is possible with nothing more than Lightroom and Photoshop. And, if you don’t like the results of your weird science, it’s real easy to go back to square one and start all over!
What do you think? Some have said this image is “too flat”. Some simply don’t get it. That’s cool. Certainly, this is not the kind of processing that is going to appeal to everyone. I’m just really curious to hear your comments as I really stepped out of my comfort zone with this one. Be as harsh and critical as you dare. I’m a big boy and I can take it. What have you done to experiment and broaden your creative vision? Let’s hear some ideas!
5 Responses to “Unleashing the Mad Scientist Within”
pj finn says:
I read the comments elsewhere on this where some said it was too flat and that there wasn’t enough separation between mountains and sky, etc. I don’t agree. I think this one captures the sense of an impending storm very effectively.The only distracting notes in my opinion are the dark corners in the sky. To me they are just a little too black on the bigger version.
As far as a grainy look goes, why not? I’ve used film for years, and often chose a grainy film just for the feel it can give certain photographs. Grain is a part of the language of photography. Why not use it?
To me, all in all it’s very well done. And that’s my two cents.
Nat Coalson says:
I like it. But I think the most important point is just the act of stepping out of your comfort zone. Whatever the results turn out to be (and often, they will be “failures”) pushing your creativity to new heights always involves a bit of discomfort…. maybe even “nervousness”. The key is to just keep pushing.
Mike says:
I think it looks great! Whether subconsciously or not, we can get caught typically editing photos for what we think would look good for publication, since that’s one of the main end goals. I think this is a great reminder and a great step in the direction of a typical photo standing out uniquely because of what you did to it. It’s a step in the right direction of being much more artistic which would capture the attention of an entirely different audience.
It’s been a while since I’ve stepped out on the creative edge like that, but I’m definitely feeling more inspired to head back in that direction after reading this.
Ray Beair says:
I’ve always admired your dedication to producing an image very true to what you saw at the moment. Having stood next to you several times as you gave me great opportunities for memorable images, I know I likely saw those scenes a bit differently and may have chosen to interpret them with a bit more color or contrast when I processed them. Is one photographer more right than the other? Does it matter? I would think what really matters is whether or not the scene remains true to your feelings. This image is truly strong in content and dramatic in scope. Whether or not it fits the eye of everyone is not nearly as important as the potential for growth on your part from doing this experiment. You seemed to have taken an image with potential and found ways to bring stength to the final image. I say congratulations and echo Nat when he says “The key is to just keep pushing.” I have a feeling we’re about to see an enhanced Bret Edge but I’ll bet we’ll still recognize his “style.”
Bret Edge says:
Thanks for leaving a comment, Ray, Nat and Mike.
Mike: I’d love to see the results of one of your experiments. Feel free to check in, leave another comment and include a link to the image. Also love to hear about your experience stepping out of the box to develop the image.
Ray: As always, you’ve really helped me to think about what it is I do and why I do it. I think Nat is right, too. Pushing ourselves to step out of the comfort zone is possibly the most important step we can take to continue to develop our creativity.