[Leica] Arles Provence

[socphoto at verizon.net (Carl Socolow)]

Wendy,

Are you working in a raw workflow? You might be able to adjust in raw 
for the sky and then open in photoshop and then do a second raw 
adjustment (sometimes even a third) for midtones, etc. and open it as 
well in photoshop. Then merge both layers one on top of the other while 
holding the shift key to ensure accurate registration. Finally, you can 
do a mask on the sky layer and conceal all but the adjusted sky. It's 
sort of HDR but pulling both exposures out of the same raw file. It 
works to an extent. I can get away with about two stops of sky 
overexposure. There are a couple other tricks such as loading selection 
using the channels palette to have photoshop isolate the sky. If so you 
might have to use some gaussian blur on the mask to soften the hard 
edges of the mask itself so it blends better. This is probably more than 
anyone wants to know but it's a technique I've used often when doing 
architectural photography and I want to hold details in windows or skies.

Finally, regarding Les Baux, don't be afraid to shoot in the dark. 
Practice hand holding camera at 1/15th, 1/8th or 1/4 second. Practice 
your breathing. Not everything has to be tack sharp or without camera 
movement. Those are just conventions for people whose aesthetic 
subscribes to reality. Silhouetted figures walking at night don't have 
to be sharp.

See:
http://www.carlsandersocolow.com/images/portfolios/europe/europe-full/Odeon_1002_R14_31.jpg
or
http://www.carlsandersocolow.com/images/portfolios/europe/europe-full/Venice_0399_1.jpg
or
http://www.carlsandersocolow.com/images/portfolios/europe/europe-full/Venice_0399_27_2.jpg

You're in the heart of the world inhabited by the Impressionists. Use 
the force, young Skywalker. See and feel what they felt. There's a 
reason they went there: for  the light, the atmosphere; even the 
Mistral. Figure out how to make pictures of wind.

I've been to Les Baux. Check out where they threw the Protestant 
Huguenots off the cliffs at Cardinal Richelieu's behest.

Anyway, enjoy. I'm envious.

Carl Sander Socolow




Wendy Wrote:

Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:56:07 +0500
From: Wendy Thurman <wendythurman at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Leica] Arles & Provence
To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
Message-ID:
        <4969c7050910121256j450de309v800aa9a999e1fce9 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Phillipe-

I've got one decent night shot and I'll get that one up tomorrow.  I'd have
done more but the wind out there is wicked!

I do have a street in Arles up- early morning light with what appears to be
irredeemable overexposure on the small patch of sky.

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Wendy+Thurman/_WLT1116.jpg.html

Arles is difficult- the streets are so narrow that the interplay of light
and shadow, while beautiful, is technically a challenge.  I am sure Les Baux
is going to be challenging as well.  I'm set to be there in the evening
light.

Wendy