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03/28/2006 03:21:54 PM · #1 |
Hi all,
I've been floating around here for a while now and finally found time to work on an image. This is my first one uploaded anywhere that I'm asking for a critique for. Let 'er rip! Do what you guys do best! :)
Thanks in advance,
Nam
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03/28/2006 03:26:27 PM · #2 |
| I like the contrast but (since I mainly do portraits), for me it just looks like something or someone is missing. The focus is a little softer than I would like but that may have happend when you resized the photo. I get told that about my pictures all the time. I can see the rain hitting the road, but i think that the photo would improve if the fire hydrant was sharp tack focus, since it seems to be the subject. |
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03/28/2006 03:57:23 PM · #3 |
Matmaing
I guess Mandy summed it up. What exactly is the focus of this image? It isn't clear to me so I wonder if really had it nailed when you took it.
I find the pole to the left and black object very distracting (try cloning them out). I played around with it a little and it works, for me at least, better as a square crop with that stuff cloned out. I really like the hydrant reflection (oddly enough beter seen in a thumbnail!) but if thats what you were trying to major on your view point could have been a tad higher.
The idea has great potential but I feel you'd be better off finding that perfect hydrant (lets face it you have a few to choose from) and then simply waiting for that perfect moment during/after the rain when the light is better.
HTHs David
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03/28/2006 04:04:44 PM · #4 |
I concur...also the focus does seem a bit soft, if this was your intention then you've done great and don't touch it. However if your original large size image looks clear and sharp (especially the hydrant) then you have lost some detail in the resizing and saving.
I don't know your work process or available software so I'm just going off the cuff here and could be incorrect...(I'm married so I'm used to being wrong). Do all your editing of colors, hues, contrast etc while the image is still full size. When you have it looking the way you want then resize or crop it. After you have it to the size you want apply small amounts of Unsharp mask (USM) filter. This will bring back some of the detail and snap to it. Try it in small amounts to the entire image so that you don't go over board. Then when you save it make sure you don't over write your original (I know duh) and watch your amount of compression.
Good luck, I think b/w's are awesome and with the rain it certainly puts a different feel to it.
Message edited by author 2006-03-28 16:05:20.
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03/28/2006 05:19:33 PM · #5 |
| If it were mine I would burn the hydrant to get some more detail as it is very close to blown, and burn the upper right corner reflections to keep the eye from running off the page. Another round of sharpening to bring up the raindrops on an isolation layer would be warranted too. |
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03/28/2006 05:45:16 PM · #6 |
Thank you very much for the comments. Like I said, this was the first image I've completed from camera to "Save As..." and, more than anything, it was just a study of the process. It wasn't so much of a "this is a great moment and I have something to say" image but more of a "think about composition, contrast, balance, etc." image.
Your comments here have echoed what I've heard from around the office:
-something is missing
-contrast is good
-not sure what you're saying
-what is the subject
The soft focus wasn't intentional and did notice that for the final image but I can't remember if that's how my RAW looked.
Anyway, I'll touch on some of the comments here, if I may...
Mandy: To be honest, I guess I'm not sure of what the subject is either. I thought it was the hydrant but that doesn't seem to be coming across. I tried messing around with the contrast/saturation to bring out the hydrant a little more but it was getting overblown so I brought it back to a point where I could see details on it still - and this is the end result. My coworker was saying that maybe if there was some other object - like trash, a branch, or something - to balance the right side out a bit then it would bring focus to either the hydrant more or even the curb.
David: Would you happen to have that square crop you mentioned? I was thinking about that during my process as there was about another inch on the leftside of the image. I left as much as I did in because I felt that the contrast would be a bit flat without it. But, I'd like to compare that with the crop...actually, the clone that you did.
Scott: I have Photoshop 7.0 and I'm pretty comfortable with it...it's just post-processing that I'm a bit willy nilly with. I'm pretty sure I worked mainly with the original (actually, copy of the original :) ) but can't really remember at this point. Everthing's guess-and-check at this point. I'll keep your suggestions in mind for my next picture and see if it helps with the "creative process" a bit more.
Thanks again!
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03/28/2006 05:49:35 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by BrennanOB:
If it were mine I would burn the hydrant to get some more detail as it is very close to blown, and burn the upper right corner reflections to keep the eye from running off the page. Another round of sharpening to bring up the raindrops on an isolation layer would be warranted too. |
Good point. I hadn't noticed that the image goes from darker to lighter, left to right. I'm going to try to add a border to see if changes the composition of the image a tad. Thank you! :)
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03/28/2006 05:56:47 PM · #8 |
| I think it would be a litle better it the hydrant was a different color....and i run in to the same problem with the focus being to soft... i like the picture. |
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06/06/2006 07:45:36 AM · #9 |
Batmaing
Sorry but I didn't keep anything.
Glad you see teh opportunities.
regards
David |
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