Luis Afonso does America Photo

Photographer’s Note

Some time ago I had an idea. A question actually.
"How might two different photographers post process the same RAW image?"

Luis Afonso helped me answer this question. I sent him the RAW image file for this photo and he post processed it for me. Anything was fair game, cropping, levels, color temp. I told him to treat it as if it were his own photo. At the same time I post processed the image myself.

This is Luis's version and here is what he did.
"Basically what I did was crop, create two exposures from the RAW file (one for the sky and another for the lake) and combine them using layers. Then I selectively pushed the contrast in some sections. In the RAW processing I played with saturation on the orange and magenta channels and that's all."

I have posted my version as a workshop. I like both versions but it is interesting to see how different a photo can turn out, just based on the PP.

Thanks Luis.

Location: Sunrise on Long Lake, Beartooth Highway, Wyoming.

xavshot, isabela_sor, Tipuss, johnfreeman, Tue, Matthew-Watt, Dyerco, zeca, luisafonso, chpp, Dpbours, gary91, cherryripe, MayaG, ChrisJ, leo61, InasiaJones, bostankorkulugu, pboehringer, tomaszmarcinek has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

CMJC (3056) 2008-03-24 12:55

I don't find the post from Luis Afonso but this one is for me beautiful
I like the calm of the water, the immensity and colors...

isabela_sor (41909) 2008-03-24 12:56 [Comment]

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scalerman (25619) 2008-03-24 13:03

Ryan: an amazing shot - and a great idea for using the full resources of TE and its members. I think both of you have added immeasurably to TE's wealth of learning tools. Fine work. It would be interesting to find out exactly what PP was done in your note. best, cc

ViktorVaughn (1515) 2008-03-24 13:12

A gorgeous photo with soft colours, and the perfectly still water. A great idea Ryan, and one that shows such different results. I agree with you, and prefer Luis' crop, though your version is also fantastic.

I will have to side with Caleb and say that it would be interesting to post some details on what PP was done, and if Luis was kind enough to do so as well, it would be a great tool for those of us who are still undeveloped using RAW format.

Regards,
David

calme (2729) 2008-03-24 13:13

Amazing place - great POV and light !

sacavem (8058) 2008-03-24 13:18

Olá Ryan,

Very beautiful landscape with lovely colours. Amazing tones, very good sharpness and very well framed.

Note: Thanks Luis :)

TFS and greetings,
Filipe

lilimih33 (9870) 2008-03-24 13:23

Hello Ryan!
Lovely sky and great reflection!
Nice place and perfect composition!
Best regards!
Lili

gilou530 (34681) 2008-03-24 13:46

salut ryan
very beautiful work on the colors, splendid POV with a large depth, landscape emphasized well, well done
friendships
gilbert

yedirenk (7129) 2008-03-24 13:47

Hi Ryan,
I really like the clarity of the water and great reflections.very nice colours and light.excellent compo.good POV.well done.TFS.

Cevdet

johnfreeman (2220) 2008-03-24 14:11

Hi Ryan,
Fantastic shot and great idea. It's interesting and instructive to see how you have both produced different but distinctive results. Just goes to show how much personal input there is at the PP stage.
Beautiful colours, reflections and atmosphere.
John

Tue (25608) 2008-03-24 14:39

Hi Ryan,
Great to see the two versions of the same photo, nice experiment! The view is fascinating with a lovely ambience, thanks to the calm water, soft colours and the light. The reflections are great too and good inclusion of the stones in the foreground. Thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

Matthew-Watt (4463) 2008-03-24 14:59

Hello Ryan,

This is a most wonderful place, and I believe you were very fortunate with your timing. The angle of the sun hitting those clouds has produced some very soft, ambient hues to fill the frame. I always like shots which offer ample depth, yours does this brilliantly, particularly in the dimension below the water to reveal some of those submerged rocks. The balanced ratio of land, water and sky is effective; it is refreshing to see a horizon which is not flat and unbroken. It is a delightful photograph, so congratulations.

Matt

MarcT (20983) 2008-03-24 15:17

Hi Ryan,
These are very special colors in a gorgeous composition.
There's some kind of magic in your picture.
Cheers
Marc

danyy (67958) 2008-03-24 15:38

Superbe Ryan,
toute la beauté de la nature paisible rassemblée ici. Un ciel rougeoyant, un lac bien calme, miroir, du roc bien dessiné et des arbres....
Une photo prise à un moment clé de la journée.
Très bonne technique.
Regards.
Daniel.

azleader (6) 2008-03-24 17:00

I can't say which is better... yours or his. Both are good. What I can say is that one of the things I like about yours is that it has less haloing along the strong light/dark boundaries.

ribeiroantonio (21739) 2008-03-24 17:02

This is the result of an excellent exercise. When I first looked at the main posting I thought I was looking at a Luis picture. His signature is there in the colours and crop. Only after reading the nota I realised it was a Luis pp.
To comment on both photos, I have to say that they are different but beautiful. I like your colours which I think are closer to reality but I also like the amount of detail that Luis has on the rocks and trees of the background. It seams to me that the right bottom corner is a bit overexposed on Luis work. For that corner, I really prefer your version.
Finally, I think it would be very interesting to see the departing photo for this experiment.
Antonio

lindamc18 (297) 2008-03-24 18:23

beautiful colors.very nice sharpness and detail.great reflection!

capthaddock (28640) 2008-03-24 19:01

Oh wow, I can't decide which one I like better, Luis' version is perhaps closer to what the human eye sees, albeit with more elaborate processing, and having the sky darker than its reflection, while the WS version looks more like what I'm used to seeing when I look at my photos, with darker trees. I'd say the best would be with your version of the lake surface with everything els of this version.

I've never tried this RAW thing, I guess I should, it seems a lot of work.

Dyerco (8854) 2008-03-24 20:12

Hi Ryan
I think I prefer Luis's version but not by much. It goes to show that we are processors as well as photographers. I think Ansel Adams would have enjoyed PS a lot. In any event the scene is exquisite and the light is soft and muted. Well done to both of you.
Phil

zeca (20026) 2008-03-24 21:09

Beautiful place! The placid waters are quite nice and you did a nice work capturing it. I like the POV very much, and those rocks in the foreground adds excellent depth.
Regards,
Zeca

luisafonso (858) 2008-03-25 1:59

This is a great photo. I already told you that... ;) Your decision to portrait this beauty at this particular time of the day really yielded fantastic results. I like your polarizer work, allowing a perfect reflection and also providing the ability to see the bottom of the lake. Great one.
I like your PP very much. I think it misses some detail, but the colors are great.

Asiulus (1064) 2008-03-25 2:31

Challenging ;-) Great landscape - so peaceful, nicely composed elements... Congratulations to both of you, the frames itself and picture quality are wonderful.
Best regards
Joanna

dkeus31 (25970) 2008-03-25 4:38

hi Ryan,
very nice image, the soft colors, the quiet water are really nice, but come on, I see, it is a lake and not the sea :)
didier

chpp (3936) 2008-03-25 6:36

Hi Ryan
great shot, I like the compo and the view, with some nice reflections. As everything in arts the bueaty is relative to what the artist think is beauty and it could be share by other or not. I found both versions very attractive, however to me the perfect match would be Luis' sky and the rest of the image with your settings.
Anyways, the qualit of the image is great and all the usual (colour, sharpness etc) looks really good in both
cheers
C

baba_flies (7937) 2008-03-25 6:43

Hello Ryan! This is something I would like to know too how others work on my files. And I am sure that "same same" would turn out pretty different. Looking at the two posts I like them both and it is a matter of taste no question. But what remains the same is the beauty of this place no matter how much "pink" added but also the eye you have for seeing a place - this makes the whole deal, and it therefore remains a "Ryan".

Have a good day ... it snows in Zurich, spring has left :) Barbara.

anes_lc (14762) 2008-03-25 6:46

welcome back with your magic landscape shots :D
i say welcome because i did wait for some time for a post like this one from your side
fantastic ...perfect in all
congratulation and thanks sharing
best regards,anes

Cormac (26447) 2008-03-25 7:37

Wow, this is an extremely interesting exercise! After studying the two versions I have to say that there is no clear winner. Each one has something which is better. I like the way Luis brought out the orange/pink clouds on the upper right, but on the other hand, I like the blue in your version. Excellent idea, and they are both beautiful images!

sebinho342 (18726) 2008-03-25 8:14

Hi Ryan, excellent post, that permits me to see two of best landscape shooters at work and on same picture, as if you were both of you in maclaren F1 team ;)
I do have a little preference for Luis' work mainly cause he brang more light and details on background and those trees reflected. I think you went a little bit too far in saturation as i see the pink note in the up right corner.
Anyway both of those pictures are exceptionnal.
I truely enjoyed that post

avene (10870) 2008-03-25 9:18

hello Ryan,
impossible to compare the two versions, I find they create completely different moods because of the colour intensity. love the clarity and the mirror-smooth water, such a perfect moment of complete calm, everything feels absolutely still. superb work, my compliments.

with kind regards,
Kristine

xavshot (61889) 2008-03-25 10:33

Bonsoir Ryan
excellente photo. j'aime beaucoup la lumière et le choix du POV avec ces rochers au premier plan. Très belles couleurs. Beau travail.
amicalement
Xavier

Dpbours (210) 2008-03-26 1:13

Hi Ryan,

That's a very pleasant compo to look at!! And yes, very interesting to see the differences. The differences in crop is one thing, but the differences in light are striking. The double exposure foreground-sky does it for me. Especially in the tree line, the light comes out wonderfully. Nice work!!

Greetings,
Dennis

bantonbuju (48334) 2008-03-26 1:33

hi ryan,
indeed - this is as if our friend luis has taken the photo...but surely your version is no less attractive...
interesting how one can change the mood of the place with just the postprocessing...
bw, j.

Waylim (10717) 2008-03-26 18:40

First of all, it a great photo to begin with, perfect composition, clarity and sharpness is spot on, details on all element in the image, including rocks underwater are clearly visible. Such serene and peaceful scenery.
It is amazing how different images it can be with different pp. Even when I pp it myself at different times of the same image, it can be quite different.
I like both versions maybe slightly lean toward LA's version, since I tend to not like people over saturate and contrast their images, I myself fall into that pit hole sometimes. It’s just that many've pushed it too far. Yours is just right, enough to make it lively and dramatic. LA's is more natural and soothing. I would've done it more like your version, but I think I should try to be more like LA's.
Thank you both for your time. I totally enjoyed them.
Good to discover your gallery.
Way

gary91 (15319) 2008-03-26 23:44

Hello Ryan,
A very interesting experience, demonstrating the importance of PP on the final result and I must say that I prefer the one Luis did on your original raw. This is mainly because he insisted more on the transparency of the water and genraly speaking on the pureness of the image.
This si demonstrating that, even if the shooting act is important, PP is far as important, maybe even more and requires, in any case, much more work than the first part.
Now, I do not know who to give green smiles to ;-)
Have a nice day and thanks for this very interesting experience.
Best regards, Christian

cherryripe (18794) 2008-03-27 16:05

Hi Ryan
Firstly the composition is excellent with the rocks and transparent water plus a beautiful light. It's funny though how different pp appeals to different people. I asked my husband Toni's opinion (unfortunately he doesn't have much time for TE now) and he prefers your treatment but I go for Luis's. I guess it's the soft pink tones and that the details of the rocks seem to stand out better.
Regards
Nikki

MayaG (2393) 2008-03-28 6:08

Hehe, that is a great idea!
On Treklens some 2 years ago we did a similar experiment - one member posted an unedited, original image, and the others would take it and edit it according to their own preference and post as WS. It was so interesting to see how many different styles and even meanings (by cropping differently) one same photo could have!
Here I like both versions, but I admit yours a bit more - I do like Luis's work on the light, the shadows that is, but to me (again) some details are oversharpened. This image imho is supposed to radiate calm and tranquility, so your version is somehow 'smoother' in that respect. Don't tell Luis ;p
Anyhow, this was a pleasure to see, I wish there were more creative ideas of this kind on TE.
regards
Marija

ChrisJ (69522) 2008-03-28 6:18

Hi Ryan

I prefer this one too. Superb reflections with subtle colour & fantantic sharpness & pp work. I had hoped to visit Yellowstone in November but it appears to shut down for winter in October. Tfs!

leo61 (42808) 2008-03-28 12:04

Hi Ryan!
Two points each.I like the idea and both versions.
A very good exposure and composition and you both did a great pp job.
Regards,Leo

InasiaJones (19765) 2008-03-28 12:42

Hi Ryan,

Great idea and exercise, I like the results and the possibility to compare.

First, whatever the preference, the basic photo is there to admire. A splendid view over a perfectly calm lake, ideal landscape and a multiple choice of foreground elements. This is just gorgeous.

Than, I would say that what I like in Luis work, is its good intervention to get the best possible contrasts in the rocks. The far background is also well lighted - we can see small details and a better variety of shades. The rest is a question of personal opinion and I like both colour interpretation of the sky.

Good collaboration guys! Thumbs up for the project.

André

kmarscher (2881) 2008-03-29 15:53

Yes, I thank you for the comparison. I see this all the time on Trek where RAW files are adjusted in layers and combined. It is this level of digital pp that makes the shot a bit surreal, but very, very appealing to the eye. Nothing can improve a well-done shot and this you did superbly.

tehanu_f (6874) 2008-04-01 1:19

Both are good, but I'm afraid I prefer Luis's moodier version, softer colours without bright blue. However, the important thing is the photo itself. Had you not taken it so perfectly, no pp would've made it look good. Please upload more often, I love your photos very much.
Congrats,
Fusun

bostankorkulugu (33334) 2008-04-01 10:27

both versions are really cool ryan... you cant imagine how much i need to be somewhere like that right now... i could spend hours there -and days even- just sitting on a rock and watching the nature... beautiful dreamy mood you have in this one, congrats pal...

korkut

Merline (6574) 2008-04-02 7:14

Well Ryan, I am in two minds:-)
Great idea in any case this double version. First I think you did a great great work with the image taking it. Makes me want to book a plane right now...such luminous, soft, beautiful composition. An ode to nature. My compliments!
I see Luis' work as more subtle in the colors, with more clarity in the details and I slightly prefer his color of the sky. But I do find it a wee too sharpened on certain spots. I say this with a touch of salt because I would be just in no way be able to take, or PP such a picture:-)
Your version is somehow more natural, less sophisticated and that I like, the sky maybe a pinch very blue. But this is to say something, because you ask. I do find them both outstanding work that I can only admire !

TFS
Kind regards
Michèle

pboehringer (770) 2008-04-04 7:22

This is pure TE, Ryan! Finally someone with an additional idea that goes far beyond the: "I do a shot, do the PP and post it for critiques" and with some luck get a WS. This is fantastic. Having the RAW and doing something from scratch is a terrific idea and the outcome is so full of lectures. You raised this to a new level and I ponder if we shouldn't try to make out of this a virtue at TE. BUT, I have to say that it can't be done with any post at TE. The first requirement is the perfect work in the filed and you delivered a well crafted shot that makes it "easy" to work on.
Comparing your two, Luis and yours, interpretation is a lesson for a whole week, at least. Thanks for this!
Peter

kensimage (8539) 2008-04-07 0:11

It's a very interesting idea to get two different outstanding photographers' take on the same shot. I have to agree that Luis' crop, with the less centered horizon, is better. There's a lot to be said for the rich color of your version, but perhaps his subtler colors are just a different equally worthy mood extracted from the same scene. It's a truly beautiful shot with the glassy water and all the rocks visible underneath. Regards, Ken.

Photo Information

Copyright: Ryan Thayne (euryan) (8345)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-08-18
Categories: Nature
Camera: Canon EOS 30D, Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 EX DC HSM, Digital RAW 100, Cokin Circular Polarizer
Exposure: f/9.0, 1 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Map: view
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Rocky Mountains [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-03-24 12:47
Favorites: 1 [view]