…I wanted to combine the effects of a fast shutter speed with the sort of shallow focus I used to get with my Hasselblad 180mm. With an M4 optic and camera, I’m fairly sure that can’t be done.
So, this was the workflow:
Image taken with soft focus filter with the Olympus Pen F>opened file in P Shop 2023>made local contrast adjustments and desaturated it in ACR>selected filters>selected neural filters>selected depth blur (you have to download their beta app)> then, I positioned the crosshairs on the breaking wave and used the blurring sliders to make DOF adjustments>next, I reopened the file in P Shop and saved> then I selected it all>copied it>placed it over the original layer>selected mask>erased in some sharpness at 30% opacity along the surf in front of the wave>saved it all.
That’s pretty much how I got there… hope it’s of some interest.
It’s very interesting, John, thank you. I don’t think I realized that you use Photoshop – do you use Lightroom sometimes, too? Using the soft focus filter and then making further adjustments for softness and sharpness in PS is an interesting way to go for the look you want. Anytime you’re willing to share “how you got there” I’ll be listening. 🙂
No, I haven’t been using LR recently although it is really good for organization and making global corrections and working with large numbers of files. For now, I haven’t felt any compelling need to only work from that platform.
I really like the most recent updates of ACR and I’m still using Nik and On1 (as plug ins). Aside from Adobe Camera Raw, I do very little in Photoshop. If you haven’t yet done the 2023 updates, this was a significant step forward for Adobe and, I although I haven’t checked yet, I’m going to assume that applies to LR too.
Just looked it up… those most recent updates in Camera Raw are found in the most recent update of LR as well. The subtlety of the editing menu really took a leap forward this year.
I don’t think the neural filters suite can be found in LR however– you access that from Photoshop. There are some fascinating tools in there, especially in the 2023 version. And from the looks of their beta filters, there’s even more in the pipeline.
Yes, some people say LR is as good as or approaching PS in terms of editing. I never took to PS so it just sits there. I used On1 for a while and Nik for quite a while but you know how it is – you drift away from things. Same with the in-camera filters, I should use them again. I did take the old Takumar 50mm lens out again recently. It’s on the Pen-F now. For some reason, the adapter is too tight for the EM-III that I use most often so I’m glad I can use it on the Pen-F. I like it for rainy/misty scenes but I have to watch that camera & lens stay dry.
I haven’t actually used that soft filter on the Pen F too much but it does produce a very pleasing effect that seems unique to that camera. I did shoot this group you’ve been commenting on with it, but I also increased the contrast in-camera for all of them. As you probably know, the drawback is no raw file. I’m not familiar with the Takumar. Is that a 50mm on a 35mm camera or is it made for M4/3?
Yes, I’m familiar with that drawback. I used to use the soft focus filter on the EM-1 I had that finally broke. The newer model has it, too. Increasing contrast is what I always have to do when I use intentional camera movement, which is similar, in a way.
Sorry, I thought you knew the lens. It’s for 35mm, mine is from the late 60s I think. It’s f1.4 which is nice and of course, requires an adapter for M4/3. It’s hard to focus where you want it, between the adapter and the manual focus itself. But it does wonderful things when you get it right. Here’s a post from 2019 with all photos made with that lens (on the EM-1). There’s a link in the post to a video about the lens. There’s lots of information online about it, too.
JOHN TODARO PHOTOGRAPHY 
Powerful sea, powerful impact. Took some time just taking it all in. (The power of photography!)
Much appreciate those words Geoff. Thanks for commenting
I like going to this dream country. 🙂
Thanks. This one’s my favorite of the series (and also the duotone which I posted after it).
That shallow focus: shall we call it “intentional file movement?” 😉
…I wanted to combine the effects of a fast shutter speed with the sort of shallow focus I used to get with my Hasselblad 180mm. With an M4 optic and camera, I’m fairly sure that can’t be done.
So, this was the workflow:
Image taken with soft focus filter with the Olympus Pen F>opened file in P Shop 2023>made local contrast adjustments and desaturated it in ACR>selected filters>selected neural filters>selected depth blur (you have to download their beta app)> then, I positioned the crosshairs on the breaking wave and used the blurring sliders to make DOF adjustments>next, I reopened the file in P Shop and saved> then I selected it all>copied it>placed it over the original layer>selected mask>erased in some sharpness at 30% opacity along the surf in front of the wave>saved it all.
That’s pretty much how I got there… hope it’s of some interest.
It’s very interesting, John, thank you. I don’t think I realized that you use Photoshop – do you use Lightroom sometimes, too? Using the soft focus filter and then making further adjustments for softness and sharpness in PS is an interesting way to go for the look you want. Anytime you’re willing to share “how you got there” I’ll be listening. 🙂
No, I haven’t been using LR recently although it is really good for organization and making global corrections and working with large numbers of files. For now, I haven’t felt any compelling need to only work from that platform.
I really like the most recent updates of ACR and I’m still using Nik and On1 (as plug ins). Aside from Adobe Camera Raw, I do very little in Photoshop. If you haven’t yet done the 2023 updates, this was a significant step forward for Adobe and, I although I haven’t checked yet, I’m going to assume that applies to LR too.
Just looked it up… those most recent updates in Camera Raw are found in the most recent update of LR as well. The subtlety of the editing menu really took a leap forward this year.
I don’t think the neural filters suite can be found in LR however– you access that from Photoshop. There are some fascinating tools in there, especially in the 2023 version. And from the looks of their beta filters, there’s even more in the pipeline.
Yes, some people say LR is as good as or approaching PS in terms of editing. I never took to PS so it just sits there. I used On1 for a while and Nik for quite a while but you know how it is – you drift away from things. Same with the in-camera filters, I should use them again. I did take the old Takumar 50mm lens out again recently. It’s on the Pen-F now. For some reason, the adapter is too tight for the EM-III that I use most often so I’m glad I can use it on the Pen-F. I like it for rainy/misty scenes but I have to watch that camera & lens stay dry.
I haven’t actually used that soft filter on the Pen F too much but it does produce a very pleasing effect that seems unique to that camera. I did shoot this group you’ve been commenting on with it, but I also increased the contrast in-camera for all of them. As you probably know, the drawback is no raw file. I’m not familiar with the Takumar. Is that a 50mm on a 35mm camera or is it made for M4/3?
Yes, I’m familiar with that drawback. I used to use the soft focus filter on the EM-1 I had that finally broke. The newer model has it, too. Increasing contrast is what I always have to do when I use intentional camera movement, which is similar, in a way.
Sorry, I thought you knew the lens. It’s for 35mm, mine is from the late 60s I think. It’s f1.4 which is nice and of course, requires an adapter for M4/3. It’s hard to focus where you want it, between the adapter and the manual focus itself. But it does wonderful things when you get it right. Here’s a post from 2019 with all photos made with that lens (on the EM-1). There’s a link in the post to a video about the lens. There’s lots of information online about it, too.
oops – https://bluebrightly.com/2019/03/27/springing-through-an-old-lens/
Ah–hah…somehow I missed this post four years ago. Lovely bokeh… really like those twigs emerging from that buttery blur. Thanks for sharing 😊
You’re welcome…that bokeh is what the lens is so good at.
Yeah, super fast! 👍