Good to see you again people!
Well, kinda. The site’s analytics say you’re gracing the site and for that, I say a hearty Thank You and Welcome!
As you can tell, this Making-the-Shot segment follows Wallpaper Download, and for this week I’d like to share a bit about how I made the image below, a Faux Reflection, which also made a cameo appearance in Making-the-Shot 02.
I was interested in doing this kind of image, just to see how the light transitions from Day to Night and how that would look in a single image.
Before proceeding, some notes on the exercise;
Have a look at the previous installment of Making-the-Shot as see the process of shooting and stitching panoramas.
The setup cannot move during the shooting duration. If you need secondary shots, use a different camera.
Get access to a Pano Head so you can get precise control and uniformity over the entire set of images for your panoramas. I use the Nodal Ninja.
Pano Head – Nodal Ninja III
On to the actual process now.
1. Location
I chose this Uhuru park viewpoint for it’s accessibility and also for the fact that I could shoot for a few hours without anyone bothering me.
In short, find an interesting location that is easily accessible, safe and where you can do your thing uninterrupted. Easily Accessible here is the keyword – it should be a place you can go back to over and over again to practice (read, shoot again and again) and perfect the technique.
2. Composition
This was a big one! I went for a panorama showing the entire skyline.
Why?
Because I still wanted my final image to be in landscape format and to match the standard sizes I use specifically for my prints. The only way to achieve that was to work with panoramas.
3. Time
This is more like patience actually.
I set up my gear at around 1700h and shot until 1930h. The idea was to capture the different variations of light from dusk into the night. I would then pick my two favorite sets of images – one from the batch I shot before sunset and one I shot at night.
Series taken at 1730h
Series taken at 1915h
As you can see, I have the exact same shot but at different times. They were taken more than an hour apart.
4. Editing
I then brought them into Lightroom for the usual basic editing and stitching after-which I exported the batches to Photoshop for the final edits.
I edited both separately, and then imported them again into Photoshop, as JPEGs, for the final assembly process.
‘Day’ edit
‘Night’ edit
5. Final Effect
After editing, exporting and re-importing into Photoshop, I ended up with two layers. I flipped the night photo vertically (my preference) and placed it directly below the Day version, to act like it’s reflecting on water.
To smooth out the transition between the two, I drew a black box at the top of the lower image, and faded it downwards, ever so subtly.
I duplicated this layer and flipped it vertically, dragged it to cover the ‘bottom’ of the upper image (to mirror the effect).
6. Success!
The Faux Reflection is done. This has ended up being a personal favorite.
The final result.
You can try it out from whatever location and vantage point you have, like this one I did of Kenyatta Avenue at Dusk, into Night.
The idea is to see how much you can get out of one location, and how creative you can be with it.
Finally, go out and make some prints. Seeing your images in print adds a whole new dimension to your work and the more you print (especially in large format) the more you grown in your skills – shooting and editing. Trust me.
Have a fantastic week and may the work of your hands be blessed.
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