Classic Drama: Red Rock Moon

I spent early July 2019 teaching a workshop in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado.

One of the last shots we took before we lost our light was of Layla perched on these red rocks.

I’m going to take just a second to let you know that I’m not a risk-taker with my models. And especially not with child models. This was a public access hiking area and I personally climbed on all locations prior to asking a model to pose there to make sure they were easily accessible and safe.

I loved how the blue in the sky matched the blue in her gown. I often tend to like bold, vibrant colors and so I pushed the sky for more detail and enhanced the colors. I also added a moon from that same night, but the moon was outside the crop, so I composited it into the shot.

I use several techniques, from overall edits in ACR to selective blends and masking in Photoshop. I demonstrate how I composited in the moon quickly and easily. I also show how I shape the light with a variety of techniques. I hand edited areas and also used my QuickFlow Actions & Tints.

I have two versions of this video tutorial which I’ve edited so that you see all my moves with corresponding details to help you follow along. I’ve also worked to streamline the edit so that you learn more, faster. I don’t know about you, but I lose focus quickly if a video drags.

The basic version of this is the standard version. It includes the edited video.

The PLUS version includes the edited video, the crescent moon I used to composite and the same RAW file seen here. You can literally edit on the same image right along with me because often it can be difficult to learn certain techniques on an image that isn’t shot under the same conditions. Once you’ve edited my shot with me, you can watch the video again and apply the techniques to other images in your own catalog.