road map i

            Lanterns; Japan 2009 {original}                  Lanterns; Japan 2009 {edit}

Road Map I {Prediction}:

- adjust exposure {to make lantern color brighter}

- adjust levels {to make the background get pushed further behind the lanterns}

- edit out the building in the back {keep the focus on the 'hanging' so to take away the feeling/element that attaches it to the ground}

- get rid of some of the telephone wires

Road Map I {Actual}:

- adjusted levels {brought out the sky}

- adjusted curves {create a color difference between the lanterns and the sky}

- i played around with the healing tools to take out the building and some of the power lines but didn't like the look of it {i thought it looked fake}, so i decided to leave them in

- lasso'd the lanterns, and created a new layer

- adjusted the levels of the lanterns

- adjusted the brightness of the lanterns

- adjusted the contrast of the lanterns

it's kind of unfortunate that this time i was in japan, the weather wasn't the nicest.  but in general, japan, in tokyo {and other large cities} are always very gray.  the sky is so infiltrated with city pollutants that they rarely see blue skies.  it is almost amazing to me that the blue was able to be pulled out from the back.  but the dark skies also affect the photos and the lighting cast on/through objects such as the lanterns.  so brightening them up, in hopes that they look more 'normal' was my goal.

xo