Digital photography is miraculous to me. At about 13 years old, I caught the photo bug and went crazy for a decade with 35 mm film cameras. I even set up a darkroom in my parents’ laundry room. I spent a few thousand hours in there working hard to make the best of photos I’d taken. I used contrast filters in the enlarger, moved my hands while projecting the image on photographic paper in a technique called dodging and burning to correct for weakness in the exposure. It was intoxicating creating this magic.
As amazing as film and the darkroom were, I have zero desire to go back to that. Digital cameras have eliminated the need to purchase expensive rolls of film and a program called Photoshop has eliminated the messy and expensive chemicals in the darkroom. Now you can just change a setting on the program and change things in a second vs an hour of tweaking in the darkroom.
The photo of the Spartanburg skyline was taken out of my car. I remember a light rain had started so I tried to be fast because my camera was getting wet. As you can see, the photo lacks contrast with the overcast sky. It’s just blah.
The good news is, with Photoshop, you can resurrect the potential of a lousy photo to the point where you can actually display it proudly on the home page of your web site.
First, I Masked Out the Sky Using Abobe Photoshop
The first thing I did in Photoshop to bring my dead photo to life was to mask out the sky. By creating two separate working spaces, the sky and buildings, this let me make adjustments to the sections one at a time.
After isolating the sky with a blue mask, I deleted it and just made it white as in the picture below.
After Cropping, I Made the Sky White. The Buildings Still Lack Contrast
And finally, I worked on creating a realistic blue for the sky and created a fade into white hoping it would mimic atmospheric haze.
I Think the Sky Is Looking Natural and the Buildings Look More Like a Sunny Day by Adding Contrast
Viola! Now, after a little time with Photoshop, we’ve got a usable cover photo for the website.
You Can Really Have Some Photoshop Fun and Combine Multiple Photos into One
As I was learning web design, I did this banner for a website many years ago. I got a little playful by superimposing a shot of the mountains looking at Hogback from Landrum, SC and combined it with the downtown Spartanburg image and you would almost believe this photo was taken in Spartanburg, Colorado!
Looking back at this composite, I just laugh. It wasn’t for a client. The header was for a real estate investment club I started the first month the Marriott Marquis opened.
So, now you know, “The rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey used to say.
You are welcome to use the featured photo of Spartanburg from the home page on your website, free of charge, as long as you create a clickable link back to this site giving us a photo credit. Here is the full-sized photo of Spartanburg South Carolina. Click here.
Spartanburg is a city located in the northwest part of South Carolina, in the United States. It is the largest city in Spartanburg County and the seventh-largest city in the state. The city has a population of around 37,000 and is located about halfway between Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia.
Spartanburg is known for its rich history and cultural heritage, with a number of historic sites and landmarks located throughout the city. The city is home to a number of educational institutions, including the University of South Carolina Upstate and Wofford College.
Spartanburg is also home to a number of museums, parks, and recreational facilities, including the Spartanburg Art Museum, the Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve, and Croft State Park. The city is also home to a thriving arts community, with a number of galleries, performance spaces, and music venues located throughout the city.
Spartanburg SC is home to a diverse economy, with a number of major employers in the manufacturing, healthcare, and retail sectors. The city is also home to a number of small businesses and start-ups and has a strong entrepreneurial culture.
Overall, Spartanburg is a vibrant and thriving city with a rich history, diverse culture, and a strong sense of community.
Small businesses in Spartanburg, South Carolina often look for website designers who can help them create an effective and professional-looking website that meets their specific needs and goals. Some of the key factors that small businesses may consider when choosing a website designer include:
Experience: Small businesses may prefer to work with website designers who have experience designing websites for businesses in their industry or with similar needs.
Portfolio: A designer’s portfolio can give small businesses an idea of their style, the types of websites they have designed in the past, and the level of quality they can expect.
Communication: Small businesses may want to work with a website designer who is easy to communicate with and responsive to their needs and questions.
Flexibility: Small businesses may appreciate website designers who are able to work with them to create a custom website that meets their specific needs and goals.
Price: Small businesses may also consider the cost of working with a website designer, as they may have limited budgets for website development.
Ongoing support: It is also important for small businesses to consider whether a website designer is able to provide ongoing support and maintenance for their website after it is launched.
Ultimately, the specific factors that small businesses in the Upstate of South Carolina look for in a website designer will depend on their individual needs and priorities. It is important for small businesses to do their research and carefully evaluate the skills and experience of different designers before making a decision.
When you choose Glen Woodfin, you’re working directly with a webmaster with over 17 years of experience in building websites. He works from his home-based studio so he can eliminate a lot of the overhead normally associated with web design agencies and he passes the savings on to you. One can further reduce the price of their website if they have a logo, written content, and photos in advance. If the client has a clear idea of the site in mind, it can also expedite the process.
I look forward to helping you create your vision so you can get your business exposed to a larger online audience.
