INCORPORATE KEY SOFTWARE TECHNIQUES

Use careful post-processing to produce images with natural but impactful colour and detail

For many nature images the goal is to capture a true-to-life representation of the subject. When shooting images of plants or animals for identification purposes, it is critical to produce photographs with natural colour rendition and visible detail, otherwise they fail to act as useful records of notable characteristics. For this reason, post-production work must be conducted with enhanced realism as the main aim, rather than manipulation for greater drama. For close-up and wildlife shots, especially those containing subjects with complex coloured markings, local adjustments are a highly effective route.

Using layer masking in Photoshop, or the Adjustment Brush found in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom, to limit adjustments to targeted areas of the frame enables changes to be made to colour temperature, exposure or sharpness where they are most needed, without reducing the credibility of the file. This sophisticated strategy will make images more useful for clients, across multiple platforms and in a range of publications. Working locally also prevents unwanted over-editing of negative space, most notably out-of-focus backgrounds, which can rapidly display digital artefacts such as pixelation, colour banding and image noise, degrading the file quality and the chances of an image being selected for commercial distribution. If unsure of the final destination of a file, a pro solution is to output multiple versions – one for your online portfolio, which perhaps displays a greater saturation and contrast, and another flatter variant for submission, which clearly preserves natural characteristics and is devoid of artefacts. This caters for commercial use such as calendars, and analytical functions like identification guides and press material.