It was rather windy this morning so I thought I'd head down to Brenton Point in Newport to see if there was anyone flying kites along the water. I was quite disappointed to find the place empty. Continuing along Ocean Drive, though, I spotted these two young cyclists sitting on the rocks and checking their map of Newport. They didn't mind the candid shots, so I took a few dozen and headed home. While it wasn't what I planned on shooting today, it still made for an interesting scene, or so I thought.
My plan was to process as a black and white. As the military says, though, the best laid plans never survive first contact with the enemy. That, apparently, also applies to photography. The background shrubs, devoid of any vegetation at all, created too much of a distraction for the black and white to work. The color shot was okay, and there are some interesting hues in the rocks, but I found the color version quite boring and certainly lacking in any story. That's when I decided to go the creative route.
The bottommost layer is a slate texture that I darkened a bit and brought out the contrast significantly to enhance the grain. On top of that, I placed the original photo, desaturated using a black and white gradient, and - using the cookie cutter - I cropped it with a jagged border. That was layered on the slate using a screen blend mode. I then duplicated that layer, and blended it again using a multiply blend mode. The levels were adjusted, linked to that last layer, and then the levels of the entire photo were adjusted. It was a fun session, and the end result is, if nothing else, interesting.
Wow, what processing! I've never used the cookie cutter but I should definitely give it a go if this is what you get. I really love this photo, the processing has worked really well :) Made me sit up when you mentioned Newport since I'm in Wales and near 2 different Newports! Thought you might be down the road!
@jml0306 Thanks, Joe! Had fun doing this one. @melissapike Thanks, Melissa! Wasn't what I planned, but... @kirstyalexandra Thanks, Kirsty! The secret to it is what you use as a background layer because the cookie cutter will leave blank spots (intentionally). There are a lot of great textures available for download (for free) or you can always make your own. I'm at ronaldc@cox.net if you run into questions. As to "Newport", I'm in Rhode Island in the USA. You'll recognize a lot of our city names, though. Most of them are copies of where our colonists came from in England! (Newport, Bristol, New London, Plymouth... LOL) @karens68 Thanks, Karen! @janets Thanks, Janet! You know, reading it now I'm pretty sure I lost myself after the bottom layer. LOL They weren't the best of directions.
@bkbinthecity Thanks, Bbk. I've never been comfortable shooting candids, so having a willing audience really helps. @marzenka Thanks, Marzenka! Really appreciate the Fav.
April 9th, 2012
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@melissapike Thanks, Melissa! Wasn't what I planned, but...
@kirstyalexandra Thanks, Kirsty! The secret to it is what you use as a background layer because the cookie cutter will leave blank spots (intentionally). There are a lot of great textures available for download (for free) or you can always make your own. I'm at ronaldc@cox.net if you run into questions. As to "Newport", I'm in Rhode Island in the USA. You'll recognize a lot of our city names, though. Most of them are copies of where our colonists came from in England! (Newport, Bristol, New London, Plymouth... LOL)
@karens68 Thanks, Karen!
@janets Thanks, Janet! You know, reading it now I'm pretty sure I lost myself after the bottom layer. LOL They weren't the best of directions.
@marzenka Thanks, Marzenka! Really appreciate the Fav.