Not every image needs dramatic transformation. Sometimes the most powerful edits are the ones that honor the original light and mood, making only the adjustments necessary to reveal what was already there. This street portrait from the back streets of Hoi An in Vietnam is exactly that kind of image—one that looked a bit flat straight out of camera but held all the ingredients for something special.
Shot on an overcast day with soft, diffused light, this portrait of a local woman initially seemed unremarkable. But the way the light caught her traditional hat and illuminated her face told me there was potential here. What this image needed wasn’t heavy-handed processing—it needed restraint, precision, and an understanding of where to draw the viewer’s eye.
In today’s tutorial, I’ll walk you through the subtle masking techniques and gentle adjustments that brought this portrait to life. And then I’ll take it one step further, converting it to black and white to see which version resonates more strongly. Let’s dive into the edit and explore how less can truly be more in portrait processing.
The Shooting Context
This portrait was captured while wandering the back streets of Hoi An, one of Vietnam’s most photogenic towns. I came across this woman in a quiet alleyway, and what immediately drew me in was the quality of light on her traditional conical hat—the way it created shape and dimension despite the overcast conditions.
The soft, diffused light of an overcast day can be challenging for portraits. Without direct sunlight to create dramatic shadows and highlights, images can easily look flat and lack dimension. But that same soft light also has advantages: no harsh shadows, even illumination, and gentle transitions between light and dark areas. The key is understanding how to enhance what’s there without forcing contrast that wasn’t present in the scene.
The Edit: Building Dimension Through Subtlety
Starting with the Crop
Before touching any sliders, I crop the image to focus attention where it belongs—on the woman’s face and upper body. This isn’t about dramatically changing the composition; it’s about eliminating unnecessary distractions and guiding the viewer’s eye more intentionally. The crop brings us closer to her, creating a more intimate connection.
Global Adjustments: The Foundation
Exposure: I lift the overall exposure to brighten the image and bring the woman forward visually. The overcast light has left things a touch dark, so this initial brightening is essential.
Contrast: A moderate increase in contrast adds structure to the image. This is where we start building dimension back into that soft, flat light.
Highlights: Pulled back significantly. There’s a bright area on her hat that, while not technically blown out (the histogram confirms this), draws too much attention. Reducing highlights helps redistribute visual weight in the frame.
Shadows: Lifted to around +25 to reveal more detail in the darker areas, particularly in her clothing and the shadowed side of her face.
Whites & Blacks: This is my standard push-pull technique. Pushing whites and pulling blacks creates additional contrast and that “punchy” quality I look for in portraits. It’s subtle but effective.
Clarity: Increased moderately to enhance mid-tone contrast. This brings out texture and definition throughout the image, making it feel more three-dimensional.
Sharpening
Using my standard technique—holding Option/Alt while dragging the masking slider—I visualize where sharpening will be applied. White areas receive sharpening; black areas don’t. This ensures sharpening focuses on the subject rather than the background.
I set sharpening to around 80 points, which is my go-to baseline. This gives me flexibility for output sharpening later, whether for web or print.
Lens Corrections
Remove chromatic aberration and enable profile corrections are always checked in my workflow. Lightroom recognizes the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 and automatically corrects for optical distortions inherent in the lens design. You can see a subtle shift in the image when these corrections apply—the frame brightens slightly and any barrel distortion is eliminated.
Vignette
After cropping, I add a subtle vignette using the post-crop vignetting slider (highlight priority). This darkens the edges and corners, naturally drawing the viewer’s eye toward the center of the frame where our subject sits.
Masking: The Real Magic
This is where the image truly comes alive. Global adjustments set the foundation, but masks allow surgical precision in directing attention and revealing detail.
Mask 1: Facial Skin
I create a mask selecting her facial skin. Her hands are covered, and there’s no visible body skin, so this mask focuses entirely on her face.
Adjustment: Exposure increased significantly. This brightens her face, revealing the subtle contours of her nose, cheeks, and features. The before/after comparison at this stage is dramatic—suddenly we can see the dimensionality of her face that was hidden in shadow.
This is the single most important mask in the entire edit. Faces are where viewers naturally look first, and ensuring proper exposure on the face is critical for any portrait.
Mask 2: The Hat (Select Object)
Using the select object tool, I isolate the hat. While it wasn’t technically overexposed, the bright area on the hat competes for attention with her face. That’s a problem.
Adjustments:
- Exposure: Decreased to tone down the brightness
- Whites: Pushed up slightly for tonal separation
- Blacks: Pulled down for additional contrast within the hat
The goal isn’t to eliminate the hat—it’s part of her identity and the cultural context of the image. But it needs to be supporting player, not the star. The before/after shows how much more your eye settles on her face once the hat is toned down.
I do pull back slightly on the exposure reduction because I initially took it too far—a good reminder that even “subtle” adjustments need careful calibration.
Mask 3: Manual Brush – Face and Upper Body
For the final mask, I use a manual brush to paint additional light onto specific areas: her upper chest area and reinforcing the brightness on her face.
This is very subtle work. I’m not dramatically changing these areas; I’m adding just a kiss of extra light to reinforce the direction the viewer’s eye should travel. The brush flow is gentle, the adjustments minimal.
There’s a small amount of mask bleed beyond the edge of her face, which I subtract using the brush tool in subtract mode. This precision matters—clean edges keep the adjustments looking natural rather than obviously processed.
Before and After: The Color Version
Stepping back to view the before and after at this stage, the transformation is clear:
Before: Flat, slightly dark, with attention scattered between the hat, face, and background
After: Dimensional, with clear visual hierarchy. The eye moves directly to her face, appreciates the context of the hat and clothing, and doesn’t get lost in the background.
The image now has “crunch”—that quality of contrast and clarity that makes an image feel dynamic and engaging rather than passive.
One More Step: Temperature Adjustment
I didn’t initially touch white balance, but at this stage I experiment with cooling the image slightly—dragging the temperature slider toward blue. This gives the image a subtly different mood, perhaps a bit more contemplative or somber. It’s a minor shift, but it adds an interesting dimension to the color version.
Taking It Further: Black and White Conversion
Looking at the processed color version, I see strong potential for a black and white interpretation. The tonal structure is there, the contrast is working, and the subject matter—traditional clothing, weathered face, cultural context—feels timeless in a way that often suits monochrome.
The Conversion
I apply Adobe’s standard monochrome profile rather than the adaptive black and white. Sometimes the simpler option is the right choice.
Refining the Black and White
Blacks: Pulled back further. I like my black and whites to have weight in the shadows—real, rich blacks that anchor the image.
Highlights: Reduced slightly more than in the color version to create stronger separation.
Revisiting the Facial Mask: I return to that first mask and make additional adjustments:
- Exposure: Increased slightly more
- Blacks: Reduced
- Whites: Lifted
These tweaks ensure the tonal relationships work specifically for the black and white interpretation, not just as a carryover from the color version.
Clarity: A touch more clarity in the overall image gives the black and white that crisp, defined quality I’m looking for.
The Final Comparison: Color vs Black and White
Now we have two finished versions:
Colour Version: Retains the warm, human quality of the scene. The subtle colour information in her clothing and the environment provides context and atmosphere.
Black and White Version: More timeless and graphic. The removal of colour simplifies the image, focusing attention even more intensely on form, texture, and expression. There’s a classical portrait quality to the monochrome version.
Personally, I lean toward the black and white in this case. It feels stronger, more focused, and the removal of color eliminates any last distractions from the subject’s presence and character.
But that’s entirely subjective—and that’s the beauty of having both versions to choose from.
Visiting Hoi An: 5 Quick Tips
Since this portrait was captured in Hoi An, I thought I’d share some practical advice if you’re planning to visit this incredible town:
1. Best Time to Visit
February to April offers warm days and low humidity—perfect for wandering those lantern-filled streets with your camera. That said, I visited in August and found it perfectly comfortable for photography.
2. Getting Around
Hoi An is a walking and cycling town. Rent a bicycle to explore the old town and nearby rice fields at your own pace, or simply wander on foot with your camera ready. The best shots often come when you’re unhurried and attentive.
3. What to Eat
Don’t miss Cao Lau (Hoi An’s signature noodle dish), white rose dumplings, and Vietnam’s incredible street-side coffee. And wherever you go in Vietnam, try the spring rolls—they’re noticeably different and so much better than what I can get back home in Australia.
4. What to See
The Japanese Covered Bridge is a must-visit. The central market offers fantastic photography opportunities. And if you’re there in the evening, the lantern-lit Thu Bon River is magical. If it rains during your visit, look for reflection shots of the lanterns—stunning subject matter (though that’s for another video).
5. Practical Tip: Bring Cash
Many small shops, food stalls, and tailors don’t accept cards. Some do, but inevitably the one you want to buy from will be cash-only.
Technical Details
- Camera: Canon 5DSR (50MP)
- Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/2.8
- Shooting Conditions: Overcast day, soft natural light
- ISO: 200 (no noise concerns)
- Processing: Adobe Lightroom Classic with selective masks
💬 QUESTION FOR YOU
Do you prefer the color version or the black and white? I’m genuinely curious which resonates more strongly with you. Let me know in the comments below—I always love hearing different perspectives on these interpretations.
And if you’ve photographed in Vietnam or Hoi An specifically, what was your experience? Did you find the light challenging or inspiring?
WATCH THE FULL TUTORIAL
For the complete step-by-step walkthrough including all the masking techniques and the live comparison between color and black and white versions, watch the full video above.
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Thank you for watching, safe travels, and as always—keep shooting.