Editing Notes from a Sketchbook Series

The Notes from a Sketchbook series came about because of photos with problematic backgrounds, but with compelling subjects.

On a bright, overcast day with high white clouds, you need to expose for the bird, or the bird will be silhouetted.

With proper exposure, the sky ends up white.

Exposed for the bird - light, cloudy day

It’s a very pretty shot, but many people find the white background off-putting. So I tried changing to black and white.

The black and white looked a bit muddy and heavy. So I decided to go a bit more High-Key. So I need to start lightening the shadows and bringing down the highlights. Here are the following changes I made to get the end result.

The final Image

By working through the darks, shadows, white, highlights, exposure, contrast, I got where I wanted.

Putting icing on the cake is to print it on an etching paper — to give it even more of a sketchbook feeling.

Final Notes: Ansel Adams did a major amount of work in the darkroom doing the same types of things. Playing with his work until it was what he saw, felt, experienced. Don’t settle for out of the camera. Only settle when it’s the shot you dreamed.

— Wendy