Intense
by doc_gonzo

Comment by sherpet:
Nice light and shade with this portrait.....

Intense
by doc_gonzo

Comment by abranton:
I like the shadow across the face. I just started messing with "editing" yesterday. I can't give technical advice but I can tell you what I like :) I think it is great, esp with no editing.

Intense
by doc_gonzo

Comment by doc_gonzo:
Now I just need to learn to do all of those things... lol

Sadly I really don't know anything about digital post-processing so, what you see is pretty much what I shot. I just got my first DSLR about a month ago and don't even have a copy of PS. My limited processing comes from Nikon's CaptureNX or Picasa. Time to hit the tutorials I guess, I really want to learn dodge & burn, ans USM especially.

Thanks a lot for the tips.

Message edited by author 2007-05-07 17:32:10.

Intense
by doc_gonzo

Comment by Artyste:
Spend a little more time with the eyes to pull them out of shadow. This will give the viewer more of a connection with your subject, and consequently, the photo. There are some easy ways to do this, and some not so easy. I'd try some simple spot dodging at first. Low opacity, don't over-do it. Do it on a layer so that you preserve the integrity, and you can always do slider adjustments if you go too far.

Other ways are to selectively work with shadows/highlights, curves, and levels.

Also, beware centered compositions with this type of shot, as it can become a little too static.

I'd also suggest using a little selective USM as well. The focus seemed to have grabbed the front part of his hair, leaving his eyes and face a little soft.

Black&Steel
by doc_gonzo

Comment by bdenny:
Very impressive. Nice graphic look with a great deal of tonal variety.

sky
by doc_gonzo

Comment by bdenny:
This wasn't taken at night, was it? It looks like some sunlight is peeking thru (maybe its the moon?). I bet a longer exposure on a tripod would've added some tonal variety and contrast.

coffee table
by doc_gonzo

Comment by doc_gonzo:

Originally posted by routerguy666: To be honest, it does not look like a lot of thought was put into this shot.

And we have a winner!

Actuallly almost no thought whatsoever went into this shot....

I was simply snapping shots around the house with my new lens.

It's a little busy but, it really is just a snap of my coffee table on any random Sunday afternoon, coasters(dragonfly thing), remotes and all.

sky
by doc_gonzo

Comment by colorcarnival:
i love cloud pics lol. lots of drama in this one.

coffee table
by doc_gonzo

Comment by jackal9:
I like the stones and the dragonfly looking thing in the center, nice focus and DOF on them, but it is a little busy compositionally for me, I feel it would benefit from removing the remote and the two candles? the OOF object in the foreground and the candle to the right are not helping the shot. A more simplistic composition would help this shot out a lot for me. Just my thoughts.

Black&Steel
by doc_gonzo

Comment by jonfrommk:
I really like the minimalism of this shot but the fact that every pixel (including the 'dead' space is just right)

Different and I like it a lot