by Tony Karp

Stairway to the stars -- Extreme post processing

Photography becomes art when it becomes unphotographic.
"Post processing" refers to what you do to your image files after you retrieve them from your camera and put them on your computer. For some, this means tweaking the image to make it as "photographic" as possible. Sharp focus, extreme detail, accurate color, contrast, exposure, low noise, and so forth. You get the idea.

For me, what comes from the camera is just the starting point down a path where the end is not always in sight. The example below shows just how far off the beaten path this quest can lead.

We'll start with the first photo, taken with my trusty Panasonic DMC-FZ5. It's a photo of the stairway at the Phillips Collection, an art museum in Washington DC. Then we'll follow its progress until it becomes something out of a science fiction movie. And you'll see where the title for this article comes from.

 - Starting point -- Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC. - Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC - stairway to the stars - Panasonic DMC-FZ5 - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp
Starting point -- Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC.
 - Transforming the image into Postscript Objects. - Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC - stairway to the stars - Panasonic DMC-FZ5 - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp
Transforming the image into Postscript Objects.
 - Trying one effect. Looks like a flock of mutant helicopters. - Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC - stairway to the stars - Panasonic DMC-FZ5 - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp
Trying one effect. Looks like a flock of mutant helicopters.
 - This effect looks a little better. - Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC - stairway to the stars - Panasonic DMC-FZ5 - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp
This effect looks a little better.
 - Very nice, but colors are too dull. - Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC - stairway to the stars - Panasonic DMC-FZ5 - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp
Very nice, but colors are too dull.
Stairway to the stars - The final version, with the colors brightened up. - Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC - stairway to the stars - Panasonic DMC-FZ5 - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp
The final version, with the colors brightened up.
 - A close-up, to show some of the detail. - Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC - stairway to the stars - Panasonic DMC-FZ5 - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp
A close-up, to show some of the detail.
 - Even closer, to see the tiny stars. - Stairway at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC - stairway to the stars - Panasonic DMC-FZ5 - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp
Even closer, to see the tiny stars.
And that's how it was done. A trip from the stairway to the stars.

Copyright 1957-2023 Tony & Marilyn Karp