Synopshots

Cochran Chapel Ghost, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA

Cochran Chapel, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, originally uploaded by TimDD.

Ann Beha Architects executed a magnificent and respectful renovation of this Andover, MA landmark.

Some Phillips Alumni have requested prints, so I have partnered with Imagekind to help them get a high quality printout.  Let's see if they meant it!

What is the right size for the images in these posts?

Testing image widths for PhoBlo posts...

Great-Blue

Great-Blue, originally uploaded by TimDD.

Ah Flickr. I started out with a far smaller Great Blue Heron when I originally posted this photo... but the beauty of the Flickr Gallery is that there are critiques galore to help you refine your technique. Here I was able to tighten up considerably by layering the bird, using LucisArt Exposure to bring out the under-wing detail without too terribly generating digital artifacts, add the vignette... and here you have it.

Neighbor-Mod

Neighbor-Mod, originally uploaded by TimDD.

The near-final result.

Process step 3: building "Neighbor-Mod"

By creating a layer for the house alone, I could call up another great processing tool: LucisArt (www.lucisart.com).  This plug-in for Photoshop has a couple of effects -- I use Exposure, Sculpture, Whyetha and Winslow -- and each has setting buttons and sliders that I just had to experiment with to understand.  It allowed me to bring much more light and life to the house, while I dealt with issues in the surrounding areas separately.

The house is starting to emerge from the shadows.

Process step 2: building "Neighbor-Mod"

This is already looking better, but there is still much work to be done.  I have traded an overall shadowed image for one which fails to highlight the house itself, much less that fabulous roof line.  So I get to work in Photoshop... first cropping the image down, then establishing layers: one for the house itself, one for the remainder of the shot -- both the lawn / foreground and the trees and sky.