The final image that a viewer might observe is often dramatically different from the ‘raw’ image captured on the press of the camera shutter.
This image, named ‘Running on Water’, was taken by photographer Alex Higginson in May 2019.
The final image, as you can see, is a composite, made up from multiple ‘layers’. When editing an image, layers can be thought of as clear sheets stacked on top of an original image. It’s then possible to add content to a layer and move the content into a specific position. You can also change the opacity of a layer to make content partially transparent, as well as changing the ‘blend’ (the way one layer interacts with another).
Here you can see the post-production workflow that led up to the creation of the final image. The initial image was taken in the studio at Parklands Studio against a black background, with a single key light. From there, splash layers were added, followed by the sea, and then the sky. Finally, tonal changes were made to the image.
