h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I had an idea to go and photograph the interior of a working mill; I wanted to capture some of the textures and shapes of the wood and machinery, but also explore the way the light would play inside such an unusual interior space. I used my new Wacom Intuous tablet to paint in some of the post-processing ( is a damn sight easier than using a mouse!) after running the multiple exposures through photomatix for the HDR. Many more to come - but these are the only two I've processed so far today - and it's already nearly midnight - and I must sleep!


https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXi9Yeg

Let's try that again.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjXi9Yeg

Fixed it !

ta!

One more uploaded.

Here is the latest photo.

Too me five hours of solid post-processing to get it looking just right!

Hope you like it!

http://flic.kr/p/ng3eqQ

Nice lighting!

Have you tried sticking it through some HDR filter effects?

Thanks Pastey!

I started off the post-production with a base layer imported into Photoshop that was a HDR composite of three photos taking directly from the RAW files on my camera.

I had to correct some of the 'murkying' of the light in the window by re-introducing some of the light from one of the original exposures masked out only on the window.

Then I set about making the light rays dust and artefacts and the dodge burn on the high-lights and low lights, did a few other things like removing a colour cast and refining a few details here and there.

So I do think of this as a HDR photo - there's simply no way I could have captured all of this in a single exposure! Although it has had a lot of work done to it subsequently.

I'm open to ways I can improve it - what would you suggest?

Not much to be honest

The only thing from viewing it would possibly be to see about enhancing the colours and details a bit. But to be honest, that could well be just because I'm looking at it a lot smaller on a laptop screen

It's a great photoset!

It's mainly all white walls, ancient wood and dark metal - the only real colour is coming from the off-camera light-bulb to my right that's artificially colourised the large cog to the right of the image.

In general I prefer to under-saturate my photos a little, I try to avoid over-vivid colours and contrasts, and they all appear a bit more dream-like.

The time was about midday when i took this so that's why I made the light a bright white, in the other photos I used a warming filter ('Hovis light', I called it) but in this one I didn't as I preferred to more pure brilliance of the white light with a slight bluish tinge to it, it felt 'crisper'.

I'm glad you like the set!

I'll continue to work on the batch, but I'm avergaing a photo a day so far, these are not simple to make! - so check back - I will be uploading more soon including some exterior shots of the mill, and one of a seal that had swum up river and wanted it's portrait taking!!

Post production is *very* time consuming. I remember having to do a HDR/Tilt-shift cross backdrop for a DVD menu, and the client couldn't understand how I could get the menu itself done in a couple of days, but that the image took a couple of weeks.

When we then had to render each of the videos too, they almost panicked at how long it was going to take, because, you know, computers are always as quick as they are in the films.

Genius has it's limits! and it's rewards!

I've completely over-hauled and re-done one of the first photos with the cogs at right angles to each other.

Got a lot of good advice from The Digital Photography School forums that I put into application.

Much happier with version 2.0.

Oooh, is it uploaded?

Yup.


9404 V2.0

Beautiful images, love the muted colours and the pop on the cogs, great job.

Thank you Freewayriding!

That is seriously awesome!

I'm getting better at this photo malarkey!

Hilariously, someone at work said to me yesterday - " that looks like something the Unreal 4 engine would produce" , and I was thinking " you mean, reality?"

Still it's a compliment (of sorts) I suppose to be told you best photographic work and real life is equal to what an algorithm can fake.... I think.

I think they probably meant about the high colours and the lighting