In response to
@jgpittenger 's request for my work flow, I'm including it here. No need to comment -- this is the same safe as posted on the 23rd, but taken from the entrance, before it was unlocked for us.
Jane, here's my best guess at reconstructing the work flow I use for shots like this.
Work Flow for ‘Safe’ shot:
Background before starting post processing:
1. Starts with taking several photos so I’m working with the best of the lot.
2. If lighting is an issue (big difference in light and shadows), I will do a bracketed version as well as the individual. I usually do that toward the end because by then I have a sense of which composition I’m most likely to want. When importing, I decide which to use in post processing and import any of the candidates that could work.
3. Once imported, if there are any that won’t work, I delete immediately. I then put in the key words for the remaining images if I haven’t done that at import.
4. The “look” I’m going for in b&w architectural shots: clean lines, lean towards higher contrast but not high contrast between darks and lights. To me, architecture is all about the structure so mostly I choose b&w. But sometimes, I go with color if the color itself seems to be part of the story. For the rest of the flow, I’m only talking about b&w.
Post processing once photo is selected (if HDR, I combine the shots first in either Photomatix or Aurora, usually while still in color, and then proceed with the single image that results). The work flow assumes I’m using my 14-24mm which is the most common focal length I use for architectural types (if Fisheye, I have to first convert to 1:1 and fix the edges using the Vignette sliders in LR).
5. Convert to b&w in LR under ‘Basic’
6. Do Lens Correction, checking both boxes and entering lens make if needed
7. Do perspective correction using Transform. I try ‘auto’ first, and if that doesn’t work, try ‘level’ or ‘vertical’ and if those don’t work for me either, then I do it by hand using the hashtag looking symbol in the upper left.
8. Fiddle a bit with cropping using ‘scale’ under Transform, and then the X and Y offsets if needed, or go to the Crop tool in the upper left corner of the LR tools on the right side
9. When I have the composition I want, I go to “Basic” and generally start with the level of detail I want using the Clarity slider. If I can’t get that first step to work, I shift to using Silver Efex and fiddle using the presets – it’s just a matter of preference there, but for architecture, I tend to avoid any extreme – no Silhouette or High- or Low-key, etc. I move among the structure ones, and then tweak using the sliders on the right: brightness, contrast, structure, as well as filter color -- green is often a good one, but it's just trial and error. This is where I mostly get it to the way I want it to look – with our without Silver Efex. If I was in Silver Efex, when I return it to LR (for me, I just save it it automatically brings it back into LR), I do final tweaks usually with the sliders under Basic, or more likely under Tone Curves if I’ve got the blacks/whites where I want them. I then work back and forth between the following sliders: White, Black, Shadows, Highlights
10. It’s at this point that if needed, I go to Effects at the bottom of the LR list of tools, for vignette or dehaze (usually only if an outdoor shot, not useful for interiors).
11. Finally, I export to PS for ‘cleaning up’ any dust spots, or weird things at the edges or other distractors.
12. Reimport (i.e., ‘save’) and take a last look, and then give it the number of stars I want, make sure the keywords are up to date, and delete any other images that I’m pretty sure I won’t use. I found this to be critical or I end up with so many photos that were okay, but realistically, once I have the finished one I like, I won’t go back to the same scene and do something else with it. A few times I’ve been sorry, but not worth keeping so much clutter to save the others. If I’m posting to 365 or Flickr or Facebook, I add a keyword so I know where it was posted.
your camera eye and fantastic post processing. I suck at post and mostly shoot my b & W in camera and do very little post since skill level
not there. Love your work.