CS4 Color range selection

Image: Snake River, 5D, 70-200 f2.8 IS L, 3 stop soft GND, B + W CPL.
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A very handy tool in CS4 is the color range selection for selecting large areas by color, this can be used to selectively lighten, darken, adjust color or sharpen by selecting a color. From the menu 'select > color range' in the dialog box adjust 'fuzziness' to desired level, (watch the preview) around 20-60 will work, then select the '+ eyedropper' to add more of the color range to be adjusted, say OK and select the adjustment layer from the pallets menu, ie. levels, color balance, etc... and adjust your image. In the above image this allowed me to adjust just the yellow in the trees to the levels I needed. Nice little trick and well worth trying.

Same in this image.

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Ross Murphy Images In Light

Take advantage of Puddles :)

Image: 5D Mk II, 24-105 f4 IS L, 45mm, f16, 20 sec 2 stop soft GND.

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Take advantage of element's that can add to your image, here a simple puddle after a rain storm gave me the opportunity to add foreground interest to this image of Seattle, I took a few images and the one with the planks leading into the puddle proved to add a little more than just the reflection on its own. Simple little things can mean a great deal to an image. B and W conversion done in Lightroom and CS4.

Ross Murphy Images In Light

The Rule of Thirds

Image 5D Mk II, 16-35 f2.8 L II, 30mm at f 16, 1/4 sec, 3 stop GND soft

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Although I don't really try to hard to work with the so called Rule of Thirds it does work. When an image can be divided in to 9 separate portions of equal (or close) size by 2 horizontal and 2 vertical lines and placing points of interest at the intersections it meets a certain balance that is more pleasing the eye, if any one took art in school maybe you will remember this. But it is one more thing to think about when composing an image, I have found composition to be easier for me when I set up my equipment and do a quick composure through the viewfinder and then use live view to make adjustments, that 3 inch screen is a lot easier to see than the peep hole of a viewfinder. Only a few images work where the point of interest is centered in the image, most of the time you want the primary subject off center.

Ross Murphy Images In Light

Pre Dawn Light

Image: Bandon Beach, 5D Mk II, 70-200 F4 IS L.

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Early morning just prior to sunrise, totally overcast sky's, no filters, 2 sec at f16, slight adjustment to white balance from 6250 to 5250, who says you can't shoot in bad light, live view was used to expose and focus.

Ross Murphy Images In Light

Back Light

Image:5D Mk II 24-105 f4 IS L, 3 stop GND soft, 93mm @ f16, 1/50 sec

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Back light can kill an image or make for a strong composition depending on how it is used, here the light was so strong I needed to reduce it far beyond a filters capability, so I walked towards this sea stack at Bandon beach until I was standing in the apex of its shadow and composed an image that included the shadow of the sea stack.

Ross Murphy Images In Light