by
Alain Briot
Spiderock Snowstorm, Canyon de Chelly
Original Film Scan
Image enhancement and cropping as Inspiration
The image above is the original film-scan forSpiderock in Snowstorm. Just like with raw conversions, I prefer to create a scan that has a full tonal range and later make color and contrast corrections in Photoshop. In this instance the problems that plagued this image included grey snow, an overall greenish cast, excessive contrast, lack of brilliance, inappropriate format, and more. The work I did on the image was aimed at recreating the scene that I saw and felt and to which the camera did a number, fortunately one that was repairable. It is amazing how much can be done to restore an image that at first seems hopelessly lost, as long as your memories of the original scene are intact and your technical abilities are up to the task at hand.
Spiderock Snowstorm, Canyon de Chelly
Final, optimized version
This second image, above, isSpiderock in Snowstormas it appears in my Navajoland Portfolio.
Compare this second image to the image of the original scan at the start of this essay. As you compare the two, study the changes I made to the photograph. Do keep in mind, as with all reproductions in print, on the web or in PDF files, that the actual print has a quality of color, tone, contrast and brilliance, not to talk about texture, that is simply and purely lost in reproductions.
I created this image nearly 10 years ago, at a time when digital imaging was still in relative infancy. Because a large part of the image is pure white, precise color control is critical to the creation of a successful print. As printer, software and my personal skills improved, I was able to make significant changes to the print quality, until I was satisfied that I have a print that is neutral in the white tones and yet conveys the feeling of fresh snow, cold weather and snow-filled canyons that I experienced when I created this image.
Alain Briot
Vistancia, Arizona
October 2010
About Alain Briot
Alain Briot creates fine art photographs, teaches workshops and offers DVD tutorials on composition, printing and on marketing photographs. Alain is also the author of Mastering Landscape Photography. This book is available from Amazon and other bookstores as well as directly from Alain. You can find more information about Alain’s work, writings and tutorials on his website at http://www.beautiful-landscape.com
Alain welcomes your comments on this essay as well as on his other essays available in Briot’s View on this site. You can reach Alain directly by emailing him at [email protected]
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