Saturday, August 24, 2013

The making of "Odd E. Custer"

I visited Bodie, California in the summer of 2011. That's where I photographed the "farm".
The sky was shot somewhere a couple of years ago.
Last week I photographed the guy and the dog.
All done with natural light.



The four original pictures that was used:
















Placed a diffuser behind Odd so I could mask out his hair.
Step by step:

As shot.
Camera Raw edit.
Changed the perspective using Free Transform and Distort.
Moved the well, and some of the sand and grass in the left down corner.
Removed a person, lightened some of the shadows, lowered the lower part and added a new sky.
Added the dog.
Added the guy on the next three pictures.
And finally I added some color cast. Finito.

6 comments:

  1. love your work! I was wondering if you could tel me how you make the guy fit in de picture asif he is there, Because I kan tell it's not just the shadow in the grass.
    Thnx in advance :-)

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    Replies
    1. I photographed him with the same light (sun), changed some colours and contrast :)

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  2. I'm still divided on trying to composite my pictures and if it cheapens the art. My gut reaction is "Yes" it does cheapen it, but after I ponder the purpose for the compositing and the results, I always circle back to the thought: 'whatever you need to do to make an amazing picture'. Everyone is shooting for their own vision, so there is only subjectivity at the bottom of it, but for ME, if I give it the quick look and say "WOW" then who cares how it got there. Spending 3 months going to the same location waiting for that perfect moment when the clouds and the sun and all the other variables come together perfectly is the same as spending countless hours in photoshop making the same picture. The more real you can make it the better though (again my personal opinion). - Beaver Tooth Betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Compositing is it's own kind of art. It takes a special skill set to pull off convincing composites, just as it takes a special skill set to take good pictures. I would say that compositing cheapens photography about as much as photography cheapens painting. That is...Not at all.
      Great work Mr. Meling.

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  3. Great work!! Which lens did you use?

    ReplyDelete