Is this worth spending the time on?

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

01/28/2008 10:07:31 PM · #1

I am having a bit of a sort out of photos. I came across this photo I took when we first got our digital camera in Mar 2005.
I had no idea what I was doing or how much I would come to enjoy photography!

Do you think this can be rescued? Would it be worth spending time on it and what do you recommennd I do to it?

awpollard

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

01/28/2008 10:12:06 PM · #2

That clean up thing is scary isn't it? Recently I have deleted 1,000+ shots off my hard disk...

It is a cool shot Joy, but what direction do you see it going? Soft and Warm, or keeping it dark and mysterious?

ED: Typo of course.

Message edited by author 2008-01-28 22:12:43.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/28/2008 10:17:19 PM · #3

Yes I am making most of the summer holidays and having a good sort out. I have deleted 100s with much more to come! Its quite funny to go through old photos and wonder why on earth I kept that!
Im not sure where to go with processing. Obviously the fact that some of her face is cropped out is not good so I am wondering to go with creative cropping which i think would suit dark and mysterious but I dont think a 4 year old necessarily suits dark and mysterious processing.
LOL I dont know!!

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

01/28/2008 10:17:38 PM · #4

Rescued? From what...? It's an adorable picture of a little girl. Probably something you'll remember and cherish for a long time. I don't think anything needs to be done to it to "rescue" it.

Now, if you're planning to submit that photo into a challenge here on DPC, then you're taking it out of the realm of "memories" and what you hold dear, and you're going to try to introduce it to someone else and get them to like it. So you have some work ahead of you. A little, or a lot, depending on (as already mentioned), what "direction" you want to take the photo in.

But for me, if this was a photo of my daughter, I would easily call it a "keeper" and do nothing more to it.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/28/2008 10:26:24 PM · #5

David even for a snapshot do you think its a bit dark? I feel like it needs lightening or something!

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

01/28/2008 10:31:22 PM · #6

I like the usage of side lighting to show her 3 dimensional form. I don't know how you did it, but photographers spend big bucks to do that kind of lighting with off-camera flashes and strobes.

Is it a little dark? Yeah, a little... You could maybe lighten up the shadow side of her face a wee bit. But I wouldn't do it a lot or you'll lose the 3-D aspect of the image. About the only area I might concentrate on would be making her dark eye just a bit more visible, and possibly cloning out the hair that is in front of her eye.

Dseale

Sony Alpha a7 III

Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f1.8 ZA

01/28/2008 10:31:52 PM · #7

I think this would look great in B&W.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

01/28/2008 10:34:19 PM · #8

Originally posted by dwterry:

LOl trust me the side lighting was pure luck and by accident I knew nothing about photography then I was just snap happy!

Quasimojo

Canon EOS-30D

01/28/2008 10:44:10 PM · #9

I reckon you could quite easily handle the exposure issues with a couple of different exposure layers. I'm not so sure about the focus though...seems pretty soft to me but maybe some usm could work wonders, maybe a duotone conversion. You can experiment with burning out the light parts of the background, and maybe either dodging or burning her shirt to help provide better contrast and tonal range.

I'd give it a go myself but it's late here..maybe tomorrow...

N

CEJ

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

01/28/2008 10:45:26 PM · #10

bust post

Message edited by author 2008-01-30 15:59:37.

JamesKW

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

01/28/2008 10:57:00 PM · #11

[thumb]639524[/thumb]

A quick edit.

[thumb]639531[/thumb]

Tried to get rid of the red and make the skin tones a little more natural. Did not mess with much else.

Message edited by author 2008-01-28 23:12:51.

Quasimojo

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

01/28/2008 10:59:23 PM · #12

I couldn't help myself :)

colour: (still too red...but lots of options there)

[thumb]639526[/thumb]

b&w:

[thumb]639527[/thumb]

N

Message edited by author 2008-01-28 23:02:30.

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Nikon

01/28/2008 11:58:55 PM · #13

Thanks all that posted it seems I should spend some time to try and improve this :)
Any other thoughts?

zxaar

01/29/2008 12:07:53 AM · #14

Originally posted by joynim:

I think this has lots of potential. I would like to spend some time with it in evening lets see if someone good comes out of this.

/Arjun

Dantzr

Pentax K-x

01/29/2008 12:40:53 AM · #15

You know... I think I would just leave it the way it is. If you simply HAVE to do something, maybe the hair over the right eye could take a powder, but otherwise, I think it is a wonderful photograph that is memorable, joyous, and emotion-filled just exactly the way it is. There is an innocence in both the subject and the photographer that makes it a gem.

I have looked at what the others have done here (you really wouldn't want to see what I would do with it....really wouldn't! :) I really suck at post processing) and although all of them are great enhancements being done on the fly and all, the initial feeling leaves...at least to me...when you move away from the original.

My suggestion...blow it up to 8x10, double-matte it, put it into a light wood 11x14 frame and hang it on the wall. It is gorgeous!

Greetmir

Nikon D60

01/29/2008 12:49:43 AM · #16

I agree with Mike ... just because you did not do anything with it does not mean something should be done. You talk about inexperience ... I would take this image as a happy accident, then, and fly with it ... I also think it is super as it is.

Edited to add ... if you MUST do something to make it more perfect ... I would clone out the two distracting highlights in her hair above her forehead and add the TINIEST touch of USM.

Secondly ... if you want to know how to make young girls gorgeous, I suggest you get Judi's attention regarding this photo and she is always willing to give out free advice and an obvious superstar at young girl photography as witnessed by her amazing photos of her daughter.

Message edited by author 2008-01-29 00:55:13.

Dantzr

Pentax K-x

01/29/2008 02:35:49 AM · #17

I so definitely agree with

Greetmir, you should PM

Judi and get her opinion. She is almost constantly putting up the best child photography i have seen here. Many here have good, or maybe even better shots...but Judi is the absolute most consistent.

zxaar

01/29/2008 06:26:01 AM · #18

[thumb]639609[/thumb]

How about this version.

Greetmir

Nikon D60

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Nikon

01/29/2008 09:09:21 AM · #19

I like Arjun's tighter crop too. It makes it a bit more dynamic. (Maybe just a hair less off the top? ... pun intended ... to bring her eyes into the "rule of thirds" line?)