Hi Chloe, thanks for sharing. The Ventosa style (or more correctly his 'in-the-round' technique) typically relies on a large number of images being taken around the subject. The subsequent layering dissolves the background.
I think in this case I feel that there are too few images involved so you are losing the technique. It is also more difficult on bare trees as the layering will diminish branch detail.
I think if you went back and took more images around the tree you would see a much different effect.
I have some information throughout the blog on my website, here are some quick links that may be of interest;
I am also writing an article on the technique for the March publication of ICM Photography magazine if you can wait that long (if not send me a PM and I'll allow you access to the draft version if interested).
With 13 layers I would expect the electrical poles to become more dissolved. One thing to be aware of - if the opacity is set too high only the upper layers have an impact - I tend to start with lower opacity at the top and gradually increase as I work down to adjust the contribution of each.
I would expect 13 to be OK, but more is better and allows more flexibility (perhaps the background was less obstrusive from the other side?).
Hello Alan. I’m not sure I completely understand what you mean about the background. I used a 40% opacity as recommended in the tutorial I read. What would you recommend?
If you have your opacity set to 40% for each layer ten only the top few would have any impact. This can be verified by switching the lower layers on/off and seeing the change.This also depends on the number of layers, the effect you want etc, there is no hard and fast rule.
I typically select all layers but the bottom layer, then adjust the opacity (of all) to get a feel for the overall impact. From there you can then adjust the individual layer opacity further to amplify/decrease the contribution.
I feel that the contribution of the layers diminishes as you go down the stack, so I tend to set the upper layers at a lower opacity (perhaps 5%) and then increase as I move down. This is something you really have to try yourself and play around with to get the effect you want.
Hi Chloe, thanks for sharing. The Ventosa style (or more correctly his 'in-the-round' technique) typically relies on a large number of images being taken around the subject. The subsequent layering dissolves the background.
I think in this case I feel that there are too few images involved so you are losing the technique. It is also more difficult on bare trees as the layering will diminish branch detail.
I think if you went back and took more images around the tree you would see a much different effect.
I have some information throughout the blog on my website, here are some quick links that may be of interest;
https://www.alanbrownphotography.com/blog/2020/5/4/new-project-announcem...
https://www.alanbrownphotography.com/blog/2019/11/11/in-the-round-lesson...
I am also writing an article on the technique for the March publication of ICM Photography magazine if you can wait that long (if not send me a PM and I'll allow you access to the draft version if interested).
Hi Alan,
Thank you for the advice. This image consists of 13 individual images complied. How many more do you recommend?
I will definitely be looking into your links and I may PM you for more info or specific questions. Thank you very much for your help.
With 13 layers I would expect the electrical poles to become more dissolved. One thing to be aware of - if the opacity is set too high only the upper layers have an impact - I tend to start with lower opacity at the top and gradually increase as I work down to adjust the contribution of each.
I would expect 13 to be OK, but more is better and allows more flexibility (perhaps the background was less obstrusive from the other side?).
Hello Alan. I’m not sure I completely understand what you mean about the background. I used a 40% opacity as recommended in the tutorial I read. What would you recommend?
If you have your opacity set to 40% for each layer ten only the top few would have any impact. This can be verified by switching the lower layers on/off and seeing the change.This also depends on the number of layers, the effect you want etc, there is no hard and fast rule.
I typically select all layers but the bottom layer, then adjust the opacity (of all) to get a feel for the overall impact. From there you can then adjust the individual layer opacity further to amplify/decrease the contribution.
I feel that the contribution of the layers diminishes as you go down the stack, so I tend to set the upper layers at a lower opacity (perhaps 5%) and then increase as I move down. This is something you really have to try yourself and play around with to get the effect you want.
Hope this helps