Who Was Your Inspiration for Post Processing Images?

[russellsnr]

Hi, I try when processing my images to make them look as natural as possible but it seems when looking at other images online they seem to stand out for want of a better word compared to my own so just wonder who did you follow or learn from when it came to processing wildlife/bird images or is it something that comes natural to many people?
Like many I assume I have watched people like Jan Wegener who seems to be very good at post processing but also has the variety of colourful subjects to choose from along with a very good understanding of software.
Thank You, Russ.

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

As well as trial and error and reading many, many books, I found the info online by the people below helpful from and inspiration and processing perspective. Probably the best two books I ever got were The Art Of Bird Photography by Arthur Morris and The Handbook Of Bird Photography by Peltomaki, Varesuvo and Mate.

Steve - Obvs
Trond Westby - Field techniques, post processing
Jan Wegner / Glenn Bartley - Very good post processing info
Simon D'entremont - Field techniques and post processing

 

[TurtleCat]

Everyone and no one. Most of what I do is self taught and I’ve watched things either from NAPP/Kelby many years ago or YouTube or magazines or web searches or forums. The ones who do it best are also putting the time and money into being in the best light and best locations with the best equipment so their work starts at a better point than most everything I’ll have. What I’ve observed is most are careful about initial composition, clone/hide distractions, boost saturation and selective contrast, alter the brightness to highlight whatever and that’s generally it. If it isn’t there in the original file, though, it won’t be there with the best processing.

 

[DRwyoming]

Pretty much the same as the reply above, a lot of self teaching but also a lot of reading and experimenting and as posted above the realization that it all starts with the light and the original capture so a lot of effort to get better results in the field to build on in post.

In terms of influences:
- Scott Kelby to get started and to learn tools like Photoshop and Lightroom.
- Dan Margulis to learn about color management, pre-press processing, the power of working in LAB color space or CMYK when the image could benefit from it.
- Moose Peterson way back when to see how this could be applied to wildlife and nature images.
- Many others to keep learning and picking up new techniques or figuring out what I do or don't want to use in my own photography.

 

[bleirer]

I try to follow my own muse as far as deciding what look I'm after, but for both general techniques and when I'm after a certain outcome to research I follow piximperfect, photoshop training channel, phlearn, Julianne Kost, Anthony Morganti, Glyn Dewis, Gerald Undone. Probably a lot more on my subscribe list.

 

[Viathelens]

I started with Lightroom in 2011 with a John Shaw workshop, one of those "cattle call" type things in San Jose, CA. He displayed very beautiful prints. I went home, bought a Scott Kelby book (although I am not a fan of him) and learned the program from A to Z, page-by-page. I've read many books on Lightroom and processing over the years. I also took junior college courses in Photoshop. Eventually I taught LrC at a junior college and privately. I've made many mistakes in processing and I am still making mistakes of some kind but I continue to learn on an almost daily basis, sometimes by reading and sometimes by looking at what others have done with their prints and sometimes by making mistakes. To date I have processed over 21,000 images. Sometimes I will look back at something and say to myself, "what were you thinking when you did that?" Luckily it can all be done over again. One of the ways I learned was by doing images over again and learning what the sliders did by doing that. I'm pretty well-versed in how most of the sliders impact an image. I also got an A.A. degree in Photography which included several art classes so I learned a bit about color in those classes and that has been helpful. I don't have any particular mentor nor do I "follow" any particular photographer. I always intend to do that, but just never do.

 

[Karl]

I tried most of the names listed by others but I still felt like I was Photoshop-challenged... until... I found Blake Rudis and his f.64 Academy. Blake is an amazing teacher and has a lot of material to offer. I won't say it was easy, but I finally feel like I have a grasp on using Photoshop. I've watched most of his tutorials, spent more than a teleconverter, and still have a ways to go... actually, I'm pretty sure it's a never-ending journey. I especially like what Blake teaches because I was getting bored with perfect bird portraits that most of us can learn to do fairly easily if you have good equipment and some moderate skills. I wanted to grow into more artistic bird photography and Blake's background in art as a painter is exactly what I needed. Blake is very approachable and will answer your emails personally with help for your questions. One of the most valuable services he has to offer is his two monthly photo critiques where he takes members photos and goes through his Photoshop workflow to produce photos that express an artistic vision. If you are interested in creating more artistic photos, you really owe it to yourself to check him out. He has free Photoshop tutorials but his many courses available to you as a member of f.64 Elite really shine. I figured I'd join for a couple months to see what he had to offer and now I'm hooked with all his new courses and critiques that make me feel like I'm getting a lot more than I paid for. Yeah, I'm a Blake-fan.

 

[JAJohnson]

Sometimes I will look back at something and say to myself, "what were you thinking when you did that?" Luckily it can all be done over again. One of the ways I learned was by doing images over again and learning what the sliders did by doing that.

I’ve asked myself that question quite a few times over the years. It’s one reason why I not only save keepers, but raw files from a few other shots taken before and after. Sometimes going back after months (or years) and editing those is enlightening and surprising. I look at them much more dispassionately and with fresh eyes.

 

[Butlerkid]

Tim Grey got me started in the mid 90's with a sound foundation in PS 6. Since then I have grown my processing skills by doing it, soliciting critiques on NikonCafe and here, having a pro mentor who helps me when I ask him and of course studying almost every image I view to assess what works and what doesn't.

 

[Turberticus]

Ray Hennessy. I joined his mentorship program and he helped me edit some photos that I submitted for feedback. I also watched most of his realtime edits in LR and Photoshop. He doesn't have a huge following on social media like some of the others mentioned here, but I really like his style of shooting and approach to editing - minimal adjustments to highlights, shadows, saturation.

 

[russellsnr]

Thank you for ALL the replies and advice, am going through looking at each and picking up bits here and there, not looking to become a master in L/R or P/S to old to be doing that so mainly just tips from each one. Thanks again, Russ.