What I Am Working On: Cropping and Layers

The file I was working with this morning illustrates how edits can really change a photo, and one of the most powerful tools is the cropping tool:

ISO 25 f/2.2 1/377sec 4.2mm

This first edit was created in the app Hipstamatic using the randomize feature which means that the filters were chosen for me. The second edit was also created in Hipstamatic, but I chose the various filters and it was the version that I added to my Instagram feed:

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Busy. #bee #flowers #thingsiseeonmywalks

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jun 17, 2020 at 7:27am PDT

I go back and forth between these two and I think there are elements to both that I like but that neither is exactly right. This morning’s edit which I created using the original file in Luminar 3 is this one:

ISO 25 f/2.2 1/377sec 4.2mm

This edit keeps the original ratio of the photograph and is more top-heavy than the square version. When I was working on this edit, the crop was the second edit in my workflow. I started with basic edits like luminosity and adjusting the blacks and whites. Then on a separate layer, I did the crop. Then on an additional layer, I added then tweaked a custom Luminar look that I have saved as a preset. It turned out that when I got to that point, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the crop. Because the crop was on its own layer, it was easy to click on and edit just that layer.

So, there are two important points here I think, first is that the crop set to different ratios can really change the photo’s story and second that putting the crop on its own layer can make your editing process much easier.

Your thoughts on cropping in general or in this specific case are welcome below. This post was inspired by the Lens Artist Challenge, One Single Flower.

Cheers!

What I Am Working On: Whatever it is, It’s all at Home

I look through a fair number of blogs, most are in some way related to photography, but most photographers have other aspects of their lives. Ingrid, over at Live Laugh RV, posted about coffee cake and an eagle. I gave the coffee cake recipe a try, a photo of the result is below. The recipe is here.

ISO 100 f/2.2 1/33sec 4.2mm

Ingrid called her post the “Coffee Cake Debacle” and I could call this editing attempt a bit of a debacle as well. The photo has the Luminar Look, Food Photo Enhancer, added to it. With the look added, the edit was a mess, the little editing voice in my head going, “as if” to the original outcome. With the Clarity taken out and the Vignette tweaked, the edit was much better.

The coffee cake turned out quite nicely, I’ll be hanging on to the recipe.

The Instagram version is here:

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My take on @livelaughrv Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake. Click over to check out her lovely IG feed, then check her latest blog post for the recipe. #baking

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Apr 30, 2020 at 4:39am PDT

Added to Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, At Home.

Horses by my House

Just a small tribute post to the horses that occupy the walking paths near my house. I’ll be honest, I’ve never enjoyed horseback riding, but I do enjoy seeing them out and about:

ISO 25 f/2.2 1/2331 sec 4.15mm

Hipstamatic

ISO 25 f/2.2 4.15mm 1/3497 sec

As Shot, Panorama mode

ISO 25 f/2.2 4.15mm 1/3497 sec

 

Bonus shot over on my Instagram feed:

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Me: It’s #friyay Horse: But did you bring apples? #nearmyhouse #hipstamatic #horse #twitter

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Apr 3, 2020 at 1:53am PDT

Added to Tuesday Photo Challenge, Animals.

Your comments are always welcome below.

Cheers!

52 Week Smartphone Challenge: Week 11

I’m a bit behind again for this week’s challenge, but I liked this photo enough to go ahead and publish late anyway. The theme for this week was fill the frame:

iPhone with Hipstamatic

This photo was shot within the Hipstamatic app with no further editing.

The Instagram version is here:

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Cheery. #daffodils #yellow #thingsiseeonmywalks #hipstamatic

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Mar 17, 2020 at 12:05am PDT

 

I’ve also added it to Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Cheers!

What I Am Working On: Capturing the Action

Storm Ciara has been through our neighbourhood this past week. Lots of rain and high winds here. I’ve been doing my usual walking at times when things seem a bit settled. Even at those times, it has still been quite windy, leading to photos like this one:

ISO 25 f/2.2 4.15mm 1/1304sec

This file was shot with my iPhone in long exposure mode. I originally wrote about this technique and how to achieve it on my SE model of iPhone here.  I then edited this photo further in Hipstamatic:

ISO 25 f/2.2 4.15mm 1/1304sec

I have created a lot of similar variants of the landscape this week. Here is another from my Instagram:

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Bit Blowy. #stormciara #longexposure #hipstamatic

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Feb 10, 2020 at 11:31am PST

On Sunday, there will be more in my weekly wrap-up, both “as-shot” and edited in various ways. I’ve had plenty of time to work on the editing while listening to the rain pound on the roof and the winds test the limits of the local trees. Your thoughts on my images are welcome in the comment section below.

Cheers!

Added to Tuesday Photo Challenge, Action.

 

 

Made With Luminar: Cat

I’ve taken a little detour, back to an older photo:

ISO 2000 f/14 200mm 1/6000sec

This original file was shot in December 2017 in Serengeti National Park. We sat an watched these lions for a while so I have a lot of files. Many are very similar and I have not yet edited them all. I enjoy every once in a while going back through them and picking out one to edit.

The edit:

ISO 2000 f/14 200mm 1/6000sec

I’ve used Luminar for this edit. One extra edit that I don’t often do, particularly in my nature images is use the clone and stamp brush. With that brush, I removed a branch that was between me and the female lion and showed in the original photo near her rear paw. I then added the Luminar look, Camden.

Instagram take:

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Hanging out with Mom. #caturday #lion #safari #tanzania #serengetinationalpark

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jan 31, 2020 at 10:58pm PST

 

The Made with Luminar Series

This image is part of a project I am calling Made with Luminar. What the images in this series have in common is the software used to edit them, Luminar 3. As with my usual blog posts particulars of the camera settings can be found in the caption below the image. I’ll then explain what other filters and edits have been applied, often mentioning what layer and therefore order that they were applied. The text of these posts includes any Luminar “Looks” that have been applied to the photo. Each look is a series of presets that are applied to the photo. Where applicable I will mention what changes I have made to any of the looks. A full explanation of looks is available here on their website, https://skylum.com/luminar/user-guides/chapter-14-working-with-luminar-looks

You can assume basic edits have been applied. My most common edits are cropping, detail enhancement, and vignette. Specific questions or thoughts on the image are welcome in the comment section below.

Cheers!

Added to Tuesday Photo Challenge, Cat.

January Squares: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Ah, winter, who doesn’t love winter? Me. When snowdrops begin to appear it signals the beginning of the end:

ISO 400 f/11 55mm 1/100sec

This edited photo of snowdrops is available on my Picfair portfolio. As shown, it has been edited in Luminar with a film fade look applied. For the square version, I simply applied a crop:

ISO 400 f/11 55mm 1/100sec

This post is the last in my January Squares series. I’ve really enjoyed this challenge, so thanks to you all who have followed along or checked in over the month. My biggest thanks though is to Becky who graciously hosted this challenge. The challenge will run again in April, with the theme being announced in March. If you would like information about how the challenge works check here.

I posted all my images for this challenge also on Instagram, today’s is here:

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Spring is coming. #fridayfeeling #spring #snowdrops #januarylight

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jan 30, 2020 at 10:30pm PST

Added to Day 31 of January Squares, also to Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Cheers!

 

January Squares: Goldenlight

You have to look up to see her, but she is quite dazzling:

ISO 320 f/11 21mm 1/1250 sec

This is Gëlle Fra, the golden lady, a memorial on Constitution Square in Luxembourg City, to commemorate the dead of WWI. Originally erected in 1923, it was pulled down by the Nazis in 1940 and then restored to its original appearance in 1984.

This file was taken with my Canon 80D and then edited in Luminar:

ISO 320 f/11 21mm 1/1250 sec

In addition to the crop, I corrected for lens distortion. I boosted the luminance of the orange and yellow. I slid the sky enhancer up and highlights and blacks down. I have also added a vignette.

The Instagram version is here:

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Golden. #januarylight #goldenlady #luxembourg

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jan 29, 2020 at 10:49pm PST

Added to Day 30 of January Squares.

Cheers!

 

January Squares: Frosty Winterlight

It’s been chilly here but you can still find me outside:

ISO 25 f/2.2 4.15mm 1/143 sec

The light as shot in this photo tells the story of the cold temperature, but when it came to my square edit, which I did in Hipstamatic, I wanted to push that a bit:

Hipstamatic

The added filters are The Florence Lens and Irom 2000 Film. I think they add to the frosty feel of the original. Your thoughts are welcome in the comment section below.

The Instagram version is here:

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Frosty. #januarylight #morning #swan #hipstamatic

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jan 28, 2020 at 11:41pm PST

Cheers!

Added to Day 29 of January Squares.

January Squares: Plague Dragon

The Middle Ages, wow what fun!  In Munich a dragon appeared bringing the plague:

ISO 320 f/7 29mm 1/100 sec

The more enlightened folks in town just washed their hands more frequently, but a dragon does make for a fun story and it’s remembered on the side of City Hall.

It’s an excellent work of art and I thought a square edit would be fun:

ISO 320 f/7 29mm 1/100 sec

In Luminar I dropped the highlights slider and then adjusted the whites, blacks, and luminance sliders. The filter “daydream” was added and dropped to 56%. I picked that filter mostly due to the irony of applying a daydream to the nightmare that was the plague.

The Instagram version is here:

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Plague Dragon. #januarylight #dragon #munich #travel

A post shared by Amy Maranto (@marantophotography) on Jan 27, 2020 at 11:36pm PST

Added to Day 28 of January Squares. It’s at this point that I confess photos for this challenge are supposed to end in “light” and enlightenment is really breaking pushing that rule.

Cheers!