Command attention. Capture perfection.
Image processing of an image taken in daylight, converted to look as if it was nighttime.
Following on from my recent Secret Ironbridge: Open Wide post, here is the nearby Craven Dunnill Encaustic Tile Works, which was purpose-built at Jackfield, in the Ironbridge Gorge, in 1872. Its formidable appearance lent itself well to this Harry Potter type processing, complemented by the bird that helpfully sat on the roof as I took the shot.
The subject of this image is the Boat Inn at Jackfield in the Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire, probably best known for being flooded by the River Severn every time it bursts its banks in the winter. Talking of ‘banks’, the sign above the door is testament that it was once tied to the Banks’ brewery, which had this motto.
This is another day-to-night image, post-processed with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
It was a shot that I had planned for weeks. Late in the evening I set up my tripod and tucked into a corner of the pavement to keep out of the way of any drunken revellers. The courtyard of the public house was thronging with an unexpectedly large crowd of people, constantly moving around, and the sky was overcast, covered with a thick layer of cloud. It looked as if my plans had come to nothing. Suddenly, everyone dispersed as if on command, and the clouds parted sufficiently to let the setting sun cast an orange glow over their edges. I fired the shutter and captured just one shot before the bar emptied its customers onto the pavement and rain clouds arrived overhead. It was time to go home.
Sounds like a great photographers story, and similar to those that you can read in most photography magazines. But it didn’t happen!
This is actually a classic day-to-night image conversion carried out in post-processing. The original image is here to the right, and was captured at 8am on Saturday morning (hence the distinct lack of people). I deliberately took the image for such a conversion and so wasn’t too worried about the contrast in the scene or the converging verticals.
These day-to-night conversions favour architectural shots, particularly when windows and exterior lights can be ‘lit’ to create character. I am fortunate to live in the Ironbridge Gorge, which contains many interesting buildings (and quirky street lamps) and so I can take the ‘stock’ images as I am walking our dogs in the morning (as I did here), without having to concern myself too much with the quality of light.
The conversion itself was carried out with a combination of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. It entailed a sky replacement and a plethora of light masks, and so took a fair amount of time – but I did enjoy the process of deciding what the incidental illumination from each light source should be, and how shadows would be cast.
I enjoyed it so much that I’m going to do some more! If you want to see them as they are posted, then subscribe to this blog (for free!) to keep up-to-date via your email inbox or the Reader app.
Ironbridge Images 