Very nice look, what do you guys think?

[Il Dogui]

Hello guys, this is my first post! Congrats for this forum, it's great!
I like a lot the effect of these images, very smooth and clean, how do you think you can get it?
The link of the website is www.ankeluckmann.com (flash portfolio), click on "race" and take a look at the shots from 55 to 72.
At the beginning I thought it was a desaturated layer set in soft light, but the look is different.
Thanks a lot for your suggestions guys!
Guido

[0lBaldy]

Just curious.. who's works are you putting up here?

[Il Dogui]

Hi Baldy, this is the photographer.
http://www.ankeluckmann.com/
Cheers

[0lBaldy]

Perhaps a link to his site instead of posting photos would be more appropriate if permission to use his photos was not acquired..
IE the FAQs:

What about Copyrights and Likeness Rights?

This isn't a legal guide, just a brief summary about posting here. We aim to follow United States copyright and likeness rights laws, and it's your responsibility to make sure your uploaded images are within those laws. If in doubt, check http://www.copyright.gov.
Copyrighted images cannot be posted without explicit permission from the copyright owner. "Someone put it up on the web" does NOT count as explicit permission.

Public domain images can be posted (this usually means at least 70 years old, or formally released into the public domain by the copyright owner) assuming you have permission of anyone recognizable in the image (or their estate if they have been dead less than 50 years).

Images you own can be posted by you if you have permission of anyone recognizable in the image. Posting your image here does not mean you surrender copyright, but it does mean you give permission for other users to retouch the image and upload here, unless you explicitly state otherwise at the time of uploading.

Images you don't own can be posted if permission is explicitly given by both the owner of the image and any recognizable person in the image.

Celebrity images or random images from Google or anywhere else on the internet cannot be posted unless explicit permission from both the photographer and the subject has been obtained.

Changing a copyrighted image in any way does not remove it from copyright.

Pieces of copyrighted images, no matter how small, retain their copyright and all the same rules apply.

"Fair use" and parody protection are problematic to define, but to be safe lets assume neither apply here.

You are responsible for obtaining any necessary permissions for images you upload, and you are liable should anyone choose to enforce their copyright or likeness rights.

If you have permission then Kewl... If not then there is always the edit button and you can remove the pictures and replace with links.

[0lBaldy]

About your assessment of the style I think you are probably right..
A slightly desaturated layer set at normal
a fully desaturated layer set to soft light
there may also be a radial B/W gradient on a soft light layer

[Il Dogui]

I think that the problem setting a desaturated layer in hard light/soft light/overlay is that it increases a lot the contrast, and you lose a lot of detail in the shadows. In Anke's pictures it seems he uses the soft light layer but the without that contrast. It's a weird effect, what about a filter...?

[JavierT]

Originally Posted by Il Dogui

I think that the problem setting a desaturated layer in hard light/soft light/overlay is that it increases a lot the contrast, and you lose a lot of detail in the shadows. In Anke's pictures it seems he uses the soft light layer but the without that contrast. It's a weird effect, what about a filter...?

After setting the desaturated layer to softlight, you can play with the advanced fusion properties of the layer. Play with back left slider (from desaturated softlight layer) a go to 123, more or less, it´s up to you. Then, hold on the option key and click and slide to the left the left half triangle. That helps you to minimize the high contrast you got and restore some of the detail.

Hope it helps.

[Il Dogui]

Thanks a lot JavierT, very nice technique!
Guido

[PatrickB]

If you just open up the hue/saturation slider and play around you'll notice it's just a very well balanced picture with different settings of saturation all over the picture.

[superkoax]

I would also say that the camera technique plays a part here as well...look at highlights vs darker areas of the picture...these pictures are taken in broad daylight with lots of sun...He probably has the settings on the shutter times set to 1/200 and the f/stop on very high level...well that's my opinion...

[PatrickB]

May I just add, that Anke is a female name?

[Hendrik]

Isn't this the Lucis filter effect? (I don't use it, but it looks like it I think)

[Il Dogui]

Yep, Anke is a femal german name ;-)

[snook305]

Does not look anything like lucis.
Also it is not just sunlight.. she is over powering the sun light with a flash also which gives that effect, actually quite easy, it is the composition that makes her stand out.
Her post looks very minimal with a little desat in some areas and a lot of desat in others..
in the red car pictures she has taken all the color out practically.
Snook
her subject and composition is obviously not going to be learned here...:+}