POTD 10 April 2017 - Ely Cathedral

[Mike Farley]

Lindsay and I stopped off at Ely on the journey home from Norfolk.

For mor about this image, see the article on my blog - http://lightintotheshadows.proimageblog ... ral-green/

Ely Cathedral

Ely-Cathedral.jpg (129.27 KiB) Viewed 4464 times

[toms]

Hi Mike,

A super image. I particularly like the sky and the partially hidden cathedral (trees) as it adds both interest and depth.

I assume that the image has been given some form of treatment (Nik?) because of the stonework. Whether it has or not, the stonework stands out very well.

Well done,

Tom

[Mike Farley]

I assume that the image has been given some form of treatment (Nik?) because of the stonework.

Thanks for the feedback, Tom. The only processing on this image was done in Lightroom.

[Mike Farley]

As a follow up to my previous post, this is the original shot processed in Lightroom without any adjustments. I will not say it is "as shot" since Lightroom does apply some changes to contrast by default. My main reason for posting is to demonstrate the range of manipulation which is available with Lightroom. While there have been no major changes to the underlying processing engine since version 4, Adobe has introduced other functions which have gradually reduced the need to venture into Photoshop to complete the processing of many images.

[Michaelplatts]

Hi Mike,

Interesting to see your original image taken at Ely Cathedral. My images taken the same day are quite downbeat and dull. However, if enhanced in Lightroom or photoshop i might find they could leap out to something that mirrors your manipulated shot! (one can live in hope) Having attended the SFA Finals day at Bexley yesterday afternoon,i am certain that a great many of the displayed images were also doctored using software application. This leaves me to the conclusion that to create a much more appealing picture it is probably essential to master the software applications currently available.

Regards,

Michael.

[Mike Farley]

When it comes to creating an aesthetic effect in photos, I doubt if there have been many images which have not undergone some form of manipulation. Whether shot on film or digital. What happens after the shutter is pressed is just as important as what happens beforehand. The time spent learning an application and how to bring out the best in an image will pay dividends in the long run. Programs such as Lightroom might seem daunting at first simply due to the range of functions available, but it becomes intuitive with a bit of practice.

Besides correcting the parellels and cropping slightly, most of the enhancements in my Ely Cathedral shot were obtained by boosting contrast and selective lightening of shadow areas.