Photography Tutorial · 2019-08-25
"Bad Weather" Tests a Photographer's "Good Thinking" - Photo-Editing Mini-Contest, Episode 9 Review
Thomas Chu Photo
Landscape photography is not a mechanical copy of scenery. Mountains and rivers stay unchanged for centuries, and simple check-in photos inevitably become monotonous. Only by incorporating your own perspective and thinking can landscape photos come alive.
Red clouds, sunrises, and starry skies are all weather conditions everyone likes, and post-editing them makes it easier to produce striking results. But seemingly dull weather like overcast, rainy, or hazy days tests the photographer's observation and thinking even more.
First, let's review the originals from the 9th contest: 2 photos taken in the Patagonia mountains of South America (original download address in "Photo-Editing Mini-Contest, Episode 9 - Great Scenery but an Overcast Day, This South American Landscape Is Quite a Challenge!" (《修图小赛第9期 - 风景好却是阴天，这张南美风光很有挑战！》)).
Original 1:
Original 2:
This contest provided 2 different compositions: one mainly expresses the relationship between humans and nature, and the other emphasizes autumn colors.
Both photos were shot with a Sony A7R3, but the weather on the shooting day wasn't the best. We then waited 5 consecutive days, all with bad weather and no sight of the snowy mountains, so these two are also the best originals Thomas can share.
An overcast original tests the editor's observation and understanding.
Overcast days have their own beauty, but how to express it is a challenge.
Selection Award winning works
Photographer: 懒蛋丁 (Weibo)
Review:
On overcast and rainy days, we often feel quiet and subdued. Continuing to strengthen this atmosphere is also a great editing approach.
The colors of this work are subdued and unified, beautifully expressing the unique beauty of such an overcast day.
The author darkened the messy clouds in the sky and some weeds on the ground, effectively eliminating the influence of distractions on the overall mood of the frame.
As for the autumn leaves, the mid-ground river, and the distant glacier, the author chose to strengthen them, giving the frame some highlights so it doesn't become too flat and lacking in layering.
Photographer: 九御要吃肉 (Weibo)
Review:
Although the original was shot on an overcast rainy day, the ground is full of vibrant autumn colors.
Therefore, strengthening this rich, vivid ground color while supplementing it with post-made light effects is also a great approach, fairly completely expressing the characteristics of the local scenery and season.
The author of this image effectively strengthened the richness, saturation, and brightness of the leaves and shrubs, without going overboard, making the photo's colors highly attractive.
Photographer: windy少白头 (Weibo)
Review:
This photo takes a different path, creating a rain-and-mist effect in post.
On one hand, the rain and mist effectively weaken the messy details of the sky and strengthen the layer separation between foreground and background; on the other hand, it can also render a hazy, low-spirited atmosphere.
Such treatment also makes the photo feel very personally thoughtful.
The boundary transition of the rain and mist in the middle is still somewhat unnatural, and the effect is a bit deliberate.
Selection Award prize
The same model Thomas uses: Haida NanoPro 64-stop ND filter
Other featured excellent works
Besides the above works, the following ones are also quite distinctive:
Photographer: 天苍苍也茫茫 (Weibo)
Photographer: 七色泥 (Tuchong)
Photographer: Aquila降元 (Weibo)
Photographer: 健的诗与思 (Weibo)
Photographer: Dallas-Tao (Weibo)
Photographer: YusingHon (Weibo)
Photographer: 凡容歌者 (Weibo)
Photographer: 光影间 (Weibo)
Photographer: YanMai3 (Weibo)
Photographer: Scott309 (Weibo)
If you have different views or ideas about Thomas's opinions and the way the selected works are presented, you're welcome to discuss them in the comments.
Past episodes:
"So Many Effects from the Same Image? The Winning Works of the First Photo-Editing Mini-Contest Are Out!"
"Can You Imagine Editing It Like This? Thomas's Photo-Editing Mini-Contest, Episode 2 Exhibition"
"How to Control Color Combinations in Photos - Photo-Editing Mini-Contest, Episode 3 Review"
"Post-Processing Should Go from the Whole to the Parts, with Selection and Omission - Photo-Editing Mini-Contest, Episode 4 Review"
"Overcast Days Can Be Edited Like This! Photo-Editing Mini-Contest, Episode 5 Review"
"How to Give Photos a New Atmosphere Through Post-Processing - Photo-Editing Mini-Contest, Episode 6 Review"
"Spectacular Landscape Masterpieces Need Visual Guidance Even More - Photo-Editing Mini-Contest, Episode 7 Review"
"What Kind of Photos Stand Out in Photography Contests? - Photo-Editing Mini-Contest, Episode 8 Review"