ON1 Photo RAW 2021.5 Splashscreen

Photographing on the Oregon Coast is always an adventure. You make the two-hour trek to the beach and hope for the best. Typically the biggest obstacle is the wind but at the Oregon Coast it can also be rain and cold even in the middle of summer.   My last trip to Manzanita, Oregon was for a series of Ballet dancers on the Beach. I teamed up with our local Ballet Studio for this adventure. We booked the trip in the middle of summer and yet the day we were to take photos it rained. As in poured down rain ALL DAY LONG. So much planning and organizing went into this and the rain through quite the wrench in our day. We held out though and waited until about 6 pm where we finally decided to give it a go so the day was not a complete waste. Armed with umbrellas we headed down to the beach.

Here is where we started and exactly what the entire day looked like. Clouds and rain!

I will admit, within a few minutes of shooting I was soaked. But we made sure the dancers were dry and we started what we thought was going to be a true Oregon session at the Beach. I still can not even believe what happened next even as I am writing this. Within about 20 minutes after starting the photoshoot the clouds parted, the wind settled and the most magical evening light I have ever seen appeared. There is no other way to explain it. I began to shoot as fast as I possibly could not knowing how long we had.

This photo was one of my favorites from the entire evening. When I saw it unfold in from of me I knew it was going to be special. The dancer reminds me of a Calla Lily and I love the light and reflection in this photo. I also love the pink contrast against the blue that just makes her pop. I am a big advocate of printing your art whether it is for you, a gift, or a client. This is now adorning the wall at our Ballet Studio printed on Metal which adds to the beauty in this photo.

Photo Details:
Canon 5D Mark 1V
85 mm 1.8 lens
ISO 200
Shutter Speed 1/1000
Aperture 1.8

In ON1 I started in Develop. I adjusted the exposure slightly to brighten, toned down the highlights, and pulled up the shadows. I added a little structure and vibrance to make it pop. In Effects, I added the following.

• Tone Enhancer
• Skin Retouching
• Textures
• Photo Filter
• Vignette

In Local Adjustments I added a lighten layer and masked it with a low opacity on her skin to brighten.
Note: I also used the retouching tools to clean up the water/reflection.

For anyone interested, I have included a preset with the effects filters Pink Beach.onp.

Whitney Stevens
Bliss Studio
@blissstudiopdx