Improving my Photoshop processing of water

I have found a technique through experimentation that I quite like for giving shots of moving water some extra "oompph".





I used it to create the above photo.




Here's what the water looked like before I applied the effect












... and here's what it looked like after the effect.










Here's how I did the effect.

1) Add a colour balance adjustment layer
2) Add some blue and green into the midtones of the colour balance adjustment
3) Change the blend mode of the colour balance adjustment layer to "multiply"
4) Invert your mask so it is all black
5) Use a white brush to pain on the mask where you want to add drama to the water
6) Reduce opacity if required.

One Of My Best Shots Yet..Sculpture By The Sea

This morning I picked up the Old Man at 4:45am and we drove down to Bondi for sunrise shoot at Sculpture by the sea. Last year we were lucky and had a glorious red sunrise, so we weren't as optimistic for this year... especially as the weather forecast was for rain.

It would have been easy to ignore the alarm clock at 4:15AM, but I really wanted to get up and out. After picking up Dad it rained all the way to Bondi, but there were some patches of clear sky, so I was optimistic. Anyway... our persistence paid off and the rain stopped the moment we arrived and we were greeted by an incredibly dramatic sky.

This incredible stormy sky proved to be a great backdrop for some lovely images.


This is one of my favorite shots that I have shot... I love the mood of this image and the subtle tones of the sculpture against the dramatic backlit sky. I processed this as an HDR image using Photomatix (0ev, +2ev, -3ev). Then ran it through Photoshop, Alienskin Exposure and some final curves and dodge & burn. Very happy with the way this turned out.... I have a 16"X20" print in my hallway now.

I also like this image because of the simplicity of the subject and colours against the stormy sky.



My third shot from the outing was of the sculpture at the top of the headland.



All in all, it was a very enjoyable morning of photography. Very happy with the results.