The Colors Of An Autumn Afternoon Restored

Picturesque

When I happened upon this scene, it was as if I walked onto a stage set for a movie. Everything was so perfectly designed—the lighting, the props, the backdrop. But there was one challenge. To capture the composition I desired, I needed to shoot into the sun.

The result of shooting into the sun is always lens flare. And, lens flare is seldom desired. But I knew I had it covered; I would remedy the flare in post-production.

Photoshop To The Rescue

The “before” is a washed-out, desaturated version of what was a rich, colorful scene. The original, unedited capture, looks as if I took a full-colored image and lowered the opacity in Photoshop. 

So the task at hand was to restore the warmth and glow; to recreate that feeling of the perfect autumn day where the air is crisp, the colors beautiful, and the light raking across the landscape makes everything feel magical.

The Takeway

Color can be restored. This is a huge takeaway! Remember, the original capture is only the starting point. Photos that look like they should be tossed, in fact, can be brought back to a rich and full colorful life.

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Enjoy some James Taylor while you work. I give you two of my favorite songs for the season: September Grass and October Road.

“Well the sun’s not so high in the sky today, and I can feel summertime slipping away.“
—lyrics from September Grass by James Taylor