Highlighting the creative magic behind post-processed photos
Welcome to ABFriday’s monthly One Photo Focus! This month, 19 photographers are sharing their post-processing interpretations of one “before” image (Put-In-Bay, one of the islands located in Ohio’s part of Lake Erie) submitted by Michelle Lunato of Michelle Lunato Photography.
We begin with Michelle’s “before” image, followed by the “afters,” and at the end, a gallery of all so you can watch the changes as you scroll through. Be sure to click the links to each participant’s blog as many have written posts “uncovering the magic” behind their “after” images. And if you would like to participate in November’s One Photo Focus, you’ll find all the details on the After-Before Friday Forum page.
If you’re looking for After-Before Friday, please visit Ben Rowe’s blog, Aperture64, as he is the new host of the regular series!
BEFORE PHOTO
Submitted by Michelle Lunato — Michelle Lunato Photography
Michelle says: Since I grew up in the area and could not really utilize the islands, I never really appreciated their value until I moved away. So for my edit, I decided to try and make the photograph look like an old post card. One that you would find in a shop while visiting there and mail home. I really had no idea how to do this, but through some stumbling, I found a result I liked…
Submitted by Stacy Fischer — Visual Venturing
Okay, so where to begin with Michelle’s photo? My mind went towards a pen and ink, watercolorish image, but as I played around (and, yes, I did play!), the color disappeared and ended up liking it all the better. One of the effects I used in Color Efex Pro was a solarization filter, which really popped the starbursts of the wonderful sun and its water reflections. So many filters to experiment with and I had a blast! Thanks, Michelle, for submitting such a wonderful photo to play with!
Submitted by Laura Macky — Laura Macky Photography
Submitted by Bren Ryan — Ryan Photography
Bren says: I love this photograph, it envisages summer on the water… I didn’t want to change the photograph too much, just bring out the highlights and enhance the detail of the photograph.. I also added some clouds to the photograph to take away the blandness of the pure blue sky. And added a radial filter in Lightroom to enhance the sun’s reflection on the water.
Submitted by Julie Powell — Julie Powell Photography
Submitted by Joanne Ritchie — Coffee Fuels My Photography!
Submitted by Cee Neuner — Cee’s Photography
Submitted by Nic Anderson — Photography by Nic
Submitted by Yan Balczewski — From Hiding to Blogging
Submitted by Amy — The World Is a Book
Submitted by Loré Dombaj — Snow’s Fissures and Fractures
Submitted by Ted Griffith — Ted Griffith’s Photo Art Studio
Submitted by Max 510 — Max510’s Blog
Submitted by Benjamin Rowe — Aperture64
Submitted by Nancy Merrill – nancy merrill photography
Nancy says: For this edit, I had fun playing with many of the settings in Photoshop, including lens flares, fine art gallery filters, and revealing the image through a color layer.
Submitted by Emilio Pasquale — Photos by Emilio
Submitted by Katie Prior — Drawing with Light
Submitted by Shannon Hart — Shannon’s Creative Work
Submitted by Stacey/Len Addiction — Learning to See Light
Stacey says: Lensaddiction (the other Stacey) liked the golden sparkles on the water and used that as her primary focus for editing this image.
Please click on the links of those who contributed this week, to read about their post-processing steps and/or to see what other treasures they have on their blogs. They’d love to have you visit!
So what do you think of the ABFriday forum?
Feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comment section. And don’t forget to view the guidelines if you want to participate. I’d love to have you onboard!
Visual Venturing 
I really like the strong contrast black and white you went for in this image. I think if it was printed on metal it would look amazing as all those highlights would just shine. Great work Stacy.
All the submissions look great, I cant wait till next month.
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Thanks, Ben! I’ve never printed on metal (in fact, I’m actually just starting to print some of my shots on paper – finally), but the idea is intriguing. Up next month: Helen Chen 🙂
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Always great job from everybody !
I’m glad that many of you have seen the pic quite like me !
See you next month
Ciao ciao
Max
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Thanks, Max! Always great to have you 🙂
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Those nasty gremlins! Shame on them for messing with you, I told them to only mess with Emilio, but they are out of control! 😇😋 I love your black and white edit, it is so sparkly and shiny. The crop works great, I can’t believe I haven’t done anything crazy this month. Nice work, Stacy👍🏻
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Controlling gremlins? I don’t think it’s possible, but thanks for trying, lol. Thanks about the edit. I really did have fun, especially when I hit on this combination! And, yeah, what’s up with the no craziness this month? Guess you gave it over to the gremlins 😉
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Hi Stacy, well done on another great turnout. I did not take part this month – you would have thought the yachting scene would have got me hooked, but my heart just was not in it. My Mum died and I am just back from spending nearly a month over in France with my Dad to help support him.
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Oh, Chris, I am so very sorry to hear about your mom. Sending hugs, love, and my heartfelt condolences, my friend. You and your dad are in my prayers…
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Thanks Stacy – it will get easier with time I hope!
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Another great edition of One Photo Focus, Stacy! Lots of very cool ideas and a very impressive array of post-processing virtuosity. I really like your pen and ink edit. It is quite dramatic.
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Thanks, Robin. I had quite a bit of fun with Michelle’s image! It was the “life-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates” method – kept playing until I knew what I had “gotten.” 😀
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The after is much a combination of drawing and photo. Beautifully done. Impressive, Stacy! 🙂
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Thanks, Amy 🙂 Michelle’s image was a great one to work with, wasn’t it? Lots of trial and error on my part, and it’s unlikely I could ever recreate the look (my bad that I didn’t really take notes), but somehow I hit on a fun combination 🙂
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I’m so glad I had a chance to learn the Efex from you. Stacy. I have been using it since. Adding filter seems easier and less complicated than PS layer… 🙂
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You’re so welcome, Amy, and I so agree 🙂
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Stacy you did a great job with the pen & ink idea, I love the water in the foreground the solarization of those lines really make them pop. Great turn out this month! 😀
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Thanks, Nic! I’ve never used the solarization filter before, but I loved how it worked on Michelle’s image 🙂 As for the turnout, check back in with the original post because, due to an email snafu, I missed a number of submissions that are now included. Yikes!
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Ok, will do! 😀
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Hmm I emailed mine on Tuesday my time which is Monday for you but it seems not to have made it
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Stacey, you’re not the only one this has happened to. Strange happenings with my computer. Please resend and I will update. [UPDATE]: Stacey, I found your email in my gmail inbox (it was nowhere to be found in my Safari email). I don’t know why this has happened this week to so many, but I’ve updated the post with your photo and link. My apologies.
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Thats OK, I replied to your original email which had been sent from that gmail inbox, not realising you had more than one email address 🙂 Check that same inbox for some samples I sent for future challenge images too 🙂
I had managed to get the timing wrong on mine so it hadn’t been posted but fixed that now – my post is UP!
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Looks like I forgot to submit mine, but this is it:
http://abstractlucidity.com/2015/09/18/before-and-after-photo-manipulation/
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Shannon, I went ahead an pulled your image from your post and updated my post with it. I hope you don’t mind 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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Welcome 🙂
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Nice black and white Stacy, very crisp and contrasty. And another great selection of images. Thanks to Michelle for her gorgeous images, I’m always a sucker for a good waterscape! I think my email to you must have got lost in the ether somewhere, or maybe I sent it to the wrong address, perhaps it is wandering about in cyberspace! Anyway, I did do an edit and a post https://katieprior.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/after-before-fridayone-photo-focus-october/
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Katie, I’ve had problems this week with emails literally disappearing from my inbox. Ben, Nancy, Stacey all have had images go AWOL – something with my Safari mail, because I’ve managed to track them down in my gmail program. So I’ve found yours and updated the post. My apologies. I have no explanation other than computer gremlins …
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Oh those computer gremlins, they’re naughty little things! 🙂 Thanks for adding my picture. 🙂
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I am sooooo bummed, Stacy. I had a fantastic post for you even if I do say so myself. I even sent it to you last Monday in hopes that I would be one of your first and it’s not even here! So I went to my post and it did go live this morning. Then I checked my email and there it is. In Drafts! Damn. I told you a lot has been going on this week. How stupid to be so distracted I didn’t even send you my own image. So I will be coming back to comment and every body’s image as soon as I get over my disappointment . To you I say thanks for keeping this going. For Michelle I say thanks for a wonderful, fantastic image. And for me I say, “You idiot!” https://emiliopasquale.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/octobers-one-photo-focus/
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Emilio, glad this all got straightened out 🙂 I was wondering where you and so many others had “gone” this month, only to find a few had forgotten to send and others had their emails disappear from my Safari mail. Weird, weird, weird …
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I am glad you were able to help me out and promise that I owe you. Just don’t make it anything big. I’m a little strapped for cash this month!
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Stacy, you really bought out the detail and sparkles and rays in your photo. Wonderful editing. 😀 😀
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Thanks, Cee! A lucky happenstance with stacking various filters 😄
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Your black and white edit is sparkly and I love it! I also saw B&W when I looked at the image initially but I’m glad I didn’t because you are Da Queen at that! 🙂
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Ha! I wish I could say I knew what I had done; I just knew to stop once I got there 🙂 Thanks, Laura!
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lol, I know what you mean! You’re welcome. 🙂
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🙂
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Stacy, I LOVE your edit. It is so crisp and really caught my attention! Love, Love, Love. Thanks for letting me have this honor this month:)
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So glad you like it, Michelle 🙂 Thank YOU for stepping up to the plate so quickly!! As I told you, everyone loved editing your photo. (P.S. You may want to check back at my post as I have updated it with more submissions that seemed to have gone into the murky depths of cyberspace!)
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I sure will. I found a few other submissions on the reader and commented. But I’ll look at your update for sure. Seeing all these edits is so much fun!
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