Composition, Crop and Processing Critique Please

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II

12/09/2004 04:56:16 PM · #1

Walking around yesterday I stumbled across a striking find. I was hoping to get comments on all aspects of these shots, but I'm specifically interested in comp, crop and post comments.

Here are the originals:

I boosted exposure, shadows, saturation and sharpness in the RAW conversion. I also tweaked the lens for CA.

Here is what I've produced so far:

The changes are just cropping, curves, USM, resize and USM for each.

Please let me know what you think. And, I'd love to hear any processing suggestions/tips you might have.

Thanks,
Ara

Nusbaum

Fujifilm X-T1

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

12/09/2004 05:56:50 PM · #2

I agree that its an interesting find, but the photos aren't grabbing me. The ones with the pier leave me wondering if the subject is the pier or the pumpkin or search for a relationship between them. The shots of the pumpkin alone place it at the rule of thirds, but it still not dramatic enough to really grab my interest. Please don't take this wrong, you have shot exactly what I would have, which means there is room for improvement. Perhaps a lower perspective and from where the water is hitting the beach. If possible, capture when the a wave has just reached the base. This leaves the viewer wandering if the waves have washed it up or if they are going to carry it away. I'm actually kind of wondering how it got there myself at this point...

Message edited by author 2004-12-09 18:06:55.

tyt2000

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

12/09/2004 06:01:54 PM · #3

I think it looks good, how about a selective desat?

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

12/09/2004 11:44:04 PM · #4

thanks!

nusbaum: yes, after looking at the shots when i got home, i wished i had taken some lower, closer shots of the pumpkin, but the beach was short and steep behind the pumpkin. i'm also wishing i had taken the shots with a deeper dof and a faster & slower shutter to work the boring water.

tyt2000: didn't think of that - i'm not usually a big fan of selective desat, but i'll give it a try, some of the pure b/w i played with did look really good...

dsidwell

Canon EOS-5D

12/10/2004 12:39:57 AM · #5

I like the photos, especially the one without the pier because there's no split interest. I suppose the question one might ask next is: what is intriguing enough about this pumpkin to me? What is my attitude about the pumpkin. Obviously, one answer would be the inconsistency of finding a pumpkin on a beach--a huge pumpkin at that! It's one thing to photograph a subject; it's quite another to photography how you feel about a subject.

Right now the photo says "this is a pumpkin on a beach". I'd be tempted to go further now to show some emotional attitude about the pumpkin on the beach (tell a story of sorts): "it's weird that a pumpkin should be on a beach" for example, might demand other choices (like getting closer, lower, etc.--the things you mentioned).

Another example might be something like "in our postmodern world, it is a wonder that a pumpkin hasn't appeared on a beach long before." This might demand other communicative choices.

Yet another possible communication might be "Life is so mysterious and unpredictable and even scary: this pumpkin on this beach is a supreme example." This would demand yet other choices.

So the list goes on and on, and each attitude about the pumpkin would prompt different communicative strategies.

In this photo of yours, for example:

. . . it says to me a lot about the quirkiness of life, the unexpected fun to be had in the most flacid of places, and just that life can be kina goofy if you just look once in a while.

In this photo of yours:

I get a clear feeling of sterile, clean, mysterious, science--all in a toothbrush, which says things to be about our obsession for cleanliness and scientific sterility. The lighting implies an almost sacredness in all of this, that we worship the whole concept of scientific sterility.

I hope that helps! Again, I like the shots, but I'd be tempted to go and do more exploring...

12/10/2004 09:20:52 AM · #6

dsidwell: wow! thanks for the in-depth critique. you have hit the nail on the head with your analysis: i struggle with imparting meaning and/or emotion in most of my shots. although i know my technique is improving, i fear my style is not. i'd say my main thought when i saw the brilliant orange of the pumpkin contrasted with the sand, grass, sky and water was "look at the scene and all its contrasts." not a particularly deep impression, and i guess it shows.

at the same time, i see many shots here at dpc that are only somewhat interesting until they've been post-processed in photoshop. i guess i should have titled this thread "please help me make these shots more impactful."

do you think either of these shots could be "saved" in post?

thanks again to take the time to not only look at these shots, but to actually go into my profile and work up some of my old challenge entries as well. :^)

12/10/2004 01:07:19 PM · #7

calling all super post-processors. please give me some tips on improving these shots.

thanks,
ara

Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC for Canon

12/10/2004 05:49:04 PM · #8

evening bump

adine

Canon EOS-10D

12/10/2004 07:19:14 PM · #9

Hello Ara,

Sorry to take so long - my 13 year old has a school dance tonight and I was playing with your picture but then had to switch my attention to being chauffuer -

I tried two things - first just cropping the picture mostly from the top to bring more attention to the pumpkin. I also blurred the horizon again to draw attention to the pumpkin, but I think it makes it look like the pumpkin is lookingout to the horizon longing to journey on the waves :) I also brightened the whites and the sand

Next I tried tyt2000's idea and selectively desaturated.

Before I desaturated Iplayed with the colors to get the ocean very dark and the sand very light.

edit - I forgot I cloned out the foam in the shadow of the pumpkin and darkened the shadow.

Message edited by author 2004-12-10 19:21:02.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

12/11/2004 05:54:10 PM · #10

wow adine! those are some very cool edits. i tried a selective desat, but it didn't come out at all like yours. i now see the inclusion of the sky/details on the horizon in my crops was probably a mistake.

both of your edits really make the pumpkin stand out - i can see it changes the feel of the shots, but i don't know if i can describe the new feel. thanks for taking the time to work on them. i'm always afraid to blur, but maybe i should learn to use it to isolate subjects better.

thanks again,
ara

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

12/11/2004 10:48:18 PM · #11

I wanted to play with the colors just a bit... see what you think of this:

Original

Color enhanced & cropped

12/12/2004 08:05:51 AM · #12

Originally posted by dwterry:

I wanted to play with the colors just a bit... see what you think of this:

Original Color enhanced & cropped

I like the tighter crop, but the color shift makes me wish I had shot the sky differently... :^) It's cool - makes the shot look like it has post-sunset colors. The change definitely gives a different feel to the pumpkin.

Thanks for the edit!

12/14/2004 12:06:14 PM · #13

Here's one I didn't really look at before.

How do you think it compares to the other two?

maxj

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

12/14/2004 12:18:57 PM · #14

hey, im lovin the shots...i find them very funny.

im home sick from school today...and therefore quite bored, so played around a bit with your shots, hope you dont mind

Message edited by author 2004-12-14 12:23:59.

Prof_Fate

12/14/2004 12:24:04 PM · #15

Originally posted by BikeRacer:

Here's one I didn't really look at before.

How do you think it compares to the other two?

I like the composition on this one much more. Re-crop to move the punkin a bit lower and I think it will be a tad better.

maxj

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

12/14/2004 12:39:43 PM · #16

Originally posted by BikeRacer:

Here's one I didn't really look at before.

How do you think it compares to the other two?

i dont like seaweed...

12/14/2004 07:26:27 PM · #17

Originally posted by maxj:

hey, im lovin the shots...i find them very funny.

im home sick from school today...and therefore quite bored, so played around a bit with your shots, hope you dont mind

don't mind at all. :) i like it. the angle helps refine the weirdness of finding a huge nuclear pumpkin on the beach.

12/14/2004 07:28:26 PM · #18

Originally posted by maxj:

Originally posted by BikeRacer:
Here's one I didn't really look at before.

How do you think it compares to the other two?

i dont like seaweed...

Yeah, I wish the beach had been a little clearer. Nice cloning/healing job.

maxj