Nature Still Life - Shot using natural light and image processing using Adobe Lightroom

Here is another still life that was taken on my lounge floor on a piece of paper. I have only used natural light filtering in through the window, and all the other lighting effects have been produced using Lightroom. The main object of this shot was to really bring out the leaf texture which almost looks like blood vessels! I managed to achieved this by using the tone curve and simply darkening the shadow areas, I then added some split tone color - blue into the shadows and yellow into the highlights. I also enhanced the overall saturation and vibrancy of the image. In the background I added a colored gradient filter to darken the background, and then finished off the image by doing some selective sharpening. CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

Macro leaf texture. Increased grain effect using Lightroom

Here is a simple shot that was taken using natural light on my lounge floor. I placed the leaf on a green piece of textured water colour paper and then lifted the leaf up about 15mm (by putting a few twigs underneath it) so that the paper background would be slightly out of focus. Lifting the leaf also helps give it some great shadows. I took the image with a 60mm f2.8 Nikon macro lens and then processed it in Lightroom. The processing involved softening the textured paper background even further by using a negative setting in the clarity filter. I then desaturated most of the colors except for the yellows, oranges and reds - I slightly boosted these colors. Finally I used the grain effect in Lightroom to add a consistent grain texture across the whole image. CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

Beautiful sunset across the harbor in Auckland. Shot with my Nikon D3 and processed using Lightroom

Today was a great day to be out in Auckland (New Zealand), it was nice to finally have a few clear days, it almost felt like a slice of summer. I really like the simplicity of this shot, I added a bit more color in Lightroom and then pushed the tones toward green instead of blue. I used the clarity function to enhance the clouds, I also added a few gradient filters top and bottom to darken the sky and water. I finished the image off by adding some selective sharpening to bring out the texture on the waves. CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

Beach entrance at night. Shot on a Nikon D3 and processed in Lightroom to enhance night lighting.

I decided to use this image as a test case for creating a cinematic night time look, in simple terms I have cooled the color palette down and added additional darker tones into the image. I have illuminated the pathway to make it appear like there is moon light and generally tinted the greens to appear stronger. Many of the other colors have been desaturated and then Lightroom 'split tones' have been used to reintroduce a much colder feel. Definitely an interesting experiment. CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

Black & White Treatment using Lightroom

This New Zealand beach scene was processed in Lightroom by desaturating the color rather than choosing the black & white mode. I used the contrast slider and a variety of gradient filters to create a 'pool' of light around the beach area. The processing adds to the drama of this shot, it also brings out some of the finer textures. CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

Amazing New Zealand Sunset. Photographic Processing Using Lightroom

Here is another interesting shot from Muriwai beach in New Zealand. This shot was taken from a reasonably low angle using a wide lens. I love the small flicks of white foam in the foreground, they make a great texture. In Lightroom I pulled back the blue tones and pushed them towards an aqua color rather than blue. I also added some warm purple tones to the shadow areas in the clouds, this seems to pull the entire color palette together. CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

Fantastic New Zealand Beach - Processed in Lightroom and shot on a Nikon D3

There was some incredible scenery out at Muriwai Beach this evening. I'm convinced that low light and sea spray make an excellent atmosphere for creating great light. I have often wondered if the sea spray diffuses the light and creates a similar effect to a huge soft box. In any case it makes for a fantastic environment to take pictures. I hope you enjoy this latest shot, as always it has been processed in Lightroom using a variety of techniques including gradient filters, split toning and a little bit of selective sharpening. CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

How to edit in lightroom : Rain drop texture

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

Lightroom Tutorials : Nature & People

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

Lightroom Tutorials : Muriwai Beach New Zealand

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Adobe Lightroom. To learn more about how I process images check out my Lightroom Tutorial and Lightroom Presets.