What’s Your Preference?

mexon · #1 (**permalink**) 12-31-2009, 01:34 PM

I was asked if I could get a shot of this girl in the rain. Not wanting to get myself and my equipment wet I tried to create the rain with Photoshop. This picture was taken indoors. The girl is dry, sitting on a small wooded "dock" the "water" is just a black sheet. I added a stock picture of water, I used "plastic wrap" filter to get the wet look on the dock and her clothes. I used the add noise filter to create the rain (monochrome noise, stretched, motion blurred). I find that after looking at this picture all I see is the changes I made and I find it harder to see if I am getting the look I want.
Please let me know if this still looks too “photoshoped” and I welcome any suggestions to help get a more realistic look.

Thanks, Marty

zona5101 · #2 (**permalink**) 12-31-2009, 03:20 PM

I think that is an awesome attempt. Nothing like a challenge! There are plenty of tells that give it away as photoshopped but that doesn't take away from your excellent effort.

wulf · #3 (**permalink**) 01-04-2010, 11:42 AM

Was this photo from the same series? What you can see in both of them is that the model and the dock look dry. You have camouflaged this a bit with the plastic wrap effect but remember that water also darkens most surfaces (especially absorbent ones like fabric and wood) and affects how things like clothes and hair hang.

You might get a step forward if you can persuade the model to let you get her and the dock wet. It can be warm water and you can keep the studio nice and cosy but it might help (and will also give you reference material for what to aim for in trying to create the effect in post-processing).

Wulf

Federico Presti · #4 (**permalink**) 01-05-2010, 11:38 PM

I agree with wulf... the girl's hair and clothes should be wet, also maybe continuing the supposed "sea" to the horizon might help. I think the rain itself looks fantastic and the plastic wrap was a great idea!

mexon · #5 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wulf

Was this photo from the same series? What you can see in both of them is that the model and the dock look dry.

Wulf

Thanks for the input. Yes both photos were from the same series. The girl does have wet hair, but you are right every thing else is dry. I totally agree if she was wet it would have made a much better picture, and it would have saved my hours of photoshoping. The problem was she didn't want to get wet so I had to do the best I could with what I had.

Marty