Ex 23: Selective processing

This shot was taken with my compact camera on London's South Bank in March. As a snapshot I had not paid much attention to the ambient light or to isolating the subject with aperture control.

A combination of predominately dark clothing and the sun behind the crowd (putting them into shadow) meant the performer did not stand out sufficiently to make this a useable image.

Using Photoshop CS3 I made some adjustments to the shadow and highlight detail then selected and masked the performer. Isolating him meant I could inverse the selection and blur the background slightly to simulate a shallow depth of field. I then used the dodge tool to bring out the detail in his face and body.

 

I feel these adjustments have enhanced the shot, even just brightening the performer would have helped make him more prominent.