Where Tomorrow Goes

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Where Tomorrow Goes

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A blue hour at the beginning of darkness at Passo Falzarego, a beautiful atmosphere during the day and a night that turns out to be even more interesting an mysterious

I took this photo just before darkness shoting on one of the main peaks and working with a focus stacking between the backround mountain and the foreground shrub

My main intent in this photo was to convey a sense of darkness and mystery, I used focus stacking on a bracketing series which that I blended with luminosity masks in Photoshop

WORKFLOW EXPLANATION

I blended the shot using TTS Pro to achieve a final shot with both background and foreground in focus, after this I increased the blue colours and decreased the exposure to intensify the dark mood

I increased details and I applied a orton effect, , after this I fixed contrast over the frame. I added a soft blue filter and with dodge and burn tool I made some painting over the shrub and over the mountain

I fixed the lights and darkness using luminosity masks and I increased sharpen over the mountain, as last touch I increased the vignette giving more light to the center of the image

I always hope you will find this usefull. I’m happy to ear that from you!

TECNHNICAL STUFF

Camera: Nikon D-800

Nikon 70-200 f/2,8 (used at 102mm)

Three Shots (-1; 0; +1)

ISO: 320 at f/7,1

Software: Photoshop CC2020

Plugin: TTS Pro

The Hiding

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Today I post two shots of a details of some peaks during my hike in Passo Falzarego. That day I was surrounded by clouds, I took these two photos while I was uphill and the colors of the sunset that struck these two high peaks struck my attention

The colors in those days were fabulous, accentuated even more by the magic of the low clouds which, as I wrote in previous posts, contributed to creating a magnificent atmosphere throughout the valley


WORKFLOW EXPLANATION

For both exposures I made two handheld shots. For both shots I followed the same workflow in order to obtain 2 similar images. I proceeded for a digital blending than adding details using TTS Pro

I added some warm colours using luminosity masks applied to hightlighs and a warmer filter. After adding a small orton effect, I increased the yellow colours where the sun hit the mountain helping myself with a dodge and burn tool to empatize the lighting

I fixed lights and contrast in the highlights and shadows, I added some lights using a white brush with the glow tool

The last touch was to add a small vignette to increase the darkness around the border

I always hope you will find this usefull. I’m happy to ear that from you!

TECNHNICAL STUFF

Camera: Nikon D-800

Nikon 70-200 f/2,8 (used at 102mm)

Three Shots (-1; 0; +1)

ISO: 320 at f/7,1

Software: Photoshop CC2020

Plugin: TTS Pro

Losing Sight

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During the days I stay at the Dolomites, the splendid scenery of the mountain in autumn was constantly changing. Very intense days of cloudiness alternated with low clouds to rainy days, unfortunately not always all suitable for taking good photos

That afternoon I was literally surrounded by low clouds on the horizon and I took a lot of photos in this mountain scenery so particular and engaging. In this photo the clouds moving towards the forest below

It was a very beautiful atmosphere, rarely seen in the past at these levels as I said in my previous post. More photos will follow with similar scenarios of those days

WORKFLOW EXPLANATION

This image is a result of a digital blending with 2 exposures (of course I captured 3 but used just 2) that I blended using TTS Pro with auto blend darks function inside that instantly blend a darker exposure into a brighter exposure

After this I started edit the shot using luminosity masks correcting lighting in the sky and shadows, I also fixed contrast using midtones masks. I increased details that I partially muted with a orton effect.

I fixed up colours adding more vibrance and giving more yellow tones around the trees and the part of the mountain touched by sunlight

I made a small crop to cut off an empty space below and I made some small intervention with clone stamp tool to remove some rain drops

Last touch was to add a small vignette excluding the sky because it makes the clouds too dark

I hope you will find this usefull. I’m happy to listen it from you!

TECNHNICAL STUFF

Camera: Nikon D-800

Nikon 70-200 f/2,8 (used at 102mm)

Three Shots (-1; 0; +1)

ISO: 320 at f/7,1

Software: Photoshop CC2020

Plugin: TTS Pro

The Wood of the Giant

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I recently spent a few days on the Dolomites to take a different tour than I did last time. To tell the truth, every time I try to do a different tour because the alternatives of beautiful natural places to visit here are really very much

Among my stops there was certainly a decent excursion to Passo Falzarego where I could admire a beautiful autumn scenery, in fact the whole area had a splendid view of red trees with low clouds, the one you see in the picture is a portion of what he surrounded me, in the next posts I will have the opportunity to show you the fullness of the autumnal scenery of the area

I also love the beautiful atmosphere that creates low clouds, on this day the colors and the atmosphere of the sky have really created a show that I have rarely seen. It must be said that I also had to face quite difficult days from a meteorological point of view, some days the clouds were so low that visibility was practically zeroed and rain don’t spared me, so a good mood but with moderation 🙂

WORKFLOW EXPLANATION

I captured 3 exposure in bracketing to make this shot, I make a blend manually using luminosity masks and my panel TTS Pro. I increased the yellows applying a warm filter to the highlights and shadows and I lighten up the light source using the glow tool

After this I increased details selectively and I applied a orton effect to create a dark dreamy look atmosphere to the mountain than, with the use of dodge and burn I increased the light source and the lights rays through the trees

I set the contrast and highlights and I increased the highlights, after a soft shadow recovery the last touch was to set the vibrance to give more show to the colors of autumn

I hope you will find this usefull. Love to ear this from you!

TECNHNICAL STUFF

Camera: Nikon D-800

Nikon 70-200 f/2,8 (used at 105mm)

Three Shots (-1; 0; +1)

ISO: 320 at f/9

Software: Photoshop CC2020

Plugin: TTS Pro

The Awakening

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When I took this photo I was in a special place, a very special place that I found with after a bit of research on google earth in order to find waterfalls along my South Korea itinerary

This is precisely the first of my in trip researches resuls, reaching it was not easy but it was satisfying, together with this waterfall in the next post I will also show you another waterfall that is absolutely unique

However the light coming from the top of the waterfall was lovely, photographing it and capturing that light was my main goal since I reached the location

Behind me there were some tourists who take selfies in every way possibles 🙂 A very strange thing, throughout the entire journey in South Korea I didn’t see half photographer or landscape photographer who had a tripod or a DSRL, never happened before in all of life

WORKFLOW EXPLANATION

I captured different shots in order to capture the best dynamic range, I blended 3 of them to obtain a final frame with the right light around the water and over the trees

I blended the shots using TTS Pro and luminosity masks to fix the lights around the rocks after the blend. Always with the use of my panel I increased the yellow colours of highlights and shadows using the warm colour filter

With the glow tool I incrased some lights over the main light spot and over the leafs on the trees, I decreased the luminosity in order to generate a more dark look and I applied a soft orton effect to emphatize this

I increased the vibrance of the colours around +10 using hue/saturation given more contrast using curves adjustment layer applied to luminosity masks

I hope you will find this usefull. I like to ear this from you!

TECNHNICAL STUFF

Camera: Nikon D-800

Sigma 24-70 f/2,8 (used at 35mm)

Three Shots (-1; 0; +1)

ISO: 100 at f/16

Software: Photoshop CC2019

Plugin: TTS Pro

Focus: Mastering Luminosity Masks Digital Course

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My first video tutorial Mastering Luminosity Masks has finally come out, in this article I want to talk to you more in detail about this course, the reasons that led me to create a course on luminosity masks and why this will be an additional element of knowledge to your photography

What is Mastering Luminosity Masks Course

As you will have the opportunity to read and understand also from the page dedicated to the course, mastering luminosity masks is a video tutorial that leads you through the word of luminosity masks

Through the use of luminosity masks it is possible to work images only using Photoshop, taking advantage of an advanced level of selections of highlights, shadows and midtones

Through luminosity masks it is possible to proceed to an advanced level editing, intervening only in the areas of our interests, without affecting those portions of the frame that do not require any process

Furthermore, luminosity masks can be used to proceed through digital blending, that consist in selecting areas of interest and combine multiple exposure to obtain the perfect final image

A Luminosity Mask Course

Luminosity masks are a technique known by all those photographers who want to ask more from photography and want to go deeper in the editing process

This is a fairly used technique and there is many material on the web about it, but from what I could see the free contents on the web, they remains on the first steps of luminosity masks topic leaving the rest to a other researches or paid courses

Discover Mastering Luminosity Masks Course

Although there are very well-done pro courses to luminosity masks topic, but from a personal experience I found many of them too long, sometimes repetitive and expensive

Since many time in my posts and in my tutorials I write about the use of luminosity masks, but I have never focused on creating a course of my own that encompasses everything you need to know in detail in order to proceed alone to mastering luminosity masks and digital blending

In this course I have included everything you need to know to be able to manage this technique on your own, in the simplest way I could. I avoided dwelling on laborious things so I realized a course that captures the essence of luminosity masks. I created this course to allow you to manage this technique independently in the future

The additional element to your Photography

Luminosity Masks are the best technique to create a clean result on your images. Through the use of luminosity masks you will understand the importance of handling highlights, shadows and midtones in your photography

It is an additional element of knowledge for all those photographers who want to do a step forward the common used Photoshop editing techniques

The use of HDR software or Photoshop plugins, simply add filters and effects to the photos but makes images surreal and oversaturated

The step forward is to achieve a personal process of editing and learn capturing the images thinking of what you will do when you work on Photoshop

If you’re wondering how some photographers get beautiful clean and detailed pictures Mastering Luminosity Masks course is what I suggest to you

The Light Gate

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When I published the post about the Gyeongbokgunk palace I didn’t tell you about the famous Gwanghwamun front door. This is the main gate of the royal palace of Seoul

The Gwanghwamun gate has had a very long history, was destroyed during the Japanese invasion made up of reconstructions, displacements and new destructions, until a definitive restoration took place in recent times where we can admire in all its beauty

After all these historical facts now the door is an important tourist destination, many people are here visiting Gwanghwamun gate and Gyeongbokgung palace in fact on some days of the week you can watch the famous change of the royal guard, both are one of the most representative sights of the city of Seoul

I dedicated a careful photo visit to the door in the evening, since it is located in front of a large traffic artery, I used local traffic to color the frame by exploiting the light trails of buses and cars

WORKFLOW EXPLANATION

I took a series of shots in order to capture the best light trails, I selected 3 shots wich have some interesting lights, I put togheder using layer masking and luminosity masks.

I lightened the sky and increased contrast, with the help of my panel TTS Pro, I increased details, contrast and launched dodge and burn to fix the lights and shadows

I added some vibrant colors and a soft orton effect to give more soft looking to the shot, I made some correction with clone stamp tool removing some spots in the sky

As final step I incresed the highlights in the sky and I added a soft vignette to the frame

I hope you will find this usefull. I like to ear this from you!

TECNHNICAL STUFF

Camera: Nikon D-800

Nikon 14-24 f/2,8 (used at 15mm)

Single Shot

ISO: 100 at f/13

Software: Photoshop CC2019

Plugin: TTS Pro

Walking through the Ancient

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I love Seoul because it is a very variegate city, inside we can find tall skyscrapers and modern buildings but there is a part linked to tradition and traditional life

I’ts the case of this place, this is the beautiful Hanok Village, where you can find the traditional korean house. It is fascinating to walk along its narrow streets among the low houses and the so characteristic and traditional roofs. The Hanok Village offers one of the most interesting view of Seoul, with this street view that leads to the modern buildings

It seems a museum itinerary but the streets are full of real houses, it is considerated a residential zone and some people leave here. I arrived here quite early and found various signs on the spot asking for silence until at least 9 am, to allow the residents to rest

That’s right! in fact I read a few days before about this village that its streets are full of tourists during the day, which is why going there very early in the morning remains the only solution to shooting

Furthermore near the village there are several shops that rent the hanbok, the famous and traditional Korean dress, so it’s not difficult to find someone like you who decided to wake up early to get some shots immersed in the tradition 🙂


WORKFLOW EXPLANATION

Taking this shot did not require any particular technicalities, I reach the top of the village to benefit from the perspective, a girl who dressed in the traditional hanbok dress that was taking selfies just passed she approached a door I started taking some pictures

I take a single shot for this image so this time i didn’t used any digital blending but I used the same luminosity masks to correct the highlights in the sky and recover the shadows

I increased details and pushed up colours using TTS Pro, with dodge and burn tool I dodged some house tiles touched by the light to increase the clarity effect

I corrected the wide angle effect that was created on the houses creating a slight distortion, to do this I used the free transform tool dragging it on side

I hope you will find this usefull. I like to ear this from you!

TECNHNICAL STUFF

Camera: Nikon D-800

Nikon 14-24 f/2,8 (used at 14mm)

Single Shot

ISO: 100 at f/9

Software: Photoshop CC2019

Plugin: TTS Pro

Seoul from the Sky

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View of Seoul from one of the tallest buildings in the city. I love photographing from these spots and more they are closer to the city with other tall buildings nearby, more they offer a beautiful view.

In my trip to Korea I photographed very much from spots like this, you will see it on the next posts… In the meantime I wanted to tell you about how I made this photo:

I climbed to the top of Seoul Tower after a pretty rainy day, I feared all the time to the last that the windows could be dirty and stained by the rain but incredibly (don’t ask me how) it wasn’t

To shoot the cityscape I always prefer a little glow of daylight before the total darkness falls, so I always prefer to start shooting from the blue hour.

Also mindful of last year’s experience where I took all my photos through glass covering the camera with a sweatshirt 🙂 this year I had a useful accessory that you find on the web for a few euros … it’s a sucker that is made pass through your lens and you can stick it to the glass with the lens, so as to completely avoid any reflection coming from behind you

In the picture there is a glare of sunlight that I captured through a series of long exposures and bracketing. The sky has a different exposure than the rest of the photo, this to prevent the lights of the city from being too strong-

For the city I take 3 bracketed shots that I used to correct the citylights and exposure of the builings and streets

WORKFLOW EXPLANATION

I blended the exposure for the city, using the dark exposure to decrease highlights on the streets and buildings. As I said before I also captured a series of long exposure for the sky that I blended with the first take of the one of the city of Seoul

I launched details enhancements using TTS Pro, I also added details to the shadows using the effect inside the panel. I made a series of colour correction to increase the blue color, decrease the red spot on the right, increase yellows coming from the city

With the use of luminosity masks I increased highlights and lights coming from the sky, giving more energy and light at the whole frame

I correct the horizon line and applied a free trasform to correct the wide angle distorsion on some building, than with the clone stamp tool I removed some spot of rain on the glass

The last passage was to add a soft vignette to emphatize the central part of the picture

I really hope you will find this usefull. I love to ear this from you!

TECNHNICAL STUFF

Camera: Nikon D-800

Sigma 24-70 f/2,8 (used at 32mm)

Three Exposures (-1; 0; +1) + Long exposure for the sky

ISO: 100 at f/14

Software: Photoshop CC2019

Plugin: TTS Pro

Conjunctions II

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From the beautiful beaches of Cilento, I come back with a photo from a different perspective of my favorite beach of this area. To take this picture I used the distortion of my wide angle to create a more impactful effect in the foreground

To take advantage of the distortion it is always good to consider the corners of the image to avoid falling lines on the horizon. I love vertical photos but the management of distortions when you want to highlight a subject in the foreground may not always be easy

In my tutorial 7 composition guidelines for better landscape photography I insered Mind the Corners, to remember the presence of spots or other distracting elements in the picture that could focus away the viewer’s attention, the falling lines are one of them so always check it when you use lens distortion for you shots

WORKFLOW EXPLANATION

I captured 5 exposure bracketing series that I blended using TTS PRO.I used an additional shot to capture the sea with a long exposure that I used to make the water more soft

With the complete blend, I straighten up the horizon and removed some water spots on the lens. With the use of luminosity masks, I decreased the highlights and I increased the shadows in order to make better visibles the stones around the beach

I increased contrast and I added some blue colors to the image using a cold filter. I added a very soft orton effect and I used dodge and burn to increase the lights over the rocks and decrease the luminosity of the sea

Always using my panel I used the glow tool to make other adjustments and creating a manual vignette over the image

I hope you will find this usefull. I’m always happy to ear this from you!

TECNHNICAL STUFF

Camera: Nikon D-800

Nikon 14-24 f/2,8 (used at 14mm)

Five Exposures (-2; -1; 0; +1; +2)

ISO: 100 at f/11

Software: Photoshop CC2019

Plugin: TTS Pro

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Hi, my name is Giuseppe Sapori, a professional photographer and author of this website, created by yours truly to show my work and share with you the techniques I use. My expertise is in the field of Landscape Photography... (Read More)

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