photo talk » One Fine Picture

Airport after Dark

night photography, photo talk No Responses »

May 142011

I love night photography and when my local photography group (CPS) arranged a field trip to Burke Lakefront Airport, I grabbed my gear and took off.

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This is Northeast Ohio’s primary general aviation airport, handling about a hundred thousand operations a year from its two runways. Burke also hosts the annual Labor Day weekend Cleveland National Air show.

After moving around to avoid a large metal trash bin facing dead center in the approaching sunset, I settled in a corner of the grass that overlooked this small craft.
I was pleased with the image until some friends asked me how I got those wild colors. This was one of the those rare images that I took from the camera and just added a little sharpening…no levels, curves, nothing. If I Photoshop an image, I really don’t want it to look that obvious, but how do you make a real image look ‘more real?’

Before and After

Looking at the sunset closer, I realized that the camera captured the colors wrong. Digital technology always tries to create the best possible midtones because usually that’s where the action is — especially with pictures of people. So, a scene with a bright sunset and a dark plane shadow overwhelms the camera’s tiny circuits as it tries to figure out what’s important in the image.

Selective Color

Here the red sky looks too purple rather than the golden brown hue that I remember. So, I used a feature present in Photoshop CS and up called selective color. This is used by professional printers to change just about any color in CMYK or RBG and neutrals – plus it has the benefit of being able to add pure black to an RBG image.

I choose the magenta control and decided to take some magenta away. Taking the magenta out of the magenta might not seem intuitive but it diminished that purple color throughout the image. I then added yellow and black and recreated the sunset that I remembered.

More to come…

Shooting the past

camera settings, other stuff, photo talk No Responses »

Jul 092010

Shot an amusement park today, not the usual kind with bright lights, cotton candy and whirling noises — no, this one had been dead for some thirty years.

It’s not often that you get the chance to photograph the remains of what used to be a thriving family activity spot. Closed because of declining attendance, Chippewa park has been largely untouched except for the ravages of Mother Nature. A total tear down complete with bulldozers was scheduled for next month.

A rusted out Ferris wheel, several decaying shacks, and scattered metal carnage that used to form roller coaster tracks filled the twenty acre property. Some things never change though — there was an entrance fee of $10.

Rollercoaster rides and a rusted rail	Inside the fun house

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First stop was the Ferris wheel. The only reason this still stood upright was that a healthy vibrant tree grew embedded through the center.

But what angle to position the camera?

Always a tough call to find that view that 10 other photographers haven’t taken. Tried the bull’s-eye shot — a big blob in the center of the print, but these pics always strike me as boring and unimaginative. The judges in my photo club call these ‘record shots’ to be nice, meaning for my records only and not to be shared or seen by anyone else.

Ferris Wheel	Side View	Unhappy Clown

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However, I’ve found a simple strategy when I’m stuck for ideas called ‘move your feet.’ Precious nuggets of advice like these are doled out at photographic workshops costing $5000 and for good reason — it works!

Problem is this rule is always tough to remember once you’re settled with a tripod and ready to take shots for the rest of the day from your own private spot of earth.

I managed to unglue myself and circled the wheel while avoiding broken beer bottles and sharp corroded metal wires from some of the amusement rides.

Not exactly pleased with the result but then I used another proven strategy called ‘turn around,’ and found this gem of a broken down gatehouse on a hill.