Improvement or interpretation?

Whilst researching and experimenting with taking photos of mountain bikers, I discovered that to give the photograph real impact, flash was necessary when working in the forest.

This image was taken at 7:45pm on a summers evening when my husband was just about to cross the finish line at a local race night. I had not anticipated that a low sun and all the trees would affect the exposure  quite so much. He was also wearing dark clothes so blended in with his surroundings well.

In order to give the image maximum impact and make the rider visible stand out from the background, I had to edit the photo in Photoshop.

Using the magic lasso tool in Photoshop, I learnt to follow the outline of the figure using the pad on my computer. I think it would be easier to control and set the points with a graphics tablet and pen. Despite my best attempts at redoing the shape with the tool several times, using the feathering tool and refining the edge, I was not happy with the outcome. I tried using the magic wand but this selected too much background and did not seem to differentiate between the colours of the rider and the trees. Once I had selected the area to be worked on, I decided that the colour temperature needed adjusting. I opened levels and tried an area of grey to sample but could not get it quite right. I selected the white dropper which seemed to correct the colours. I checked the black and white points which were OK.

Original

Edited

I did find this a bit fiddly to do and thought that the results did not look that professional. However, it corrected the colours of a small area and made the rider stand out.  The pixels of the grass and legs were not found automatically by the tool, and it had difficulty distinguishing between the black clothes and black bike. Even the helmet caused confusion.

Do I think it is acceptable to alter the image like this? Yes because it enhances what I saw originally. However, I think it would still be better to get the exposure right in the camera or use flash in this situation to lift the rider out from the background. When looking at this type of photography, I discovered that it would be better if my husband was wearing a more colourful top. Red or orange would have made him stand out against the background, so I think an important element is planning and communication. I would not go so far as to deliberately change the colour of his kit in post processing because I like to record the event as it was. 

Reading an article in Mountain Biling UK (Summer 2012) Darkins et al suggested that "Jamie, maybe upset at how I've dressed him, proves his dowhill abilities and is gone". It confirmed to me that the writer (and perhaps the photographer) had thought about how to make the subject stand out against the natural background of the Gower Peninsula. Unfortunately, I couldn't work out from the photographs which rider Jamie was; the establishing shot contained three riders (one blue, one black and one red top). The red shirted rider only appeared in two of the eight photographs, so maybe he was dressed in red!

Reference

Darkins, M (2012) The Gower Peninsula,Mountain Biking UK Summer 2012 Issue 280 Future PLC UK p199

Bibliography

Steinmueller, U, Gulbins J, (2011) The Digital Photography Workflow Handbook, Rocky Nook, CA p124