{"id":7625,"date":"2014-09-10T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2014-09-09T22:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/?p=7625"},"modified":"2014-09-10T20:23:03","modified_gmt":"2014-09-10T10:23:03","slug":"before-and-after-sunlight-at-hopetoun-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2014\/09\/10\/before-and-after-sunlight-at-hopetoun-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"Before and After – Sunlight at Hopetoun Falls"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is an entry for my [ilink url=”https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/category\/technique\/before-and-after-technique\/” style=”note”]Before and After series of photographs[\/ilink] where I share how I captured and post processed an image. This particular image is from Hopetoun Falls looking back down river of the water that runs off from the main fall. Hopetoun Falls forms part of the Otways Ranges and is a beautiful part of the world. If you’d like to see more photos from this trip be sure to check out my\u00a0[ilink url=”https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2013\/12\/08\/weekend-trip-down-the-great-ocean-road\/” style=”note”]post from the Great Ocean Road[\/ilink] which includes this among many.<\/p>\n

[twentytwenty]
\n<\/a> \"Sunlight
\n\"Sunlight<\/a>[\/twentytwenty]<\/p>\n

Capturing and Editing\u00a0Sunlight at Hopetoun Falls<\/h2>\n

This is one of those photographs that as a photographer, we view it through our eyes and then when we try to capture it in camera it’s incredibly difficult to replicate what our eye is seeing. On this particular day we had shot the waterfall most of the day under overcast conditions (perfect for photographing waterfalls). Later during our time at Hopetoun Falls, the cloud started to clear and the sun began to shine stunningly through the trees. Rather than pack up my gear like I normally would when the sun starts shining harshly at a waterfall I wanted to try pull off a shot of the sun bursting through the trees.<\/p>\n

Taking the Photo<\/h3>\n
\"Bracketed<\/a>
Bracketed images that would be later stitched and combined in Photoshop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Framing the photo straight away I knew if I wanted to get both the stream and sun bursting through the trees in shot I would have to take two photos and stitch them together. Even though I was shooting with a Canon 17-40 it still wasn’t wide enough to fit in the one shot so a two image stitch would be the go. Shooting the images I’m using my Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 17-40, Hoya Circular Polariser and Manfrotto tripod.<\/p>\n

I also knew that trying to capture the dynamic range properly in one shot for each stitch was going to be very difficult. Not one to normally use the auto bracketing exposure (AEB) feature on my camera, I opted to take 3 exposures of the top half of the stitch and another 3 for the bottom part of the stitch which resulted in a slight mess of images\u00a0in my Lightroom catalogue.<\/p>\n

In case you’re not familiar with the AEB feature I wrote\u00a0[ilink url=”https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2013\/01\/12\/automatic-exposure-bracketing-aeb-explained\/”]article about Auto Exposure Bracketing[\/ilink] a while ago now which explains the feature a little more. I took the multiple exposures as it provided me with some insurance that if I didn’t get it right with the neutral exposure I would also have the under and over exposed images to play with.<\/p>\n

Combining and Editing the Photos<\/h3>\n

When it comes to exposure blending my level of competency is\u00a0around average so the idea of combining this with a two image stitch was a recipe for disaster. I processed the images from the trip and let the images for this one sit for a while. Normally when I shoot, I like to process my images within 24 hours of taking them. I hate the feeling of sitting on unedited images and like to get them processed, not necessarily to post online but just to have them processed according to how I remembered the scene. For this one, I was actually too intimidated by the prospect ahead and knew I was in for some fun in Photoshop.<\/p>\n

It wasn’t until a weekend a few weeks later that I finally decided to give combining and editing the images a crack.<\/p>\n

Combining The Photos<\/h4>\n

Having used auto exposure bracketing to capture an under, neutral and over exposed image for both the top and bottom parts of the frame, I went about creating two image stitches for each bracket.<\/p>\n

By this I mean, I created a two image stitch of the two over exposed images, again for the neutrally exposed images and another for the under exposed images. This resulted in 3 separate stitched images consisting of\u00a01 over exposed stitch, 1 neutral exposed stitch and 1 under exposed stitch.<\/p>\n

When stitching images, most people tend to recommend various different pieces of software like PTGui but I’ve had quite good luck with the Photoshop stitch tool. This can be found under\u00a0File > Automate > Photomerge.<\/p>\n

Editing the Photos<\/h4>\n

[box type=”info”]Haven’t blended images in Photoshop before? Read my\u00a0Photoshop image blending tutorial<\/a>\u00a0to get started[\/box]<\/p>\n

\"Edits<\/a>
Edits made to the stitched image<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now that I had these 3 separate image stitches of each exposure, I went about opening the neutral image in Photoshop and layering the over and under exposed images as layers on top. The over exposed image would be used to bring out the dynamic range in the foliage surrounding the waterfall and the waterfall itself while the under exposed layer would be used to capture the sun bursting through the trees. Luckily, it wasn’t as hard as I originally thought but just required a lot of low opacity layer masking to subtly bring out areas of a layer. The hardest part was blending the sun into the shot which required me to use a combination of the brush tool and gradient masks to ever subtly drop it back in without it looking uneven to the rest of the scene.<\/p>\n

I’ve attached a screenshot to the right which highlights the different parts of the image where layer masks from the 3 images were used. Call me lazy but I’ve become a fan of the [ilink url=”http:\/\/tv.adobe.com\/watch\/learn-photoshop-cc\/using-contentaware-fill-to-remove-distractions\/”]Adobe Photoshop Content Aware Tool[\/ilink] \u00a0which for the most part works perfectly. Generally if this doesn’t work I’ll revert back to the\u00a0[ilink url=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MY023ZQJy0M”]Adobe Clone Stamp Tool[\/ilink] to remove unwanted distractions like the branch in the corner and lens flare at the bottom of the stream.<\/p>\n

Once all the images were blended in, I then went about making selective adjustments to the saturation and individual colour channels\u00a0to colour grade parts of the image. I’m fond of using layer masks for saturation changes as it allows you to increase or decrease\u00a0the saturation or change the hue of a particular area in the image without affecting the overall photo. \u00a0For this image, I used selective saturation and hue adjustments to both the water and foliage areas.<\/p>\n

Finally some cropping was applied to the image and a warming filter was applied\u00a0to add some warmth to the sunburst coming through the trees. With this I used a layer\u00a0mask to ensure changes with the\u00a0warming filter\u00a0were\u00a0only limited to the sunburst and not the rest of the image.<\/p>\n

And that’s that. Something I learnt from this photo was that sometimes it’s okay to sit on an image and procrastinate\u00a0about it rather than process it immediately. Sometimes I should probably do a bit more often.<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading and I hope this was helpful,<\/p>\n

– Alex<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is an entry for my [ilink url=”https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/category\/technique\/before-and-after-technique\/” style=”note”]Before and After series of photographs[\/ilink] where I share how I captured and post processed an image. This particular image is from Hopetoun Falls looking back down river of the water that runs off from the main fall. Hopetoun Falls forms part of the Otways Ranges and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":8118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Before and After - Sunlight at Hopetoun Falls http:\/\/wp.me\/p93MA-1YZ","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[992],"tags":[1114,943,1238,746,190],"class_list":["post-7625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-before-and-after-technique","tag-alex-wise","tag-before-and-after","tag-hopetoun-falls","tag-post-processing","tag-tutorial"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Hopetoun-Falls-Before-and-After.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p93MA-1YZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6509,"url":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2013\/12\/08\/weekend-trip-down-the-great-ocean-road\/","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":0},"title":"Weekend Trip down the Great Ocean Road","author":"Alex Wise","date":"December 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Exploring the Great Ocean Road After living in Melbourne for almost 3 years it didn't feel right that I hadn't been down to the Great Ocean Road since moving over. Hyped for its stunning coast line and beautiful waterfalls I had been itching to get down there and take some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travels"","block_context":{"text":"Travels","link":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/category\/travels\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9100.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9100.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9100.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_9100.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7590,"url":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2014\/08\/30\/before-and-after-dark-mofo-2014\/","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":1},"title":"Before and After – Dark Mofo 2014","author":"Alex Wise","date":"August 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Following up from my recent post sharing photos of [ilink url=\"http:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2014\/08\/22\/a-quick-weekend-in-tasmania\/\"]a quick weekend photographing parts of Tasmania,[\/ilink] I shared a photo from Dark Mofo 2014 and thought it was good timing to share a before and after of how the image came together. [twentytwenty][\/twentytwenty] Capturing and Processing Dark Mofo 2014\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before and After"","block_context":{"text":"Before and After","link":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/category\/technique\/before-and-after-technique\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7557,"url":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2014\/09\/27\/before-and-after-mansfield-tree-on-sunset\/","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":2},"title":"Before and After – Mansfield Tree on Sunset","author":"Alex Wise","date":"September 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"[twentytwenty] [\/twentytwenty] Recently I posted this image on [ilink url=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/EarthPorn\/comments\/2epv5r\/lone_tree_on_sunset_in_mansfield_victoria_by_alex\/\"]Reddit[\/ilink] and received some great exposure. Amidst\u00a0the exposure, some people were calling that the sub-reddit had degenerated into nothing more than heavily Photoshopped images that didn't depict how the scene accurately looked. As part of my\u00a0[ilink url=\"http:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/category\/technique\/before-and-after-technique\/\"]Before and After Series[\/ilink] I'd\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before and After"","block_context":{"text":"Before and After","link":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/category\/technique\/before-and-after-technique\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Mansfield-Before-and-After.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Mansfield-Before-and-After.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Mansfield-Before-and-After.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Mansfield-Before-and-After.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7550,"url":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2014\/08\/17\/before-and-after-mortimer-bay\/","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":3},"title":"Before and After – Mortimer Bay","author":"Alex Wise","date":"August 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the coming months I'd like to share with you some before and after images of shots I've taken over the years. I'm a firm believer that there needs to be transparency in photography and the days of photographers\u00a0hiding away secrets is\u00a0done. Sorry to the old guard and old rules\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before and After"","block_context":{"text":"Before and After","link":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/category\/technique\/before-and-after-technique\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Mortimer-Bay-Before-and-After1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Mortimer-Bay-Before-and-After1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Mortimer-Bay-Before-and-After1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7613,"url":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2014\/10\/11\/before-and-after-southbank-overpass\/","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":4},"title":"Before and After – Southbank Overpass","author":"Alex Wise","date":"October 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This photograph was captured from a busy overpass in Southbank, Melbourne. Coming from Hobart where traffic is let's be honest - quiet, I'm forever looking for city overpasses that provide a good vantage point that overlooks the busy and constant flow of traffic entering and exiting Melbourne. I'd like to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Before and After"","block_context":{"text":"Before and After","link":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/category\/technique\/before-and-after-technique\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Southbank-Before-and-After.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Southbank-Before-and-After.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Southbank-Before-and-After.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Southbank-Before-and-After.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12610,"url":"https:\/\/www.alexwisephotography.net\/blog\/2020\/06\/12\/exploring-the-otway-ranges\/","url_meta":{"origin":7625,"position":5},"title":"Exploring the Otway Ranges","author":"Alex Wise","date":"June 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello and long time! 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