A bit about post-production

Post-production or after-production (after the actual photography) is a big part of creating a great photo. I'm still learning about this step and I'll keep informing about my development. The great thing about the post-production is that it's only you who sets the standard for what you are aiming to achive and only you know how you came to the final photo. SLR cameras allows you to take sharp and high contrast photos. The resolution is high wich mean that you have a larger canvas to work with. Eventhough the camera allows you to take great photos you can't alter reality with it. But this is where the might tool called Adobe Photoshop (Ps) comes into the picture. Ps is a highly advange program allowing you to work with graphic and photos on a professional level. I use Photoshop CS3 but all version are perfect for optimizing your photos.
The program is very advanged and I only know half of it and I continue to learn each time I use it. If you want to start using Ps there is alot of great tutorials online (just search google for "photoshop tutorials").

Here is an example (click to see big version)


















When i work with my photos I always try to simplify as much as possible. I also cut or expand the canvas to arrange my motive as wanted. Centering isn't always the solution! To erase unwanted objects I use mainly the Clone tool. I also select parts of the background with the Marquee tool and copy/paste to cover the unwanted objekts. Smooth your cuttings with a soft eraser brush, the Smudge tool or the Blur tool.
To bring forth an object, as I did with Sigurd in this example, I use the Extract function (Filters -> Extract or Ctrl + Alt + X). When Sigurd is selected to his own layer I can bring more light to him using the Brightness/Contrast (Image -> Adjustment -> Brightness/Contrast) and the Hue/Saturation function (Ctrl + U or Image -> Adjustments -> Hue/Saturation).

The most importen function for the post-production are (imo) the Brightness/Contrast and Hue/Saturation. Also it adds a great effect to extract important objects from the background. Other tool and functions are mainly for replacing or altering unwarnted objects that are disturbing the photo in some way, like the branches and leaves removed in the example.

More about post-production will follow.
Please feel free to ask questions, give advise or request to see original photos!