3 replies to this topic

[Merco_61]

This is the last exercise before we take a break over Easter. Hopefully, we will restart with the week ending April 30.

 

First a message from this week's file submitter, nbanjogal.

This image is from a senior portrait session I did last spring. The girl loves to read, so we made several images of her with her books. I look forward to seeing what you do with it!

 

Dropbox file:

Dropbox - 20160504-DSC_5669.NEF - Simplify your life

 

And then the rules:

The exercise is weekly, a new thread with a new raw (preferably) or jpg fine file for each week.

The exercise officially runs until midnight between sunday and monday pst (UTC-8). Even after the official deadline, the exercise is still open for new interpretations.

This is a round-robin exercise, the order of submitting the week’s raw file is based on an alphabetical list of applicants’ user names. If the next submitter on the list is unable to post at his/her turn he/she may ask the thread master to be moved down the list no later than friday morning. Late applications will be added at the bottom of the list.

We will revise this when every applicant has had a go, and perhaps change this model.

 

The submitter for the week must make the file along with any specific text for the post available to the thread master during the weekend preceding the challenge week. The thread master will then copy the file to a Dropbox location for the challenge and make the starting post for the week.

 

The exercise is open to all members, not only the file submitters.

 

Images provided, as well as the images resulting from the exercise remain the sole property of the photographer who took them. Those participating in the editing exercise may not use or display the photo outside the exercise thread.

 

It is allowed to make derivative interpretations on other participants’ work (a collaborative approach). If you base your take on someone else’s work, you must indicate what you started from.

 

The owner of the photo comments on the work done, highlighting what he liked best (both the interpretation itself and the technique used to get there) after the original week is over.

 

As this exercise is a tool for learning and inspiration, multiple entries are not only ok, but encouraged if a participant gets a new idea for how to present or interpret the photo, including artistic interpretations.

 

Participants must share how they have achieved their take on the photo.

 

 

Participants are explicitly not limited as to what software is used for the exercise.

[Bart]

A fine portrait, Nicole! Excellent idea to use her love of books. 

I was quite a reader myself (scifi & fantasy) - a bit too much according to some 

Appealing setting as well.

 

I turned to Capture One again for this exercise.

Applied a 3x4 crop, worked on the lighting, structure, contrast and a slight vignette.

Changed the white balance and explored the colour tool from Capture One.

 

 

Result:

 

I made a b&w conversion in Capture One and used split toning.

 

 

Result:

 

 

 

Finally, I used DxO FilmPack for a Fuji Provia 100F emulation and some minor extra tweaks.

 

 

Result:

 

 

 

Thanks Nicole, for lending us this great senior portrait.

Something that doesn't exist over here, by the way. 

 

An enjoyable editing exercise.

 

 

[deano]

Thanks Nicole for a most though provoking photo.  I love the serenity of it all.

I performed my edit in LR5, gave her a bit more skin tone and darkened her dress, added some color to the tree, cropped a wee bit.  Then converted to B/w in Topaz.

Thanks Nicole for a most though provoking photo.  I love the serenity of it all.

I performed my edit in LR5, gave her a bit more skin tone and darkened her dress, added some color to the tree, cropped a wee bit.  Then converted to B/w in Topaz.

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[nbanjogal]

Bart and deano, thanks for your fantastic interpretations! I'm glad to see that both of you tried a monochrome version with lovely results--I wasn't thrilled with my own tries at black and white because I kept losing the subject, but I do like what both of you have achieved.

 

Bart, I especially like the Fuji Provia emulation--it gives it a retro, Alice-in-Wonderland, otherworldly vibe, which I just love. And as always, you are the master of monochrome--the subject stands out wonderfully and the tones are gorgeous. I may beg you someday to make a short video in which you explain your thought processes as you make your conversions.

 

deano, I love the greens you pulled out in the color version--it makes everything feel so lush and alive. And darkening the dress was a great idea--she stands out so much better against the background with that small change. I like the warmth of the Topaz conversion--didn't realize they had a black and white, though I should have. Heck, maybe I even have it--I have a few of their plug-ins. 

 

 

Here are a couple of my own edits (I didn't include a black and white, though after seeing yours, I may rethink this).

 

My goal was to produce something dreamy and a bit fantastical. I did all my normal Lightroom tweaks (small bumps in contrast, vibrance, sharpening, etc.) and then moved into Photoshop, where I did some selective darkening to highlight the subject and added a fake lens flare on the right. Also added a bit of a haze on the right as well... 

 

 

And the girl in the photograph had mentioned that she thought it would be cool to have fireflies (even though we don't have them in Utah...though recently they have been seen here, so who knows?), so on top of my original edit, I added a glitter overlay to give it a bit of sparkle that looks nothing like fireflies but could maybe provoke that in the imagination.

 

 

Anyway, thanks for your work on this--it's always fun to see what other people do with my images. I'm hoping that I may have a bit more time these days to participate fully in these exercises.