It’s not often one finds oneself on a ridgeline with a 600mm lens and a perfect view of one of nature’s extreme events. Driven by 30 mph winds, the forest fire was power beyond description. Through the lens it was furiously alive. The images in the flames were raw texture and color, constantly changing, and so bright that I knew a properly exposed photograph of the flames would render the rest of the midday forest black as night. Above all, the fire was just pure beauty.

A week later, I knew I had done well. Some of that power and complexity was sitting on my lightbox. But now, how could I improve the image? The keys to the experience were the color and texture of the flames, the outlines of the burning trees, and the brilliance of the flames, as they forced the rest of the scene to black. My goal was to accentuate each key element without compromising the other key elements.

Looking at the image on screen I wanted to 1) darken the trees, 2) darken and increase the contrast in the outer red flames, 3) increase the density of the black areas in the photograph, 4) brighten and increase contrast in the inner yellow flames, and 5) accomplish all of this without losing the color of the flames.

I played with a curve affecting the entire image, and was able to find a configuration that accomplished the first three goals. However, the correct curve for the red flames, trees and shadows wreaked havoc on the brighter yellow inner flames—it blew them out leaving little texture, little contrast and no color (Figure 1). My goal now was to mask the brighter inner flames from my curve so I could treat them separately. But how could I mask such a complex area?

The answer came by way of the Color Range function. I went into the Select Menu and clicked on Color Range. In the resulting dialog box, I selected Highlights from the drop-down menu, and check-marked the “Invert” option (Figure 2).

Clicking “OK” resulted in a selection of everything but the highlights—which coincided perfectly with my inner yellow flames! With the selection still on the screen, I created a new curves layer and recreated my original curve, this time with a perfect mask over the previously blown-out areas (Figure 3).

This done, I positioned the cursor over the mask linked to my newly created curves layer, pressed the Apple key, and clicked. This action reactivated the selection I had created in Color Range. I then clicked the “Inverse” option under the Select menu. This resulted in a selection of not the mid-tones and shadows, but of the highlights themselves. (Alternatively, I could have done the same thing by using “Color Range” again, but not check-marking the “Invert” option.) Now with the highlights selected, I created another curves layer that would affect only the inner yellow flames. With a delicate little curve, I was able to add just enough contrast to the inner flames to reveal their texture, accentuate the brightness of the fire, and keep the color (Figure 4).

There are many times when an image requires a different treatment in the highlights than it does in the midtones or shadows. Sometimes an image even needs separate treatments for all three luminosity ranges. The Color Range function is an excellent tool to make these complex selections. With it, you will be able to quickly select different luminosity ranges, affect the luminosity ranges independently, and take more complete control of your images.

That forest fire was one of the most beautiful and powerful events I’ve ever seen. With these few simple photoshop tools, I am better able to share that power and beauty with my audience.

	John Weller

Announcement: Learn more about John and his latest book, Great Sand Dunes National Park: Between Light and Shadow, at www.betweenlightandshadow.com.