t00l1024 Posted February 6 Share #1 Posted February 6 Advertisement (gone after registration) I thought I’d do a followup to https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/387641-the-making-of-a-photograph-white-sands-national-park/ where I explain my thought process on making a photograph. This new photo seemed pretty popular (https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/375512-leica-m11-monochrom-image-thread/page/29/#comment-5009286), so here’s round 2! The National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA) is a series of 28 (27 active and 1 spare), 25 meter dishes that are reconfigurable into an array up to 22 miles across. I’ll be the first to state I don’t know the first thing about radio astronomy, let alone any other form of astronomy. 🙂 If you’re curious, there’s their web site - http://www.vla.nrao.edu/ and their live webcam - https://public.nrao.edu/vla-webcam/ I’d been to VLA only one time before and the place is quite surreal. The VLA is about 2 1/2 hours from my place outside of Albuquerque, NM and I thought the weather might work in my favor. The days preceding this trip, there was a lot of unsettled weather across the state of New Mexico, and was predicted to clear up the morning I went. However, that was NOT the case when I arrived. It was cold (3C/37F - 5.5C/42F), windy and the clouds were heavy, with no sun. I’d say these were “less than ideal” photography conditions. But since I’d already bought a ticket and drive 2 1/2 hours, I’d might as well give it a shot. I began shooting a new (to me) 35mm Contax/Zeiss lens but didn’t think the wide angle was working so I switched to a Leica APO 50mm Summicron. I wasn’t feeling that so I picked my favorite lens, the Leica 100mm Macro-R. I just enjoy the tighter shots over wide, expansive landscapes when the conditions are less than clear. If I had an orange or red filter, I would have used it. However, I made a purchasing error when my “60mm filters” show up. They were Hasselblad B60 filters which don’t fit. Stupid me. I did have a Leica Yellow-Green filter, so I tossed that one on, hoping to get a little contrast. After about an hour and a half in the cold with the three lenses, I was still unhappy with the results. The photos were hazy with almost no contrast. Plus, I was cold and getting frustrated with my results. Around an hour and 45 minutes of pacing around my tripod trying different approaches, I watched a very small break in the clouds overhead move across the sky. Based upon where the sun was, it appeared as if the sun may “light up” the radio dishes. 10 minutes later, I could see the bright sun hitting the ground on the far edge of the valley moving towards the edge of the dishes. Another 5 minutes later, the sun began lighting them all up! So imagine a spotlight on these radio dishes where the remainder of the valley is unlit. There’s a wave of snow coming towards you, with snow-capped hills in the background. It’s was magical! Snap. Snap. Snap. Move the tripod a little to recompose. Snap Snap. Snap. Check histogram. Done! I took a couple of bracketed shots, but this is the one I liked the best. EXIF has it at f/22, but was really either f/8 or f/11 ISO 125 Here goes.... Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 5 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/388274-the-making-of-a-photograph-very-large-array-vla-in-magdalena-nm/?do=findComment&comment=5024146'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 6 Posted February 6 Hi t00l1024, Take a look here The Making of a Photograph: Very Large Array (VLA) in Magdalena, NM. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
t00l1024 Posted February 6 Author Share #2 Posted February 6 I have the benefit of seeing the actual landscape, and here’s art I clued into to: Sun hitting the dish. No surprise there. Light is most important. The 100mm lens draws out the big foreground subject. Clouds. Lots of drama to be had in the skies, despite lacking an orange or red filter. I want dramatic skies. Snow. Timing was right in having snow coming down in the background, with a clear foreground. Score! Snow capped hills/mountains in the background. This makes for a busy photo. However, witnessing the sun breaking through, lighting up the dish…. Had to capture it all. For this post processing set of edits, I’m going to use Adobe Lightroom Classic, Silver Efex Pro, and a touch of Topaz DeNoise AI. This is my rough outline of edits: Separate the dish from the background and adjust the white peaks on the dish to zone 9 (using the older zone system). However, there are details in the dish we want to retain, like the rusted metal. This means “structure” in Silver Efex, or “Dehaze” or “Clarity” or combination of these. Lots of structure editing of the sky. Really want to make that dramatic. I think the snow might just fall into place without much editing. Probably need to draw out snow on the hills with some spot editing Sharpen the lower portion of the photo from the bottom of the dish to the bottom of the photo. I’m not entirely sure why I do this, but like having that ultra-sharp lead-up-to-the-main-subject. Fix all the spots as a result of a dirty sensor. 😞 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
t00l1024 Posted February 6 Author Share #3 Posted February 6 (edited) Step 1: Isolate the dish for separate edits to dish and sky. Lightroom -> Select Subject (such an awesome feature) I increased exposure a lot. 1 1/3 stops, but also used the Clarity and Dehaze options to get the balance of the detail and brightness. I keep an eye on the histogram, keeping the highlight peaks just short of max (zone 9). Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited February 6 by t00l1024 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/388274-the-making-of-a-photograph-very-large-array-vla-in-magdalena-nm/?do=findComment&comment=5024149'>More sharing options...
t00l1024 Posted February 6 Author Share #4 Posted February 6 Step 1.5: Edit the sky There might be a way to get the clouds in a dramatic fashion with Lightroom, but I like Silver Efex Pro. For this step, we edit a copy. If you’re thinking, “Why not start with Silver Efex Pro?” Well, by brightening the dish first, we can make edits to mid-tones, shadows, and blacks without impacting the main subject (dish) too much. 😉 Adjust structure, and structure towards the darker tones of the photo. This is where the Monochrom shines. Take advantage of it. If you’re a pixel-peeper, the dirt on the sensor will start to become apparent. Once the photo is back in Lightroom, I selected the sky again and made a few more adjustments to add to the drama. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/388274-the-making-of-a-photograph-very-large-array-vla-in-magdalena-nm/?do=findComment&comment=5024154'>More sharing options...
t00l1024 Posted February 6 Author Share #5 Posted February 6 Step 2: Brighten the snow on the hills For the snow on the hills, I create 2 radial gradients that cover the snowy areas. As we increase the whites and highlights, we have to increase contrast to not make it look like two ovals on the mountain. 🙂 Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/388274-the-making-of-a-photograph-very-large-array-vla-in-magdalena-nm/?do=findComment&comment=5024155'>More sharing options...
t00l1024 Posted February 6 Author Share #6 Posted February 6 Step 3: Slight sharpening of foreground This is more of a personal preference. Dehaze & Clarity to a linear gradient from the bottom of the photo. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/388274-the-making-of-a-photograph-very-large-array-vla-in-magdalena-nm/?do=findComment&comment=5024158'>More sharing options...
t00l1024 Posted February 6 Author Share #7 Posted February 6 Advertisement (gone after registration) Step 4: Denoise I’d say the DeNoise step is optional and it could be debated on whether it’s necessary at all. I’ve had mixed results with the AI tools, so I prefer to use them with the minimal amounts of effects. Take note of the AI Model settings. I’m just reducing the noise a little bit. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/388274-the-making-of-a-photograph-very-large-array-vla-in-magdalena-nm/?do=findComment&comment=5024159'>More sharing options...
t00l1024 Posted February 6 Author Share #8 Posted February 6 Last step: Final check Spot removal with the Healing tool in Lightroom. MUST CLEAN SENSOR! Final result…. Histogram looks good. Seems like we’re drawn to the dish and all its detail. Clouds add drama, and we can see there’s weather in the background. Let’s call it done! Once again, here's the before and after. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/388274-the-making-of-a-photograph-very-large-array-vla-in-magdalena-nm/?do=findComment&comment=5024160'>More sharing options...
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