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Construction Zone
1st PlaceConstruction Zone
dswann


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Tilt Shift (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: 2009 Challenges
Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Date: Dec 2, 2009
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 400
Shutter: 1/200
Galleries: Blur, Street
Date Uploaded: Dec 3, 2009

Building site in Birmingham, Alabama.

Process RAW file in ACR
Import to PSE6
Duplicate background layer - gaussian blur.
Levels layer - no adjustment.
Group duplicate layer with levels layer.
Paint layers level with black to reveal sharp area of background layer.
Lasso tool to select sharp area.
Hue/Sat to increase color saturation.
Resize
USM
Save for web.

POST: WOW! A new PB! I really appreciate the great comments and votes. I walked the stairs to the 7th floor of a restricted parking deck across the street from this construction site to get this shot. Actually managed to be gone before the security guards caught up to me.

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 54
Avg (all users): 7.2883
Avg (commenters): 8.7500
Avg (participants): 7.2813
Avg (non-participants): 7.2901
Views since voting: 9786
Views during voting: 558
Votes: 163
Comments: 35
Favorites: 15 (view)


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AuthorThread
07/06/2011 12:38:36 AM
This is really cool. I never knew you could do this with out a Tilt-Shift lens. How much time did you spend processing the image?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/16/2009 11:13:41 AM
This is not a Tilt-Shift image. TS is done in camera not by using PS and blur.
12/15/2009 11:22:10 PM
Mr Rogers' Neighborhood.

Fabulous!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/14/2009 12:58:29 AM
Congratulations on the win. Incredible miniature world appearance.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/13/2009 06:15:05 AM
WOW! Well-deserved blue! Congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/12/2009 09:59:55 PM
This just amazes me, I never knew you could do this with a camera. Well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 03:16:55 PM
Wow... I never knew what tilt shift was when I viewed the challenge results. Saw your shot, thought it was an awesome miniature. Then I read the description of the challenge and realised that in fact it was not a miniature at all. I was simply blown away . Great job!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 01:48:58 PM
I really appreciate all of the comments. I also appreciate everyone's accepting that this image was created with photoshop, and not with a tilt-shift lens. I have not invested in a lens baby system yet.

bmatt17 - I can see your point about the mud, but I did not really think about trying to mute it. In my experience in construction, the work sites are typically muddy this time of year so to me it added a touch of realism to the miniature looking scene. But your way may have looked better if I had tried it. :)

glad2badad - I started to sharpen the crane supporting cables as you suggest, but it quickly became too painstaking of a job, plus it was looking like crap. For some reason the cables were blurry and not well defined. It was extremely windy on the day of the shot, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it. Getting straight lines defined for the cables was about impossible for me using a mouse, so I elected just to leave them blurred and hope that I wouldn't be penalized for it. I agree that it would have been more realistic to have them.

Again, thanks to all for the great comments and fantastic score!
12/11/2009 01:30:33 PM
This was my favorite! Congrats on the blue! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 01:08:36 PM
Congrats on your ribbon. I voted you a bit below the curve. I gave you a 5 and thought I'd let you know why. You did a really good job getting the miniature feel to your photo but one thing bothered me and that is the mud. To me it's just too bright and wet looking and so it stands out. I'm curious what this would look like with the browns desat or somehow processed so that it looks like dirt instead of mud.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 08:34:57 AM
Congratulations on your Blue!! This shot is amazing!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 08:08:54 AM
Lovely shot. Congrats on the blue!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 08:07:27 AM
First off, congrats on the ribbon - that's WAY cool. I am surprised a little about one thing that nobody commented on. I should have, since it jumped out at me...related to the following post made during the challenge.

Originally posted by JimiRose:

You've done a good job here with the planes of focus, keeping the crane arm in focus really adds to the realism.


On the crane arm, there are supporting cables that connect from the back of the crane to the top, and then cables coming down to the ground. Everything in the area of those cables, and even slightly behind, is in focus, yet the cables are blurred the same as the background. ???

I'm not faulting you, the photographer, for not doing the painstaking photoshop work to keep those cables visible (I can't say whether I would, or would not, have tried either); I'm just really surprised that it wasn't picked up on by people that left comments.

Crazy. Some things we (collective group at DPC) nitpik, and sometimes just blow right past it.

Anyway...again, congrats on your new PB, and congrats on not getting caught in that restricted area! :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 06:51:49 AM
Congrats on the blue ribbon, this is an awesome image, and my favourite from the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 01:47:30 AM
looks like fraggle rock's doozers' jobsite. nice work. congratulations.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 01:06:55 AM
Congratulations on your Blue Dan.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 12:52:47 AM
Huge congrats on the Blue!! Such an awesome image for this challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 12:46:18 AM
Knew this fantastic shot would be in the top three as soon as I saw it during voting. Congratulations on your shiny blue and your new PB, Daniel.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/11/2009 12:10:36 AM
Congrats on the Blue and a new PB!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
12/10/2009 11:48:42 PM
Magnificent. This should ribbon IMHO. I love the composition and you've placed the TS effect in just the right place. Must have taken you hours to set up all the miniatures in the scene :):):)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/09/2009 09:01:22 PM
Another great shot of amazement! So much to look at and explore! I really like, how there is only one person in the image. Is he Peeing? lol Top 3!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/09/2009 07:14:26 PM
Awesome use of the technique. Reminds me of the Burger King commercial were the little people were building a hamburger. See you at the top.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/09/2009 04:54:14 PM
I love this one. Looks just right for the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/09/2009 11:34:47 AM
Great shot..This scene really would make for a good model.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/07/2009 09:41:43 AM
You've done a good job here with the planes of focus, keeping the crane arm in focus really adds to the realism.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/06/2009 12:15:06 AM
Great miniature feel-like image. One of my high score, good luck.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/05/2009 02:40:27 PM
this looks like tonka land
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/05/2009 12:00:21 AM
Can I play with that little crane, please! Well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/04/2009 11:35:31 PM
very well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/04/2009 08:27:35 PM
Extremely well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/04/2009 04:33:43 PM
great job
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/04/2009 12:40:51 PM
very cool
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/04/2009 03:32:55 AM
WOOOOOOOW 10 can I give this more that 10!!!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/04/2009 01:18:17 AM
Brilliant! Great detail and colours. Hope this does well
  Photographer found comment helpful.
12/04/2009 12:06:51 AM
WOW....looks like toys....great image. 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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