by Zack Schnepf
One of the most common requests I get is to see my before and after photos, and for good reason. Good processing is more important than ever. The majority of professional photographers have made the switch to digital by now. This has allowed us to have a lot more control over the entire process if we choose to. I would venture to say that good processing is at least 50% of photography for many of us. To illustrate this I thought I would share a couple examples of before and after photos.
One of the most important techniques I use when processing is pre-visualization. I always have a pretty good idea what I want my image to look like when it’s done. This provides me a road map to follow, and a good mental reference. It’s also one of the hardest things to master IMO.
A few notes on the RAW files. I use the camera preset with the most latitude, and typically don’t do much to my raw images especially if I’m combining multiple exposures. If I’m working from a single exposure I might do more in ACR. As a result my RAW images are very bland, low contrast and lacking pop. This is intentional as it leaves me with the most information to work from in Photoshop.
I produced a video detailing the techniques used to control tonality throughout my entire workflow. You can learn more here: www.zschnepf.com/videos.html
Example 1
Fallen Arch
raw 1
raw 2
raw 3
Example 2
Second Beach
raw 1
raw 2
raw 3
Location: Bend, OR
Website: www.zschnepf.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/zschnepf77
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zackschnepf/
Zack is an award winning photographer specializing in fine art landscape photography and post processing. “Art is in my blood. My father is a well known poster artist and painter. My mom was a painter, and print maker and my brother is an art director at Facebook. Art is a way of life for my family, and I will hopefully pass it on to my children as well.”
“The love of nature is also something that my family and I are passionate about. I’ve been hiking, biking, rock climbing and backpacking since I was little. From an early age, I learned to appreciate the beauty in nature.”
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