Add Some Romance

Digital imaging can be powerful ally in many cases for rendering fine detail. But sometimes, it’s just too clinical.

I was shooting a video with a dancer, and between takes, she sat down to adjust her shoes. My eye immediately saw the wonderful play of light on her form, and I asked her to wait for a moment while I grabbed a still camera. We shot just five frames, and then we went back to shooting video.

When I brought the image I liked best into Photoshop, I felt like I had captured the light and composition the way I wanted. But it seemed to me that there was too much detail information in the floor that in the end distracted from the feeling I wanted to convey.

The quick solution was to use the Vignette Blur filter in NIK Color Efex 3.0 to soften the background and keep the focus on the dancer.

Just compare the original image below to the one above. I think you’ll agree that adding a little romance helped make a more pleasing image.