Tag Archives: #Mass Central

Announcements, photography, Rail transit marathon, Tips and Technique

Haze Be Gone!

Today, something a little different.

Instead of working from a camera RAW file, I’m adapting an in-camera JPEG. The image in question is a photograph I made in June 2013 of Massachusetts Central’s rare EMD NW5 No. 2100 working a surviving fragment of the former Central Massachusetts line in Ware, Massachusetts.

It was a hot, humid, and hazy day when I exposed this view using my Canon EOS 7D fitted with a Canon 100mm f/2.0 prime telephoto lens. All of the illustrations shown here are derived from the original in-camera JPEG. (And compressed by Word Press for internet delivery)

The top image is presented without any post-processing adjustments. Its color, contrast, and tonal values are as rendered by the camera’s JPEG settings.

The middle image shows the same file processed in DxO PhotoLab 9 using the program’s automatic ClearView Plus feature to reduce atmospheric haze. (This PhotoLab feature is activated by checking a box on the program’s control panel.)

DxO describes haze as follows: “Light obscuration is a natural phenomenon that appears in images as a loss of contrast and detail, often caused by fine particles in the atmosphere. Dust, mist, rain, fog, smog, and smoke are the most common causes of hazy, low-contrast photos.”

Highlighting the feature, DxO adds: “ClearView Plus is designed to tackle light obscuration head-on. It analyzes your image to restore lost contrast and reveal hidden detail, and can be adjusted so that you can fine-tune the effect to your liking.”

I find that DxO’s ClearView Plus provides an instant improvement. Some photographers may debate its interpretation of color saturation and balance, but it certainly produces a high-impact image with very little effort.

An alternative is the final image, which I adjusted manually in PhotoLab 9 to improve contrast and color saturation while maintaining a more natural interpretation (based on my eye and recollection of the scene).

Canon JPG and not adjusted in post processing, other than scaling for internet presentation.
Same JPG file as above, but adjusted with DxO PhotoLab9 using the one-click ClearView Plus feature to reduce atmospheric haze. 
Canon JPG, contrast manually adjusted using PhotoLab 9 to retain a more natural color interpretation without the ClearView Plus treatment.

PhotoLab 9 includes many additional tools and features that I’ll explore in future posts.

Tracking the Light viewers have been offered a discount on DxO software. New customers can receive 15 percent off purchases made at shop.dxo.com by using the discount code TRACKINGTHELIGHT.

Tracking the Light explores railroad photography!

Uncategorized

Forest Lake, Palmer, Massachusetts—July 9, 2015.

In-camera JPG without adjustments (except scaling for internet presentation.)
Fuji RAW file adjusted using Lightroom and output as JPG, following nominal adjustments to color, contrast and exposure.

Seven years ago, I exposed this photo of the northward Mass Central freight near Forest Lake, Massachusetts.

At the time, Mass Central was operating on a late schedule, departing northbound from Palmer in the evening, to accommodate heavy track work on the line during the day.

In this view, I used my FujiFilm XT1, and exposed an in-camera JPG at the same time as a much larger RAW file.

For point of comparison, I’ve displayed both the in-camera JPG (without alteration) and a JPG that is the product of post processing—created from the Fuji RAW image.

Choosing to work with the camera-RAW instead of the in-camera JPG, depends on the photo and its application. If the image needs little to no adjustment the JPG will save a lot of time. However in situations where it is desirable to make adjustments, the RAW file provides significantly more data, giving more room to maneuver, and can result in a better image.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!