beautiful cover photo this week

Ted,

Thanks for your comments.

The shot was softened by heat haze. The air was really shimmering.

I decided to enhance the effect in Photoshop. I simply created a duplicate layer and then lightened it a lot. I applied a gaussian blur of about 30 to the duplicate layer and then blended this layer with the background layer using the Multiply blending mode.

I use this effect occasionally when an image has a strong graphic element but is otherwise marred in some way by unintentional blur. I just go with the flow and make it more so. In this case I feel it works very well.

Michael

[ted choi]

i'm not into landscapes but i really like much of michael's photography on this site and always look forward to seeing the new 'cover photo' on the home page. 'Masai Waiting' is striking and holds my interest even longer than the images of the dead factory with its fabulous lighting.

michael, re Masai Waiting, how was the softness and painterly impression done? i will totally bow to the master if it were done in-camera and not in PS, but impressive either way.

thanks much for your good work.

ted choi