One-Four Challenge: July Week One

Posted on by Louise Bunting

After a long week of no internet I’m finally back on my blog. Yay! My connection is still very dodgy so I apologise in advance if I suddenly vanish again. It’s a hazard of living in a small village. I had intended to post last night but no such luck. My plan is to visit everyone’s blogs over the next few days so fingers crossed that I stay connected long enough to do so. I’ve missed you all!

Anyway, it’s  a new month and so time for a new image for Robyn’s One-Four Challenge.

Week One Edit
Week One Edit

As usual for my first edit I kept this one relatively simple. I began by opening it in Camera Raw where I slightly decreased the exposure and gave the clarity, vibrancy and contrast a little boost. Using Photoshop Elements 13 I then cropped it and used the clone tool to clean up a few areas – such as the blue plastic bag in the water! I finished by adding a faint blue filter to the sky, deepening the colour to match my memory of the day.

Here’s the original image for comparison:

Original
Original

This month’s picture was again taken last November during Photography 101. The castle in the background is Newark Castle, a 12th Century fortification on the River Trent. As a stronghold of the defeated Royalists, much of the castle was destroyed (or ‘slighted’) by the Parliamentarian forces in the aftermath of the  English Civil War in the 17th Century. All that remains today is the wall along the river and a gatehouse. One of the place’s main claims to fame is that King John (familiar to many from stories of Robin Hood) died whilst visiting there in 1216. The boat in the foreground runs trips during the summer months along the river to the nearby village of Farndon – where we lived until I was 5 years old and we moved into Newark itself.

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20 thoughts on “One-Four Challenge: July Week One”

  1. This is a lovely photo and has loads of potential. You have definitely made it a richer photo this week, and I thought the blue plastic bag was simply a ‘buoy.’ I like the filter you used in the sky and the angle you chose.

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    1. Thank you for the feedback – I’m very glad you like it. 🙂 I only know it was a bag because I remembered spotting it when I was there! It’s not a bad stretch of river for cleanliness but things do still find there way in there, unfortunately.

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  3. Great first edit, Louise. The rich colors from the boat really warm up this image. Looking forward to seeing your edits as you progress, there are some great lines and potential for the weeks to come!

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    1. Thank you, Carrie. I’m glad you like it. 🙂 I have a few ideas about where to take the edits but I’m looking forward to having a good play around with it!

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  4. I wish I had the skills to edit my photos like this! I do a few basic crops and sometimes play with the colors, but you artistic types always do such a great job bringing out the best in your photos.

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    1. Thank you! I really just play around until I like what I see, though I am slowly learning a few tricks. I always feel a bit inadequate when I see what some of the other people on the one-four challenge have done!

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  8. Great shot. That’s something I have to learn, start off more subtle and save the flashy for last. I have no idea where I’ll go over the next few weeks. But it’s fun.

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    1. Thanks. 🙂 I like to begin by showing what would be a normal ‘everyday’ edit and then building up from there. I’ve generally run out of ideas by week 4 though… Thanks for visiting. 🙂

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  9. Nice subtle edits and well done on the removal of bits like the bag and the sign that detract from a beautiful image! Great work for the first one, Louise.

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  10. Louise, this is lovely and I love your first edits.
    Brings clarity to the view.
    I so understand about dodgy Internet. I’m presently in the same boat… bah ha ha.. so may drop off at anytime too.
    Glad you were able to post 😃😃

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