John Gough Photography
Two Trees / John Gough / iPhone 7
It is ironic that the first pictures I take in 2019 were taken on a smartphone. I have never been an advocate of iPhone photography for ‘serious’ work, but I was obviously up my own arse.
Over the holiday, I have been following artists like Glenys Garnett who have inspired me to do more with layers and blending modes this year.
Welcome to 2019 and a Happy New Year.
Coffee at The Mitre / John Gough / Sony a6300
I was out and about in Cambridge yesterday with my camera, and I was accosted by an elderly lady. She thought that because I was carrying a camera, I must be a snoop from the council. That is just one of the hazards of street photography. Had I been carrying a big DSLR, she would have assumed I was a proper photographer. However, a small camera like the Sony a6300 can unfortunately make you seem like a furtive fellow.
The picture above was taken there. The couple look delighted to have been caught on camera. I was having a good day!
I created the moody monochrome image using Silver Efex Pro2, from the Google Nik Collection.
The Google Nik Collection is the best free resource for photographers available on the web. In 2016 when Google decided not to support the software further, it went on to provide the software free to photographers. This was both good and bad news. The software was free, but it was never going to to be updated. However, a month or so ago it was agreed that DxO acquire the Nik Collection, and fortunately they plan to continue to develop it. A revised version will be available mid 2018.
It is still possible to download the existing software, including Silver Efex for monochrome post processing here.
This is a note to myself about how the image was processed.
In Lightroom, there are the usual workflow: exposure, sharpness and white balance adjustments to process from RAW. The image was then desaturated to -31, the vibrance taken down to -29 and the clarity pushed up to +71. Reducing the colour to provide a dark and moody presence. I also added a shallow tone curve and imperceptible vignette.
Removed the reflection of myself and used the burn tool to tone down the interior of the pub, reducing lights and reflections.
Processed to mono using preset 23 Wet Rocks and film type Agfa APX Pro 100.
To achieve that look, without Silver Efex would be impossible for an amateur retoucher like myself. Furthermore, in the distant analogue days it would have taken hours of work in the darkroom to achieve the same results.
Learn more:
I recently entered an event at Bedford Camera Club, where we were presented with six photographs in RAW. Our objective was to process three images and present back how we did it. These are my notes, about how I went about trying to make these photos pop in Lightroom and Photoshop. I have not explained the technical details, but I have included some links to all the technical information..
Amazon have a good deal on Lightroom and Photoshop at the moment:
This is the first image in RAW. Looks very drab and ordinary, BEFORE processing.
Image 1 BEFORE
The picture is grey and washed out. There is no detail in the sky. There is no real focus on what the subject is. There is too much foreground. The edges are messy. The detail in the pebbles and brickwork are lost.
Image 1 AFTER
This is the second image in RAW. At least there is some interest in this image, but despite the magnificent architecture, it is drab and unexciting.
Image 2 BEFORE
This image has an odd sepia cast, as if the white balance needs correction. The detail in the sky is probably not worth trying to recover and could be replaced. The picture is dark and lacks detail. There is no real focus on the subject, the photograph is not about the two pigeons in the foreground.
Image 2 AFTER
This is the third image in RAW. There is a picture in there somewhere trying to get out.
Image 3 BEFORE
The detail in the columns is lost. There is no real colour so would it be better in black and white? The portrait mode makes the picture mostly pavement. The two nuns should be made the focus of the image.
I am fascinated by digital post production. However, I am still very much in the foothills in the journey to master Photoshop especially. If you want to see just what can be achieved, look at the books and videos of Glyn Dewis.
