Photoshop Tutorial: Learn How To Edit A Dramatic, Dark, Moody, Image

Video Tutorial: How To Achieve A Dramatic, Dark, Moody Edit

5/20/2015

Photoshop Tutorial: Learn How To Edit Dramatic Black and White Images

In my last post about my own photography, I told you all that I have spent the last year really focusing on seeing the light. I set out to really watch where the light is coming from, where it is falling, how strong is it, what color is it...and many more questions. Many, many, many times I just observed, without my camera. I wanted to become a master of the light in the same way that we attempt to become masters of our equipment. The equipment is only a piece of metal and plastic that allows us to capture the light. Sometimes you have to sit back and drink it all in. You have to watch without trying to capture the moment. I feel like over the last year of truly focusing on the light I have nearly mastered it.

"Ask yourself, where the light is coming from, where it is falling, how strong it is, and what colors can you see"

This year, I have decided to focus on perspective. Sometimes, the best pictures are the ones where the subject is not looking directly at you and smiling. For instance, my dogs look out the window every evening, waiting for my husband to come home. With my eye newly trained on perspective, I would take a picture from behind them to capture what it looks like from their perspective. Here is an example of a composite I did last week.

I took three separate images (because life just doesn't happen like this in my house) of these three looking out the window waiting for Daddy to get home. I used the Absence Collection (Actions) and Light Bokeh (Overlays) for the lights.
This year I really want to focus on mastering perspective, it truly makes images much more interesting and ultimately better quality.
In the image above of my 14 year old cocker spaniel, I got down really low and photographed him on his level, head on, and centered. You can see how I achieved the dark, moody, edit below in the video tutorial using the Absence Collection and Moveable Haze from Spring IV.