Page 103 - NyghtVision Magazine Volume 4 #3

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long time ago, I learned that sometimes there is no one way to solve a problem. Having
spent most of my teenage years doing theoretical physics and chemistry, that was a hard
lesson to learn. So, I have had to work hard to train myself to look for the most effective
or efficient way to solve a problem. The same is true when working on a photo. I rely
heavily on experience and experimentation, and, when I find a technique that works, I do every-
thing I can to hone what I have learned until it becomes a ritual.

When I saw the photo, I immediately set about pursuing my ritual, step by step:

1 Analyze the image. It seems strange, I am sure, but we all have a tendency to look
past the details in an image we have created. We aren't always able to see the problems as clearly
as the dispassionate and detached viewer.

2 Ask the basic and obvious questions. Some times the obvious question can
lead to an incredibly powerful insight.

3 Global then local: Experience indicates that it is best and most efficient to work from
the global to the specific - in other words, address problems that plague overall image quality
first and then address specific issues. Also, making local corrections first can have unpredictable
results.

4 Know when to stop. Some problems can't be fixed no matter how hard you try. So,
some times the best you can do is minimize the impact of a problem which cannot be fixed.

Analysis

So. lets look closely at this photo. Here's a list of problems - each of the numbers corre-
sponds to a section of the photo. Before we proceed, please keep in mind that I reprocessed the
RAW image using DxO Optics Pro Elite. I used a preset that has lowered contrast and which pro-
duces a more even color with less contrast. Why? See the next point.

1 Despite all the options in Optics Pro that allow me to control the dynamic range of color and light,
there was nothing I could do to tone down the brightness in this section. To make matters worse, this area
was so bright that it pulled my eyes away from what mattered most - the two people.
I could have pushed the contrast or I could have further lowered the gamma (overall image bright-
ness) - and I tried reducing the gamma - but the results were not good. The area to the right of the couple
became too dark and that produced other problems, In the end, I decided to do everything I could do get
the best overall image quality while addressing as many problems as possible.

2 The preset I used was able to recapture much of the detail in this area of the image. That is both a good

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