Japan in Neon

[Raymond Lin]

I am editing some photos from earlier this year, will add more as I process them

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[Raymond Lin]

Those are some genuinely stunning images.

In fact, do you have anywhere where somebody could buy prints of various sizes? Some of these would look fantastic on the wall in my hobby room.

Thanks, I don't actually have them posted for purchase anywhere, I guess I could open a section on my website with a shopping cart but I have never sold my travel photo. But I guess if you like a print drop me an email and we can sort something out.

Fantastic photos. Hey Raymond you posted a nice photo yesterday evening on another forum of a man looking down and cooking at his grill, a couple of banners hanging down in the foreground and some women eating and drinking on the right. I just wondered how you get that sort of almost misty almost kind of faded tone to it if that makes any sense. Is it contrast adjustment?

This one.



Sometimes I get bored and I play around with the sliders in LR, I made one ages ago and I called it "Washed" and this was it. I have never used it before because it's pretty much a tone complete opposite of my usual wedding processing. It's tone curve raised and desaturate mostly. I am not at my Mac at the moment but I can find out more later.

There was also this one I shot in the same alley.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I actually looked your website up and was surprised you didn't have a section where people could buy your travel snaps. Some of them are absolutely fantastic, you could even streamline the process with a third party doing the work for you.

I get paid this Friday and I am very, very interested in some prints.

Love those two shots above too, there's something that just clicks for me when you see people caught in time in these amazing locations.

I never really thought about it, I started taking them for me when I did my annual HK trip but last few years I have been going to Japan instead with Europe thrown into the mix. I've always wanted to make a personal travel book but never thought about selling prints, I could look into a 3rd party option as that would be simpler on both the admin and money handling side.

But if you like to, drop me an email, we can work out cost to get it print from a printer of your choice and will be transparent on cost.

 

[Raymond Lin]

That's the one. And the second is good too. Ah, tone curve and desaturation. Yeah, as I get more into looking at youtube photography videos and people's photos, I've started to notice that sort of effect. It gives photos such a professional and interesting look.

One thing you should know is that it is one thing to make it look nice but also know what processing work best for what photo. The neon photos doesn't work for photos taken in daylight for example. Sometimes I create a new preset because I took a photo and none of my current processing works, something inside me tells me it needs something different. So I make them, save them and later on it might be used again.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Oh man, I have to go.

I feel like I need to learn at least a little bit of the language to get the most out of it though.

Sumimasen (Excuse me)

That's all you need to know, unless you go to the sticks.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Because everyone speaks English? Or because you don't expect me to want to talk to anyone?

Everyone in Japan learn English in school, so they can speak broken English. You can say simple words “toilet?” Will get you direction to the toilet. Saying “could you tell me where the bathroom is?” Will get you a confused look.

Of course, learning how to say it in Japanese, no matter how small will go a LONG way but I got away with hello, morning, evening, excuse me. I got through the whole week in Korea with just hello/bye and thank you.

 

[Raymond Lin]

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[Raymond Lin]

Some of these are actually in Seoul, S. Korea

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[Raymond Lin]

+1 would be interested to know how you achieved this look (even if you don't give us a full run-down). It looks like white is made Cyan and red is made magenta.

Either way, stunning shots as always Raymond.

Pick a number?

 

[Raymond Lin]

19 please, but maybe @Derek W has a different one he’s interested in (he did ask first).

Here you go.

There is a massive caveat to processing like this. I tried it on my older Canon files and it tears it to pieces. The way you have to push the Highlights all the way back and everything else almost all the way up really takes them to the limit and with older generation sensors it creates Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much noise to the point that it just a mess. And I am talking about 5D files too.

Also, it only works for night time mostly, and the problem with night time is that you need high ISO usually unless you are using a tripod. So high ISO plus pushing the files like this = death.

But the Sony files does fine.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I didn't have a preference on which photo he put up since i know that once @Raymond Lin has perfected his process it would be the same across the board barring some photo specific tweaks.

I think I had these misconceptions with regard to inner city Seoul and major cities in Japan (and in part Bladerunner!) of built up areas with large neon signs flashing everywhere so you had at least something to work with in terms of the blue and magenta tones to the photos but nope just an ordinary street scene! I am also a little surprised that your 5D photos struggled to recreate the image style falling down to noise that your Sony's managed though. Fascinating insight to that style of photo though.

Sometimes it's more fun not knowing how things are made.