My name is Alister Benn and I am a professional landscape photographer living on the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. I am a passionate teacher, workshop leader and author of numerous books and eBooks on both the art and craft of photography. I run a private members forum where we dig deep into creativity and the power of our own unique perspectives. Our passion is your creativity... I am a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society
i don't understand why people invest in such kind expensive gear to shoot things there 300 euro old mft or compact camera is quite enough? it is heavy, it is balky... the wind make tripod useless. it is a pity to see you in such kind of trouble
Alister, this was very good. Kindly let me add another dimension to separation, how the brain interprets WB. Ever wonder how when we put on tinted sunglasses that after a short time we no longer notice the skewed WB? This is because our vision is more sensitive to relative differences in color (and in luminosity) than in absolute values. As you have done in the processing example, regional and local adjustments in WB will accentuate contrasts and bring viewers attention to parts of the composition we choose. In LrC using the subject or object masking and then inverted masking can be used to push WB slightly apart. Thus, for example, in processing a wildflower photo I may use the object mask to isolate the flower and stem, then invert to create a new mask, and in the inverted mask will move the temperature and tint just a bit opposite to the main colors displayed in the flower. Vision and Art, the Biology of Seeing by Margaret Livingstone, is a must read (latest ed., in Kindle).
Alister, as a new photographer much of this went over my head but I found it very interesting and helpful. I really enjoy your teaching style and presentation and look forward to seeing more of your videos.
Thank you Alister for that video. Normally you have to pay for that sort of advise. Most "youtube" photographers I find/follow are doing something opposite to you have done ie making dark sky which I found just ugly. I love your style because you keep the frame looking natural and just your subconsciousness rather than ugly vignette tells you where to look and what is important. some times darker sky or vignette helps but that's overdone too often. You are one of the view who makes me sure I am looking into right direction. Thanks!
Very good points! In particular, the dangers of over saturation through increased contrast need to be kept an eye on as well as overly sharp images. Reducing the amount of blue in an image can often help. As regards printing, there is a tendency to produce slightly dark photos because of the intensity of screens.
A really useful take on the essence of good editing Alister. Thank you. I’ve watched quite a few supposedly instructive videos on editing but none so good and concise as this. ✅
Good Video, very professional and insightful. If I could add something, buy a book on color and color theory. A color wheel too. Study landscape painting as well. Color is a science.
Wonderful reminder of one of the most important things (that I can think of) when it comes to editing landscape photographs - don't try to dominate the image, talk to it, listen to it, form a relationship with it, and together you will find the touches that will help it to present itself in its best light. Thank you for this, Alister!
These are great Alister. Thank you for sharing your expertise. I’ve learned quite a bit from watching your videos. Every time I process now the phrase “ luminosity, contrast, color, atmosphere and geometry is running thru my head.
Great video, and some great advice about the mindset when approaching editing. I really like the use of complementary colours to increase contrast and depth. I also like your little saying "Care has Been Taken" I think the one thing that upsets me is when an image has been over-saturated.
Thank you for your video! By the way, why was the last video on creativity deleted? I wanted to listen to it again... too bad :-( Hope you will put it on view again:-)
Very useful video, Alister. This processing video stands out because where most show how to process a particular shot; this one, while using one scene, delves into the why and not just the how. And, therefore gives generalized guidelines that can be used in a variety of landscape scenarios.
Very helpful, excellent tips for greater understanding why one should or should not do things, instead of the typical RU-vid clickbait "do this one trick and all your photos will look professional" nonsense. Quality photography takes time: so does quality postprocessing.
Subtle changes to an image is what makes a good image great. The last thing you want to hear from a viewer is " wow! you did a really nice job burning in that sky" If they can see then you failed in your processing. Most images I see online are over processed.
Very instructive (as always), Alister, thank you ever so much! I like this idea/attitude that a photo has to tell you „Process me right now!“ If you have no fun there can‘t be any creativity. Perhaps the photo is not inspiring at all and shouldn’t have been taken…
Informative, as usual. I have to admit, though, that I was distracted by what I assume was your Pink Floyd T-shirt when your mic stand/protective screen partially blocked the "P" giving it the appearance of an "F", and on the other side of the mic were the arms of the "K" sticking out. You can imagine where the mind of the 13-year-old boy inside me went! 😂😂 (Says more about me than you.)
As always good advice from you. I often find post-processing a bit daunting, but I have learned a lot from your videos. I think you'll be happy to know that I have learned to take care! Not perfect, but hopefully becoming better.
My usual mistake: To edit all my 'stones' - after a photography session - instead of first looking for a gold nugget (when I'm lucky enough to find one;).
I think one of the easiest mistakes to make is to fall in love with a particular global adjustment and to apply it to every photo because someone said, "I do this with every one of my photos." I'm thinking along the lines of highlight reduction or an S curve on the tone graph, etc. Another excellent video Alister.
Alister, I've been a more serious shooter for a few years now. Reminders, like what you included in this video, are relevant to ALL photographers no matter their skill level.
