Evaluate My Photo

[NordicMan]

Two photos from Bayon, Angkor, Cambodia are attached. Your comments and feedback are most welcome

Please note that the photos are manipulated - they are intended as works of art, not scientific reproductions of exactly what my eyes recorded at that time.

These are reduced from 10mp originals, some sharpness and details have been lost.

cheers

NM

[Nordlys]

Are you sure the second shot is also from digital camera? Looks to me like it was shot with infra red film, with red filter and printed on high contrast paper. Nice shot.

[NordicMan]

Are you sure the second shot is also from digital camera? Looks to me like it was shot with infra red film, with red filter and printed on high contrast paper. Nice shot.

hehe, yes, unless someone swapped my Nikon D80 for another camera while I didn't notice.

The cloudy sky was masked in photoshop and I simply used levels to expand the tonal range (from about 100% black to 20% black), and set a gamma for a suitable overall darkness. The statue was masked similarly, and used levels again

I have the 34mb Photoshop file if you would like to take a look...

rgds

nm

Edited December 31, 2007 by NordicMan

[The Vulcan]

I like the second shot and the treatment applied to achieve the effect. Lots of drama and intrigue. A very striking image.

The first shot is a little too artificial for my taste. Superb composition, full of atmosphere and very chilling, but it lacks the "power" that full B+W may have produced.

Hats off to you though for Photoshop competency - arguably two of the best examples I've seen.

[Nordlys]

The cloudy sky was masked in photoshop and I simply used levels to expand the tonal range (from about 100% black to 20% black), and set a gamma for a suitable overall darkness. The statue was masked similarly, and used levels again

In my college days when I took phtography course, in order to get the effect like your 2nd shot I had to use infra red film (B&W). Loading and unloading of the film had to be done in complete darkness (so you can't use most new film SLR with small window on the camera back). In the field, every time when focusing manual correction was applied because the wave length of the infra red is longer than the wave length of the visual lights (in those days lenses had correction indicator in red for infra red photography). Exposure had to be done manually as the light meter for visual light is not much of any good for infra red, so I made 5 or 6 shots of each frame with different exposure settings. Red filter was used on all infra red shots. Film development process was pretty much the same as any other black and white film, except I had to unload the film from camera where I opened the film cassette and wound the film to a reel. When making prints red filter was again applied on the enlarger. I don't remember what printing paper I chose except the brand was Ilford, but I chose high contrast paper to maximize the effect of the infra red. I still have those prints with me, but not a scanner to scan them and share it with you.

Edited January 1, 2008 by Nordlys

[MrSquigle]

I like the second shot, looks metalic.

When you mainipulate shots for arts sake, they can look great and this is a fine example.