Before and After – Post-production in iPhonography

Earlier this week I posted the images on the left of those below straight from my iPhone without any post-production adjustments. I hope you will agree with me that the adjusted versions are an improvement.

The photos were taken pretty much as snapshots. I did not spend any time in setting up the shots and next to no time looking at different angles or alternative compositions. The best work you’ll ever do in post-production will always be with those images that need least doing to them. It is useful, however, to be able to make some improvements to shots taken on the fly.

The photos were taken with the iPhone app ProCamera. Initial adjustments were made on the phone using the same app and further adjustments made in Adobe Lightroom followed by some sharpening and noise removal with Google’s Nik software.

before and after - railings

before and after - reservoir

before and after - overflow

 

Layers and Layers – Recording Observations 1

When working on the recently posted StillWalks video, “Breakers Walk”, I was asked not to do a recce walk. The photos below, of the cliffs and rock layers of the South Wales coast, are perhaps some I might have taken had I done that recce.

I took these shots on the the recent “Walk and Draw” day described in the previous post in which I posed some questions including “what are the disadvantages of not recording observations?

I am sure that if I had done that recce, the StillWalks video I produced would have been different – whether or not it would have been better is another question entirely. The disadvantage of not having done a recce was that there was more time required in post-production than there would have been. This was due to not having some of the photos I might have taken and, more importantly, not having as much sound recorded – more thorough field recording would have been helpful when laying this in with the image sequence.

Monknash cliffs

rock strata

rock strata

Architecture – Victorian Footbridge, Swansea

This is going to be a StillWalks week of architecture! Starting with the old, these images are of the remains of the footbridge by Victoria Park, St Helens in Swansea. The bridge itself was dismantled for safety a few years ago but I am pleased that the steps have been left as I find it an attractive structure.

I may be behind with my post production (see note below re featured videos), but that does not mean I am not always looking out for new locations for StillWalks videos. Swansea beach, seafront and marina are all locations I would like to use and in time I expect I will manage it. For now, however, I will continue to keep my eyes and ears open to the possibilities for StillWalks in all kinds of environment – man made as well as natural.

St Helen's Footbridge

Swansea Beach

St Helen's - SwanseaFeatured SillWalks Videos – I’m afraid this is going to be another week without a featured StillWalks video. I have a number of productions to complete and I look forward to adding these to the StillWalks collection. For now there is, as always, access to sample length videos is available through the Walks menus and you can always buy them at anytime for as little as £1.50.

Cwmdonkin Park

Time and Temptation

At the rate I am going it may be next Autumn before I get the StillWalks video wrapped up from the production day I had in Cwmdonkin Park recently. The temptation is always to work on post production as soon as possible after the production walk but this does not often happen.

The number of StillWalks videos pending is mounting but there are only 24 hours in each day and you can’t spend all of them on one task. What I need is a time stretcher! 🙂 Hopefully I will be able to catch up over the next couple of months and expand the existing StillWalks video collection with several new ones from Spring, Summer and Autumn 2013.

Completing the Cwmdonkin video is a priority in this respect as next year is the anniversary of Dylan Thomas’ birth and there is a strong association between him, his poetry and the park.

Cwmdonkin Park

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Abertawe Walk” which is along the cycle path alongside the River Tawe going into Swansea, South Wales. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

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