THE PICTURE OF THE DAY, 4/1/2014

1/640 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100 – Canon 1Dx with 24-70 f/2.8L
Taken 11/9/2012

“Monorail Black”

Monorail Black makes the turn near Test Track as it passes through Epcot’s Future World.  I learned this treatment from an online tutorial which teaches how to make a frame within a frame.  It is a fairly simple process but one that involves a good many steps (thank goodness for Photoshop actions).

The first is to use the shape tool to make a selection then turn it into a clipping mask.  Using a stroke and drop shadow will create the white frame.  I then used a hue and saturation adjustment layer to colorize the background and added a touch of radial blur to finish off the effect.  It sounds complicated but it really isn’t as bad as it sounds.  I think this is one of those effects that needs to be used in moderation as it will not really work for every image but I have a few in mind that I might want to try it out on.

There is something about monorails that is just “fun” to photograph, especially when you can capture the entire train in the shot.  I also much prefer to have them coming from slightly above or below with a bend in the middle; to me it makes for a stronger composition.  Like the treatment?  Don’t like it?  Have suggestions?  Leave your comments below and let me know what you think!