It Needed Something

Recently I was searching my Lightroom Catalog for some images from Palouse.   While the image featured in this blog was not the one I was looking for, it is the one that I decided to work on.

When I'm in the field sometimes I will take  an image that I know exactly how I want to process, but not always.  Sometimes it's just about the composition.  That was the case with this image.

I think the composition is fine for the most part.  Although I wish there was a little more detail inside the barn on the right side,  I don't think this is a deal breaker either.  At the bottom of this post is the original unprocessed image for reference. 

Here is my layers palette from the finished image.  I use layers in photoshop so I'm always working in a non destructive workflow.  What this mean is I can always step back or start over without adversely affecting the original image.  Since I'm starting from Lightroom you could argue that I always have the original raw file so no harm would come from working in a more destructive manner.  While this is true, it would also mean that I need to go all the way back to the beginning.  Another option is to use the history palette in photoshop for stepping backward.  Then there is also smart objects, but I'm getting off topic.  The wonderful thing about powerful programs like Photoshop is there are often multiple ways to reach the same destination.

Back to the original image (See bottom of page).  I found the ladder and the tiny triangle of sky to be distracting.  I first tried to remove the ladder with content aware fill in Photoshop.  I was not happy with the result so I then tried Snap Heal from MacPhun and it did a perfect job of removing the ladder.  The triangle was easily removed at the same time.  Some might think the tree overhanging the roof on the left side of the frame is a problem.  I don't in this case because the tree leaves are contained within the roof so the roof line is unbroken, also the direction of the truck moves your eye to the left and toward the car in the background.

Next up I used Nik Color Effects Pro Contrast Filter and the Foliage filter to enhance the green grass behind the truck.  The top of the image was brighter due to the reflective nature of the roof so I used a graduated neutral density filter to tone down the roof so your eye would not be drawn up away from the truck.

At this point I still found the image to be a little uninteresting  so I decided to try a painterly effect using Topaz Impression.  Upon opening in Impression, I liked the initial look and hit ok and moved the image back to PS.  I applied a black mask and at first intended to paint in the background at 100% opacity and the truck at 50% or something less.  After doing this and not liking the result I finished painting the truck and the result was 100% painterly effect from Topaz Impression.

I'm not a big fan of applying a Vignette to my images.  The reason is most of the work I see online, this technique is heavy handed and obvious.  I want to direct your eye without being obvious.  I used Viveza to apply control points to darken the foreground and background without being obvious about my intentions.

If you want to try adding a painterly look to your images I recommend either Topaz Impression or Alien Skin Snap Art.  Links and discount codes are available on our website.

Original Image

The Palouse in Color

In my last Blog I focused on the use of an Infrared Converted Camera and how the Palouse is perfect for Infrared photography.   In this blog I want to share a few of my color images from this trip.  As I mentioned in the last blog we love the Palouse!  The diversity of the landscape and almost every day has beautiful clouds.  This trip we were treated to some incredible storm clouds as well.

P.S.   If would like to see a few more color images from the Palouse, head on over to the Road Runner Blog.

The Ever Changing, The Ever Constant Palouse

We just finished up what has become our bi-annual tour of the Palouse.  For those who don’t know the Palouse it is the largest wheat growing region in the country.  But we love the Palouse for its large rolling hills that resemble the shape of sand dunes. The farmers in the Palouse also grow a variety of legumes and canola but wheat is the primary crop.  The fields are often partially planted which presents a ribbon of color and textures.  Throw in some iconic barns and we think you end up with a photographers paradise.

The ever constant part of the Palouse is its iconic small towns, dirt roads and farms.  With each visit so much remains the same.  The people are very friendly and welcoming, very little seems to change.
The ever changing part of the Palouse can partially be attributed to its current popularity.   During the pre-tour scouting tour we happened upon a favorite old farm site to find the smoldering remains of a beautiful red barn.  We asked a nearby farmer if he knew what happened, but he did not.  In talking with some of our friends who also lead workshops we heard of a second barn that burned to the ground and we heard rumors of another photographer who was doing woolies in the area.  We have no way to know for sure that this beautiful old barn succumbed to a such a fate,  but it would not be the first time in recent memory that an iconic location was damaged from this technique.   (Full disclosure, we occasionally shoot woolies, but we always do it in a safe and responsible manner.)

We rolled up on another favorite location during our pre-workshop scouting that had signs posted “No Photos”.  This owner has a restored Texaco station on his property with a nice collection of old trucks.   We have visited this location several times over the last few years.  But it seems a large workshop group invaded the property at 6:00 AM recently, not considering this this is also this gentleman’s home.    As I mentioned above, the people of the Palouse are very friendly and will welcome strangers onto their land, but the key is to seek permission.   This past trip I had several people thank me for asking.  I assume that is because there are others who don’t ask for permission.

I think most landscape photographers subscribe to the “Leave No Trace” Philosophy that is asked of us when we visit a national park.   We need to remember to keep that same philosophy in mind whenever we shoot.   If you sign up for a trip with us, please know in advance that we do not trespass on private property and we treat and expect our clients to treat the landscape like the treasure that it is!

In spite of the bad behavior of just a few,  the Palouse is still a wonderful place to visit.   The area is so vast and the photographic opportunities so numerous we look forward to returning in 2019.

P.S.  The image above was shot with my Nikon D200 converted to standard Infrared by Lifepixel.  We highly recommend Lifepixel for IR Conversions!   Click here for info;

Palouse Year 3

In a few days Denise Silva and I will be heading to Washington for our Palouse Photography Tour.   This is our third year doing tours in the Palouse. For those who don't know, the Palouse is the largest wheat growing region in the country.   The landscape is full of rolling hills, barns and my personal favorite, lots of old trucks.  

We are looking forward to working with a great group of participants, several of whom have done other tours with us.  We can't wait to see what they create!

During the last 2 years we have mapped thousands of miles of country roads and, believe it or not, we will be scouting some new areas in the days before our participants arrive.  I already know the week will fly by.  Did I say fly?  Stay tuned to this blog to see what that means.

Palouse

We finished our second tour of the Palouse a couple weeks ago and it was a great time. I'm just getting started on reviewing some images due to a mishap involving transition from a smaller Synology Network Storage to a larger faster one.  

Here is one of my favorite images that overlaps 2 different sheds. 

Changing Landscape

The beautiful landscape of the Palouse is changing.  The grain silo pictured above is being deconstructed.  Last week in Palouse we saw two old silos being dismantled.  The dismantling process allows for recycling the massive amount of wood in this structure.  In most cases the wood is used for flooring and building materials.  It appears that repurposed wood is quite popular.  In talking with some of the people doing the deconstruction, government regulation is the driver behind removal of these structures. 

While I understand some of the intentions behind this type of regulation, the newer silos lack the character of these old wooden buildings and I will miss them! 

Longing for the Rolling Hills

In a couple weeks Denise and I will be heading for the rolling hills of Palouse.  We are super excited to get back to this unique landscape.  Fingers crossed for great clouds like last year!

I was taking a look at some of my Palouse images from last year.  Ah, the blue skies, white clouds, and the green fields.  But in the case of the image above,I think the rolling hills are best shown in black and white.

Palouse Day Four

A magical landscape is what comes to mind when I remember this place. 

Palouse Day Three

As I continue my series of one picture from each day in Palouse,  I think day 3 was a little harder than the first two.  Now don’t get me wrong,  I really love the truck above and barns that I posted last week on Road Runner Photo Tours, both also shot on day 3.  It’s just that much of the work in between these 2 images fell short of my expectations.   In my opinion you can't hit home runs every time!