Simple Photoshop touch ups

I captured this rusty look tap earlier today, continuing my campaign to exclusively use the 50mm Prime.

The original was good but how do you get from good to great?

Using the same basic tools that I have become familiar with whilst touching up portriat shots in Photoshop I was able to significantly improve the original to get the shot!

Improving the contrast and colour in the raw editor with CS3 I started with a shot needing a slight crop just to bring the pipe on the left of the tap to a horizontal position.   Before continuing I decided exactly what I was going to do to the shot to avoid over editing and making it look unrealistic.

1. I create two background copies
2. Then on the first layer I use the lasso tool around the larger blemishes
3. Dragging the outline to a ‘clean’ area of the picture, I simply copied and pasted over the blemish, automatically creating it’s own layer.  Now at this point you’ll end up creating quite a few layers so hide all you other layers after you have finished and simply merge visable.  I took the erase tool and set it to about 50% and ran around the edges of the pasted areas to soften them
4. On the second of the two background copies I used the spot healing brush set to Darken (drop down at the top of the screen) this takes example pixels from nearby so dont use a large brush, just one large enought ot cover the spot and click away!

So I have three layers, and finally I add a little viginette but thats a personal preference! Here’s a shot with the layers included! Give me a shout if I can help with your photographs!

Canon 50mm – Nifty (and trustyworthy) fifty

Oh nifty fifty how could I forget you so! If I were a little crazy I would have shot my last wedding with you, you are so good.

I’ve been having a lull and to cheer myself up I carried my camera around with me in the house trying to spot the opportunities that we walk by everyday.

Preparing dinner for my wife and her family, I sneaked the camera up and took 3 shots, this is the best DOP produced with only a slight enhancement in colour and contrast. Took under natural light, enjoy!

Purchasing New Equipment

How does buying a camera or photography kit of any description make you feel?

My first consumer camera was (and still is) a Fuji S9600. Certainly a step up from the 5MP point and shoot, this camera has eased me gently into photography with it’s manual features allowing me to learn more about aperture and exposure. Over the last 12 months I have become frustrated with its limitations as a DSLR (in point of fact its classed as a digital compact – due to the fixed lens).

Creatively speaking, I feel I will achieve more with a prosumer DSLR and lens kit and so I started reading and saving. Money is obviously a concern – it isn’t cheap, especially these days, moreover the choice of cameras and lens on the market is ridiculously complex for the budding amateur. Although these last few weeks have been exciting – the thought of buying my first ‘proper’ DSLR, as I get closer to the day of purchase (ie. pay day) I’m starting to feel a little sick.