theonlyD800inthehameau
Photography by theonlydeadheadinthehameau
Before & After: Petra
Posted on January 15, 2016
Petra is arguably one of the most photographed places on Earth (right up there with Venice) and I’ve posted a number of the pictures I took there on this blog. And here’s another, which I’ve used for this latest exercise in ‘before and after’.
Before
The original is a pretty bog-standatd shot of part of the famous al-Khazneh (Treasury) building which is the first thing you see when you enter Petra. As it stands it’s pretty ho-hum – the photo, not the Treasury – but I thought it might be possible to make something a little more arresting with some post-processing.
After
The first thing to do was straighten the image. After that, I cropped out the grey rock on the left, to focus on the juxtaposition of the angular and circular features (which I thought contrasted well with each other).
The original image seemed to me to be a little over-exposed, so I adjusted for that in the whole image. A particular problem area was the dome on top of the circular feature. I brought out some additional detail in that by adding a graduated filter on the right hand side of the image – an innovation for me: I knew Lightroom offered such a thing but had never worked out how to use it. I got it eventually through trial and error.
After that, it was simply a matter of adding some Punch and Sharpening to give the image a bit more ‘presence’. Overall, I think the editing has made for an improvement.
Horizontal Lines
Posted on November 14, 2015
I have to saythat I’m completely in agreement with Cee when it comes not only to horizons but also other horizontal lines actually being horizontal; I use the Straighten Tool in Lightroom to correct my own errors – as far as possible.
Oradour-sur-Glane, with the Monts de Blond in the background.
Some other images featuring strong horizontal lines:
Finally, a couple of other images with multiple horizons:
Cee’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge: Horizontal Lines and Horizon
Monumental
Posted on July 10, 2015
Large? You want large? Take a look at the human figures at bottom left of this image from Petra and you’ll get some idea of the scale of this monumental work.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Early Bird
Posted on April 18, 2015
When visiting Petra, go early, not just to miss the crowds but for the quality of the light.
This is a view of the ‘Siq’ – the long narrow gorge that eventually opens out to the dramatic and famous view of the Treasury. It was early, but as you can see, we weren’t the first.
Photography 101: Landmark
Posted on November 11, 2014
Another image from Petra. This time, the famous Nabataean Treasury but from a more unusual perspective (as per the suggestions in the assignment).
I also like the juxtaposition of the carved monument and the rough stone on the right: like a particularly spectacular ‘before and after’.
I’ve posted some more abstract images from Petra here.
Photography 101: Connect
Posted on November 10, 2014
This bridge connects two parts of the site at Petra and is the only feasible way of reaching some of the largest rock carvings.
Madame, who has a fear of heights, was not happy having to cross over this rather ramshackle affair, especially with the shadow pointing to the bottom of the fifty-foot deep ravine that it spans.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers
Posted on November 16, 2013
Here is another picture from Petra, showing the sandstone layers from which the monuments were carved. You can find more in this other post.
Surreal sandstone
Posted on August 31, 2013
I memorably spent my 60th birthday (last year) in Petra, thereby realising a lifelong ambition. I have all the standard touristy shots to prove it, and the overall experience more than lived up to my hopes and expectations.
However, while wandering around the ruins over the two days we spent there, I was especially struck by some of the rock formations. So, rather than bore you with the usual postcard pics, here are some of the almost surreal images I saw in the sandstone.
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