Nothing like a little Camera RAW editing to build intensity in what could have been a routine photo.
The three main elements of this photo are each edited in separate Camera RAW layers in Photoshop to create a finley edited image that never changes the original file and is always completely editable from the original while completing a series of complex steps for the final image.
Each succeeding step is performed on a newly created Smart Object layer with its own properties and edits. The original image remains unedited at the bottom of the layers palette.
The original photo was composed to have balancing elements of rocks and sky as framing objects with the boy and his fishing rod as the central and primary element in the composition.
The original exposure, although dramatic with roiling clouds and the wind-whipped lake, needed just a little tweaking to increase its intensity.
The first edit increased contrast, saturation and tone toward a bluer piece of the spectrum. Although still not perfect, the colors were more rich and the additional contrast complemented the stormy emotion of the scene.
The next edit added gradient filters to the sky and the rocks. The sky was darkened and a small amount of contrast was added at the edge of the frame.
The rocks also were darkened but only about a third of teh sky’s density. The rofcks also recieved a saturation bost to add color depth and contrast.
The final element was a slight dodge of the kid’s face with a slight saturation increase.
I prefer to use separate layers for each series of edits so I can easily compare the changes by revealing or hiding layers. It’s then very easy to see what effect even a minor edit can have on adjacent areas or the overall impact of the photo.
Smart Objects can become your friend, especially when you have a complex series of edits.
