What I Am Working On: Vintage Photo Look, Again

This post is a follow-on to this post I wrote last week about creating your own vintage photo look. As I wrote in that post, this is the video I followed as a starting point. I’m going to talk a bit more about that particular look I created and then show a second one. So that you can see the differences in the two looks, I will show them both on the same photo. I’ll also be including screenshots of what my settings look like for the edits. The file I am using is this one:

ISO 800 22mm f/22 1/160sec

This is a Byzantine-era church that sits in the shadow of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Athens. Both churches are beautiful, but for different reasons. The first vintage style look I created looks like this when applied:

ISO 800 22mm f/22 1/160sec

And here is a screenshot of the edits:

 

The second look when applied is this one:

ISO 800 22mm f/22 1/160sec

And here are the settings for it:

I hope that you found the screenshots of the settings useful and the fact that the edits are done on the same file to be helpful as a point of comparison. Do you prefer one of the looks over the other? I welcome your feedback and thoughts in the comment section below. I have saved both of these settings for application in other files I’ll be working with.

Cheers!

Added to Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Two.

What I Am Working On: Vintage Photo Look

I shoot using a digital camera and have now for years. Recently I inherited a film camera and have got it up and running, my first roll of film partially shot. I’m enjoying it, but doubt I would ever fully make the transition back to film.  I love the look of film photography though, so it is something that I edit my digital files for frequently. I often use presets as a point of starting to create a film look, but don’t have a particular one that’s a favorite. So, I decided to try my hand at making my own preset. First I found some instructions on what filters to use to create the look. The detailed instructions I used are in this video. I didn’t follow all the settings exactly, but I think that video is a really good starting point, including some basic explanations, that make it easy to follow. I experimented using this file:

ISO 500 10mm f/22 1/125 sec

This is the Odeon of Athens, part of the Acropolis complex, it is in active use today. My final vintage look file turned out like this:

ISO 500 10mm f/22 1/125 sec

I was really pleased with the settings that I used, so I saved them as a preset. The video gives instructions for Luminar, but really it would apply to most photo editing software. Settings you are changing to create this look include things like saturation and curves, standard things found in most software.

Do you like vintage photo looks? Have a favorite technique? feel free to share your thoughts below. If you are interested in film photography, I would recommend Down the Road, it’s a combination of camera reviews, film photography related discussion, and personal essays. Extensive film photography knowledge is not necessary to enjoy the blog and Jim is good about responding to comments.

Cheers!

Added to A Photo A Week Challenge, Urban.

Six-Word Saturday, Delphi

High up and with the clouds,

people built and then journeyed to,

a place fit for the gods.

 

ISO 800 f/22 15mm 1/40sec

Added to Six-Word Saturday and Tuesday Photo Challenge, Ancient.

Wordless Wednesday: Delphi

ISO 500 14mm f/22 1/60sec

Added to Travel With Intent, One Word Sunday, Memory.

Athens, as seen from Areopagus Hill

Part of the appeal of visiting Athens is its history. These two photo were taken from Areopagus Hill, the spot where St. Paul is said to have preached to the Athenians of his time. From one vantage point, there are excellent views of the Acropolis.

ISO 500 22mm f/22 1/160sec

Another view shows the Ancient Agora and the sprawl of the modern city.

ISO 500 22mm f/22 1/200sec

I liked both views, but was interested in editing them in different ways. The view of the Acropolis, I wanted to keep in color and retain the vivid feel of that late afternoon.  I added a split tone filter that I thought maintained the interesting contrast of colors and accentuated the layers of rock, trees, rock, sky.

For the modern city, I was interested in black and white to distill the image a bit, and I have purposely made the whites in the image hazy and glowing a bit to represent the bustle of the modern city.

What a view, if you visit Athens I would recommend taking the time to climb this spot. Watch your step though, the rocks are well worn and quite slippery. As for my two interpretations, do you have a favorite? feel free to comment below.

Cheers!

Added to Lens-Artist Photo Challenge: Cityscapes.

Have a Seat

I was walking through the National Garden in Athens when I came across these seats:

ISO 32 4.15mm f/2.2 1/50 sec

Given the sheer amount of history you are surrounded by in Athens, I couldn’t help but wonder how long these benches had been around, how many people have sat in them?

I took this photo with my iPhone. I liked it well enough to create and edited black and white version:

ISO 32 4.15mm f/2.2 1/50 sec

I’ve softened the background a bit, to give the surrounding trees a bit of a dreamy feel. I’ve kept the detail in the seats though, I found the detail on them and their texture interesting. If I had the opportunity, I would probably have shot this a bit differently. The tree in the foreground on the right side is a bit problematic. It’s distracting left in but taken out the first bench comes really close to the edge of the frame.

That’s how it goes sometimes though, I only had a moment to take the photo, so I did.  I’m glad I did, I like the scene. Do you have photos like this, something that you like but may have shot differently if you had more time? Do you like this is black and white? Feel free to comment below.

Cheers!

Added to Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge, Any kind of tables or chairs

Added to Xingfumama, Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge.

Picfair version here.

 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

In some ways the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a universal thing. I’ve seen several in different countries and I think they are interesting to visit because they each reflect a bit of the history of the country the represent. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens was sculpted between 1930-32 and is watched over by members of the Presidential Guard in traditional uniforms. Despite it’s location in the busy city, it has a sense of space, quiet, and reflection:

ISO 800 10mm f/22 1/125sec

This is one of the original exposures that I have from my visit. When I went to edit it, I knew I wanted to retain both the soldiers and the birds which are reminders of life but also I wanted to emphasize the stillness and solemness of death.

ISO 800 10mm f/22 1/125sec

With my crop I’ve kept things lightly off kilter and I chose a filter in Luminar, called Dark Moon, that I found rather somber. Once I had the filter on I edited it’s settings a bit. Changing the center point of the vignette and also making it a bit lighter. I wanted to leave a still image that has the hint of chaos, a reminder that the path of a country is often littered with sacrifice.

Do you think this edit suggests that? Do you like the image or its edit? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Cheers!

Added to A Photo A Week Challenge, Reflection and Photo for the Week-15-Paths.