Waiting for the Perfect Image

[ShaneS]

The story refers to the images as quiet landscapes and talks about how the artist and his son revisited sites over and over until the setting was right, titling the slide show "Patience - Waiting for the Perfect Image"

The work of Josef Hoflehner was featured on CNN here: http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2013/...age/?hpt=hp_c2

The images are beautiful and I think would be classified as high key. I am wondering how are they shot/processed to achieve this look (without blowing out the highlights)? Sharp and detailed subjects with a glow about them, enhanced by haze/mist in many instances...it seems like flat skies are a requirement but other that that I am puzzled.

Any thoughts?

[Mike Buckley]

If you think of the epitome of the high-key style as I do that the scene is mostly bright and has very little contrast, that's what makes most of these images so.

The way to achieve the look during post-processing without blowing the highlights is to brighten the tones that are not already bright. That can be done by adjusting only the portion of the curve that affects those tones. Alternatively, you could mask those tones and brighten them. Doing so leaves the already bright tones as is to ensure that you don't blow the highlights. My guess is that the scene of the beach cabanas was post-processed that way, though of course we can't know for sure.

By the way, notice the image of the four "umbrellas" (I can't think of the proper term) in the sand. That photo debunks the myth to put the camera away when the sun is high in the sky.