Paddling across Inchmarnock Sound under a fantastic skyscape.
If you would like to download the March desktop, it is available in sizes of 1920x1200, 1280x1024, 1024x768 and 800x600.
For best results, do not use the photos from this blogger site but visit the Scottish Sea Kayaking Photo Gallery and click on the size of your desk top. Most visitors to this site use 1280x1024 or 1024x768. You can check your desktop size by right clicking anywhere on it then left click properties then left click settings.
Other months to follow....
Most excellent image! Again!
ReplyDeleteThank you Silbs :o)
ReplyDeleteLovely cloud formations, thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to get a copy of the unPhotoshopped original? I find the 'Readybrek glow' effect a bit distracting from a wonderful image.
Mark R
Hello Mark, thank you :o)
ReplyDeleteI attach a link to the original image, as you can see I have just straightened the horizon and tweaked the curves to make the clouds at the top a lighter whiter.
I specifically wanted the photo to emphasise the clouds so I used a hard edged neutral density filter that cuts out two stops of light from the top of the photo. I had lined the graduated edge up with the horizon but as the kayak tipped, you can see the edge of the filter effect on the distant hills to the right of the photo.
Top Gear TV programme often use a similar graduated filter with a warming brown tint but all my filters are neural tint.
I also underexposed the whole image by a further 0.7 stop using the camera exposure compensation.
In straightforward photos, the detail and colour in most clouds get burned out by overexposure.
The orange glow in this photo is the result of a low winter sun behind the clouds.
Because the gradient effect was achieved with a filter, when the photo was taken, I can't "unphotoshop" it. However, I notice I have missed out the March from the title so I will need to redo them, I could try tweaking the colour saturation down a bit.
Hope the background photo details are of interest.
Thanks Douglas, I'll use that image on my desktop - and thanks for taking the time to explain how you produced the pic. I should have recognised the grad filter, but I didn't.
ReplyDeleteActually what I was referring to in the editted image was the 'glow' that you see around the paddlers, close up. This irritating effect is generated in dark/light contrast areas when you 'tweak the curves' or otherwise play with exposure in Photoshop - if you're not familar with what I mean, see
http://bp2.blogger.com/_YDeW6uBEz2o/RydroZQ4miI/AAAAAAAAB5k/W4hw0RLtweI/s1600-h/071020DSC00899.jpg or
http://bp3.blogger.com/_YDeW6uBEz2o/RumwKf6XlsI/AAAAAAAABtw/nd_WWEu8wdk/s1600-h/070718IMG_1861.jpg for more pronounced examples (see the tops of the cliffs).
Hope that's helpful. These days I am 100% guilty of PSing my photos to within an inch of their lives! The difference of course is that yours don't really need it ...
Best wishes,
Mark R
Hello Mark, thanks for the other examples, that's very helpful, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe halo, or high contrast edge effect, is originally created by the digital sensor in the camera, it is then exaggerated as a compression artifact by a large amount of compression when saving as a jpg. I usually use 4 on a scale of 1 to 12, worst quality to best quality.
I do this with most photos to try and deter people from pinching them for books etc. The printer usually emails asking for a better copy!
Another way of worsening the edge effect is to sharpen the photo using something like the USM tool in Photoshop. I tend not to sharpen photos for on screen viewing because of this.
As my desktop calendar photos already have my identity plastered all over them, I will save them again at higher jpg settings this should greatly reduce the halo.
:o)