In this week’s video, I’m going to show the story behind a photo I took a few days ago in Great Sand Dunes National Park. Because it’s our first case study video at Photography Life, I wanted to shoot an image that I already had in mind – hopefully lowering my chances of returning empty-handed. In the end, I definitely got a photo I liked. But it didn’t happen quite how I had expected.
The following video goes through all the steps behind the shot, from finding a location to camera settings. I also have a rapid-fire post-processing tutorial at the end, explaining exactly how I processed the final RAW file. As with last week, I filmed the video in 4K, although it may take a day or two for YouTube to process the full-resolution version:
Once again, if you have any feedback, please let me know below. I’d also like to express my thanks to everyone who offered comments and support for our previous video! So far, the Photography Life channel has gotten approximately one new subscriber for every ten people who viewed last week’s video, which is just an insane ratio.
If you’re interested in our future videos, click this link and YouTube will automatically ask if you want to subscribe. And you can visit our channel here without subscribing if you prefer.
Until next week, good luck and good light!
spencer,
very well done. first, your delivery is excellent. not a lot of “you knows” and “ums”. clear & concise! your setup was not distracting, with a bunch of stuff in the background. simple is good….just you and the monitor. the content approach was excellent. from getting video on your hike, explaining settings & composition to LR processing. i appreciate you getting right to the subject matter and not trying to entertain or be funny.
i’d enjoy trekking out there next time you visit….i live about 3 hrs away from GSD. by the way, i’ll be subscribing. keep up the solid work!
Mr. Cox,
Thank you for providing this video. I find the tutorial a great supplement to the articles provided on this website. This is exactly what I’d hoped Photography Life would begin incorporating into its database. As a novice, amateur photographer, it’s very enjoyable to see the process start to finish while you showcase your thought process in a simple, elegant, engaging manner. I especially appreciate the additional considerations to elements on the photo that seem distracting and how to deal with them as well as your explanation on how to properly adjust the contrast.
Thanks!
I really enjoyed seeing your process. I am just learning about the gradient feature. When you applied it to the sky it seemed to me that there was a bit on the left hand side that got left out, or caused a line of difference from what you did. Is there a way to prevent that?
Great video. I especially liked your comment about flexibility, as well as your LR post-processing. Question: you mentioned quickly that sometimes you use f5.6, other times f16, depending on the lens – can you elaborate a bit? Many thanks.
Great video tutorials. I will look forward to see these regularly.
Just to echo what has already been said – very informative and easy to follow tutorial. Not too long and really clear. Definitely prefer the photo you selected – much simpler.
Spencer your method of teaching and explaining your subject is excellent, to say the least. You are engaging, articulate and know your subject matter. Yes, I think we have all parked the car in the wrong spot, sometimes it is good to get something that you did not wish or plan for.
Well done on every level.
Can you comment on various methods of getting to B & W? Please include Nik Silver Efex. My limited experience is that it is very powerful, and offers many, many options, and can, in the right hands, REALLY improve a simply desaturated image, BUT I have no game plan in using it. Just hit or miss, random trial and error.
Spencer, awesome video and I really liked your comment about being flexible. I’m heading to GSD on April 26th-28th with plans for a Milky Way shot. Therefore your suggestion to park closer to where I want to shoot from will be at the forefront of my mind!! :)
Many thanks again! Great stuff.
Dave
Spencer,
That’s the first video I’ve watched from you and it’s a great video. Love the concept to completion approach.
When you were de emphasizing those small shrubs, could you have got the same effect using a Gaussian Blur?
Thank you, Steve! Although you could do some Gaussian blur there, I would be wary of too much. Sometimes, an area that is too blurry will stand out from its surroundings as a result, almost paradoxically. But a light blur there would not be harmful.