Editing and cropping to improve a shot

Me on our Alaska cruise.  The inset is the above original image, cropped and modified.

Rarely do I take a photo and use it as is; there are always some adjustments.  The changes are done in two steps.  The first step is to work with the original image and alter it in a raw-conversion program to provide the preferred degree of colour, contrast, sharpness, and quality.  The second component involves using a pixel editing program and involves cropping and any necessary modifications.

The large base image above shows the original photo after it was tweaked in the raw-conversion software.  There was numerous issues that I wanted corrected.  They included the following:

  • my image was too far to the right and a bit low for my liking.
  • the glacier and runoff stream took up the center portion of the image and not in a more attractive thirds position.
  • the left side of the photo had little detail and had little value for the photo.
  • a portion of the ship was visible behind me and did mor to distract from the shot than add to it.
  • there was a lot of water showing; the image could have been shot with less water and more sky.
The first step was to crop the image showing me in a thirds position relative to the descending glacier.  I did like how the glacier pointed towards me, a compositional guideline I often use.  There is another photo of me where the glacier actually goes right up to my head.  I didn't care for that at all.

The next step was to remove the parts of the ship that were showing.  There are times when having the ship in the image is fine, but this had only a portion, in an awkward location, and was not very interesting.  I removed it using a clone tool.  I also thought about moving myself a bit higher on the image using AI select but decided against it.

Work in the raw-conversion program, coupled with cropping and editing, produced a reasonable end result.  If I were to make an 8x10 print, I would have gone further and moved myself up higher as mentioned.  However, the square inset image was fine for what I wanted it for.  

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harjit Bahia - Science teacher and colleague from Garibaldi died August 2, 2024

Image
You will be missed Mr. Bahia.  You made a difference and we are sad you are gone. I keep in loose contact with my fellow retired teachers from Garibaldi Secondary School.  I talked with my long-time friend, Mike Lynch, today, and discovered that Hargit died over the summer.  Unbeknownst to him, he had an underlying heart condition and passed away after working out on his treadmill.  The date was August 2, 2024. I was shocked to hear this.  He was only 49 years old, turning 50 some 3 months later.  It was a shock to everyone, for he was loved by all who knew him.  As a teacher, Mr. Bahia was kind and fun.  He contributed to students in many ways and was always available to help those in need.   For myself, I knew him as a fellow science teacher and taught in the adjoining room to him.  He was always available to help, share ideas, and work together.  Easy to approach, I found that I could talk to him about anything and appreciat...
Read more

Munson pond - before and after road development

Image
Left - Google maps view of Munson Pond as of May 15, 2025 Right - Future view of Munson Pond from Google maps Munson Pond is a jewel of Kelowna.  Even though it used to be an open gravel pit, it is now home to countless birds and mammals and a haven for humans needing peace, a breath of fresh air, and a touch of nature.  Western Pond turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act.  Their population is such that people lose count when trying to ascertain their number.   With the proposed road development, Munson Pond will lose valuable ecologically important land, will suffer from an increase in urban traffic, and will likely be affected by nearby housing developments that are sure to come.  All of this development will put more pressure on the inhabitants and result in a decrease in both biodiversity and population.   A further injury to the pond will be an increase in eutrophication due to nearby residential and commercial development....
Read more

Cruise ships - are birds dying by the thousands?

Image
Golden crowned sparrow aboard the Noordam on our trip to Alaska. This was one lucky bird, unlike many of his feathered friends.  The passengers aboard the cruise ship who woke early saw the most stunning sight; the sky was crowded with passerine birds of many species silhouetted against the early morning sky.  The birds, in the midst of migrating, had been attracted to the vessel's lights during the evening and early morning hours. I awoke a little later than those who first took in this spectacle, but I was still amazed at the thousands of birds that circled the ship.  My awe was cut short when I entered the Lido deck where the large glass canopy was dotted with bodies, not of people, of course, but of birds.  They had flown down to the ship's surface at night, attracted by the lights, and plunged directly into the glass structure.  Dead on impact. These weren't the only casualties; there were more.  And then there were the birds that struck the sides of t...
Read more