I immediately knew how I wanted this image to look, and now the challenge was to execute it. The first challenge was where to shoot it from. I was driving down into a deep ravine and had to find the right spot that I could access.
After driving up and down the road several times, I found a small pullout that was safe enough to get out of the car. Then I had to hike up some rugged terrain to get to where the perspective was right.
The framing was easy, but now I had to get the right exposure to fit my Vision. I knew that I wasn't going to need any shadow detail, but I did need to hold the delicate telephone lines. I've had enough experience with them to know that if I underexposed too much, I'd lose them. As I always do, I bracketed from where I thought the exposure should be.
I was shooting into the sun, and had some flaring. I don't use lens hoods, but instead use a Flare Buster, which is a flexible arm that attaches to the hot shoe and holds a piece of cardboard that you can position exactly as needed.
I had the shot, now to transform it into the image I had envisioned.
In post processing I started by adjusting my levels to obliterate the shadows into pure blackness. I next went to work on the cables themselves, because they are really the centerpiece of the image. I have found that the twisted wire that makes up these cables, creates a hyphenated look, instead of a single bright line. I've dealt with this before and know the only way to fix it is by cloning and dodging every inch of the cables. It's a lot of work, but when you have a killer image, it's worth it.
Now, with the basic processing done, I let the image sit for a spell. Revisiting it with fresh eyes, I saw some details that I wanted to change. I removed some distractions such as a bush and a telephone pole. I also removed some of the lesser cables that distracted from the main ones.
It also bothered me that the left horizon was not level, and so I straightened that out. And I went over the cables again, to make them stand out even more.
And then I let the image sit again. I repeat this cycle over and over, until I can open the file without making any changes. Then I know the image is complete.
In the end, I was looking to make those cables stand out and to have tremendous contrast between them and the black background. I wanted the image to be as simple as possible, and so I removed any small detail that might distract.
And lastly, I didn't care for the bald sky, and so added a vignette.
In the end, the image turned out exactly as I imagined, and it's one of my favorites from the Powerlines series.
For me, having a Vision of the image is so important because it directs the shot and the processing. It's a roadmap that's burned into my memory and it guides me through the entire process.
And what I really wanted to emphasize with this example, is that what you see with your eyes, is only the starting point for a great image. From there, your Vision should take over and help you create something new and wonderful.
