Ken Lee
7-May-2007, 06:21
In this thread (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=24969) on TMAX film, it was pointed out that one of my photos showed a nice control of tones, and I was asked twice to discuss my scanning method in detail.
My scanning method is pretty much like everyone else's - and like the rest of us, I only show the photos that look nice, and toss out the duds.
My teacher imparted two basic lessons to which I have always returned. They are really two sides of the same coin. One is: observe how tones change, depending on neighboring tones. The other is: find the most visually delightful part of the image, and don't bother to photograph the rest.
Here is an example of the first principle.
The original photo:
http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/dv1.jpg
A modified photo: In Photoshop, I selected the background shade, and lightened it to something else. Nothing else has changed. Please overlook my clumsy use of the "magic wand" tool.
http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/dv2.jpg
Now the flowers look much more dull. No burning or dodging. No adjustment curves. The whole photo is just... blah.
I don't own any lights: I shoot next to the dining room window, and in this image, you can tell that the light is pretty mediocre... or is it ?
My scanning method is pretty much like everyone else's - and like the rest of us, I only show the photos that look nice, and toss out the duds.
My teacher imparted two basic lessons to which I have always returned. They are really two sides of the same coin. One is: observe how tones change, depending on neighboring tones. The other is: find the most visually delightful part of the image, and don't bother to photograph the rest.
Here is an example of the first principle.
The original photo:
http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/dv1.jpg
A modified photo: In Photoshop, I selected the background shade, and lightened it to something else. Nothing else has changed. Please overlook my clumsy use of the "magic wand" tool.
http://www.kennethleegallery.com/images/forum/dv2.jpg
Now the flowers look much more dull. No burning or dodging. No adjustment curves. The whole photo is just... blah.
I don't own any lights: I shoot next to the dining room window, and in this image, you can tell that the light is pretty mediocre... or is it ?