Control The Light, Own The Narrative
When you take command of light in your edits, you take command of the story your image tells. In this tutorial, I review a sequence of Lightroom adjustments to control tone, shape contrast to a blue-hour skyline and bridge scene from Portland, Oregon to better guide the viewer’s eye. The “before” version has tremendous potential — inky blues in the sky, deep shadows under the bridge, and scattered highlights in the skyline reflecting across the water — but the visual story can be stronger.
Using targeted local adjustments to refine the light and shadow, crafting the real structure of the scene. A few carefully-placed masks accentuate key elements in the composition, with balanced counterparts to downplay the sky and water. One of my favorite finishing tweaks is adding a little pop to the amber light playing about the bridge supports.
It’s all about taking control of the light — because when you control the light, you control the narrative. Watch for my new video course that’s all about understanding light and shadow and how the tools in Lightroom empower you to craft stronger images.
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PHOTO SOFTWARE I USE
Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop
ON1 Photo RAW & Effects, https://bit.ly/sdp-ON1, Save 20% with offer code SDP20
Skylum Luminar Neo, https://bit.ly/sdp-luminar-neo, Save US$10 with offer code SDP10
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Sony A7Rii, https://amzn.to/2GchPVy
Sony A6400, https://amzn.to/2OabTCf
Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS, https://amzn.to/2jW26BA
Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS, https://amzn.to/3FCRxNl
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-4.5 GM OSS, https://amzn.to/3FD9IT9
Really Right Stuff Tripods, https://amzn.to/2KZQYj5
Haida Filters, https://amzn.to/2YoQJIT
Formatt-Hitech Filters, https://amzn.to/2KVxTyy
ThinkTank And MindShift Camera Bags, http://bit.ly/2KTvg0p
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