<<< o >>>Barcelona #6 7 comments + add yours
chromasia.com

If you ever wondered what the footprint of a world champion skier looked like, now you know. This was taken outside the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, alongside a range of other footprints, and if you're interested the original is here:

.../archives/barcelona_6.php

As you can see, I exposed to the right, to maximise the amount of data in the original capture (as described in my digital workflow tutorial), then used a couple of masked curves to bring out the details in the plaque and the surrounding concrete.

And finally: this one looks much more dramatic with the black theme.

captured
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
cropped?
4.15pm on 23/7/08
Canon 5D
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
52mm
f/4.0
1/500
aperture priority
+2/3
evaluative
100
no
RAW
ACR
1x1
 
1x1 + travel [Barcelona, Spain]
comment by Scott at 08:07 PM (GMT) on 30 July, 2008

incredible processing! you truly are an inspiration!

comment by Steve Tainton at 09:27 PM (GMT) on 30 July, 2008

WOW !! I have to agree with Scott. Fantastic vision and ability to change the bland original image to this striking rich rendition. David, thankyou for the inspiration.

comment by Minh at 11:44 PM (GMT) on 30 July, 2008

Great capture and post-processing! I've read up on exposing to the right, and the idea of maximizing the dynamic range captured and fully understand it's value - but for my style photography (low-light indoor environments, using only available light) I find myself frequently doing the opposite: Deliberately under-exposing shots (in RAW) so I can keep the shutter-speed tight, and then boosting everything in post. I haven't done a thorough analysis but do you have any insights into if it's preferable to overexpose at a higher iso or underexpose at a lower iso, for dark, available-light only circumstances like concerts/bars/parties. You're a master, any ideas would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Minh

comment by Mike at 03:08 AM (GMT) on 31 July, 2008

Nice! All you did to the shot really made it pop. I'm glad you added the description, I really had my fingers crossed for it. I didn't know what it was at first. Really great shot.

comment by djn1 at 08:38 AM (GMT) on 31 July, 2008

Minh: I was reading something about this recently (though can't find the link now). The author suggested that it was better to deliberately underexpose by a couple of stops then boost in post rather than up the ISO, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. When I do I'll let you know.

comment by Tom at 09:05 PM (GMT) on 31 July, 2008

Nice colour, I like this much. I understand your processing - it would be interesting to see the most real like variant next to the "right exposed" and your posted one. Because you say: If you ever wondered what the footprint of a world champion skier looked like, now you know. ...do we really know? ;-) With your skill in post-processing...

comment by Josef Renklint at 09:07 AM (GMT) on 1 August, 2008

Gorgeous tones. I absolutely love it.