by Tim Devine
Welcome to Opening Night in Radiator Springs. This image took a bit of effort to make as I had to choose between keeping the detail in the neon and not blowing out the highlights or properly exposing the buildings and background which would then blow out the neon. As a compromise, I used two photos (one each exposed for neon and background) and used a Photoshop technique to combine the two images in a way that maximizes the dynamic range (similar to HDR but more simplistic). For some finishing touches, I boosted the color and added a bit of fill light into the image before sharpening it. The only thing I would have liked a bit more would have been fewer people in the frame, but it was Opening Night and it was a mob scene. All in all, I am really happy with the way this image came out. Please let me know what you think in the comments below.
Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Raw Conversion, Combine Exposures, Shadows/Highlights, Color Boost, Sharpening
Photo taken 6/15/2012