Sapha

[Stoneh]

This picture is one of my favs, I like how the grass has turned out. The dress, background and the light shows its summertime!!
Any comments/suggestions welcome

http://www.dialasif.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Pages/10D/Sapha_1279small.jpg

[slejhamer]

This is my kind of shot, Stoneh. I love the softness, the diffusion, the post-processing work.

My only suggestion would be a different shooting angle so that you could avoid the big blownout white space in the background. Otherwise it's very well done.

[pappy]

This is brilliant stoneh. As slejhamer says, the softness of this image is tremendous. Very well done.

regards,
peter

[Radtech1]

I agree with the concern on the blown out area. Perhaps you could clone some more of that background from a differnt photo. On this one, I cloned it to another layer, set it a 50% opacity, and the deleted out your white area so the layer would show through.

If you have a shot that has a farmhouse in the background, that would make a great addition for that spot.

Radtech1

http://users.adelphia.net/~radtech1/Photos/Sapha_1279small.jpg

[eland]

We are getting to know your two lovely kids quite well.

Aside from what has been said and shown, with which one must agree, if you had crouched no more than 12 inches,
you would have had Sapha's head and shoulders against
the dark background.

Mitch's doors, fuzzed up and sepia toned would fill the
white area very well.

eland

[RedShoesGirl]

eland wrote:
We are getting to know your two lovely kids quite well.

Aside from what has been said and shown, with which one must agree, if you had crouched no more than 12 inches,
you would have had Sapha's head and shoulders against
the dark background.

Mitch's doors, fuzzed up and sepia toned would fill the
white area very well.

eland


I agree with the crouching idea, but don't like the idea of cloning/layering another image in behind.

Maybe it is my documentary/news background, but I think to progress as PHOTOGRAPHERS one must learn how to create images in the camera first and then learn to tweak them in PhotoShop to their best advantage. To just take another image and plop it in that white space seems lazy.

Less than perfect shots are going to happen - a lot - so learning from those mistakes to create better images is the key to becoming a better photographer. It is too easy to just accept it and then fix it in the computer. That doesn't teach anything.

My 2 pesos worth

RSG

[mpaul73]

Very good indeed. I prefer the blown out area to be left rather then unconvincingly retouched.

regards
Martin.

[Stoneh]

Thanks for your comments, I agree about the blown out part and also that if i crouched down a little it would have been better. I guess its part of teh learning process.

I think Radtech1's pic does work.

Many thanks for the feedback

[ajax]

I sooo enjoy the photos of your children...I especially like your post-processing work.

I like the white spot better...it looks a bit ethereal and seems to work with the photo.

[Conk]

I agree with the crouching idea, but don't like the idea of cloning/layering another image in behind.

Maybe it is my documentary/news background, but I think to progress as PHOTOGRAPHERS one must learn how to create images in the camera first and then learn to tweak them in PhotoShop to their best advantage. To just take another image and plop it in that white space seems lazy.

Less than perfect shots are going to happen - a lot - so learning from those mistakes to create better images is the key to becoming a better photographer. It is too easy to just accept it and then fix it in the computer. That doesn't teach anything.

My 2 pesos worth

RSG


I agree with you with the idea of learning from our mistakes however you can still fix a photo that might otherwise end up in the deleted folder and learn at the same time.
We have the tools in this digital age, why not use them?
Personally I don't see the photographers ability as being any less if he has the resources to repair a photo.
You say it seems lazy. I suppose the guy working in his darkroom manipulating photos there is also lazy?

As far as the photo at hand goes I love it. I also like the idea of cloning in the overexposed area.
Frontal lighting is the most difficult to photograph in for anyone.
I might even burn in the area on her shoulder that is over exposed. Then again you could just airbrush it in the lab.

[rblissett]

I really enjoy looking at this photo. The expression on the young girls face seems so natural (not posed), and really gave me the feeling of wonder as to what has captured her attention in that way.

I've said this to very few shots (and I don't just mean in this forum), but this is an excellent picture.

Rob

[new girl on the bloc]

i really appreciate the asthetics of this photo. it looks nearly antique, and i think that it is great just the way it is. my eyes did not stray from the child's face towards the white space so it works for me.

[tenerife]

First - for me the first one is great... compliment....
this photo goes his own way, i see a different view in the eye of the protographer..

And RSG says we have to think about the photo on the shooting - not to think Photoshop can do a better work....

As a 6/7 medium Photograph -for many Years i go agree with here - the Photo has to be perfect by the shooting....
Photoshop is only there for little.......................

Regards from tenerife
Klaus

[RedShoesGirl]

conk wrote:

I agree with you with the idea of learning from our mistakes however you can still fix a photo that might otherwise end up in the deleted folder and learn at the same time.
We have the tools in this digital age, why not use them?
Personally I don't see the photographers ability as being any less if he has the resources to repair a photo.
You say it seems lazy. I suppose the guy working in his darkroom manipulating photos there is also lazy?

As far as the photo at hand goes I love it. I also like the idea of cloning in the overexposed area.
Frontal lighting is the most difficult to photograph in for anyone.
I might even burn in the area on her shoulder that is over exposed. Then again you could just airbrush it in the lab.


The guy or girl in the darkroom was not cloning in other images to fix a composition mistake. They were doging and burning in highlight and shadow areas and adjusting contrast. That is about it! We were SO limited.

I am not suggesting that the image go in the deleted folder. The expression on the little girl's face is wonderful.

But instead of working so hard to clone in a background to make a flawed image less flawed is to me a waste of time when the photographer could be out shooting more, learning from his mistakes to create a better image in camera.

This is like all the shots we took as beginners that went to the one hour place for processing and then into the family albums. Not perfect but hey, they are family and worth saving for that reason.

As for airbrushing, I never did any airbrushing in the lab, that was a whole different industry in the "olden days". :) We didn't do that in the darkroom.

RSG

[new girl on the bloc]

i agree (re this discussion on taking the perfect photo vs. doctoring it up w/software) with both sides.

obviously, we all want to take well composed artistic photos, but at times we are limited by the circumstances. it is in these times that we can artfully apply techniques to take the photo to it's full potential.

as an example, i recently got together with my family. it was the first time that we had all been together in many years. after looking for the best spot in the yard on a sunny hot day i set up a tripod and took a few family photos, which turned out pretty darn good. but there was a bit of road on one end of the photo that was unavoidable (my family is huge) but it was in the way. so i cloned a bit of the grass that was next to the road and now the photo is great! this i think is the value of software.

[ryuwulf]

Nice pic.

[RedShoesGirl]

...but there was a bit of road on one end of the photo that was unavoidable (my family is huge) but it was in the way. so i cloned a bit of the grass that was next to the road and now the photo is great! this i think is the value of software.

I agree with you in this instance.

RSG

[marie]

http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?UV=998508689358_96311158903&rand=0.1586805713636294&photoid=97032158903&collid=18032158903


http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?collid=18032158903&photoid=54692158903&UV=998508689358_96311158903&refreshkey=1059863990456

I just loved the picture of your beautiful daughter stoneh.
her hair dressed so beautifully like it, is perfect for the shot

these were two versions I played around with ,
the white blob is a 'tiny ' bit distracting (to me)

hope that you don't mind.
you probably have done all kinds of everything yourself
in trying to get the best of your shot.... which is already beautiful

she looks to be a very wise
and is, a lovely looking young lady .

:)

best wishes
marie

ps
make no mistake
I prefer your shot by far , its beautiful.
these are just ....

[Stoneh]

I liked the spectrum image Marie.

Thanks for everyone who replied, and very useful advice too.

My side of the argument is that we are in a world of Digital, and creating effects on a "Normal" image to make it artistic or even surreal is nothing wrong. it strokes the imagination.

Sometimes, esp with kids, its very difficult to pose or even compose a shot perfectly as they might move and the pic would not have the impact you wanted, this picture would you believe was taken without any planning or posing.

A good debate by everyone involved which is a credit to the forum.

Many thanks once again. I have a wonderful image of her which I took yesterday, I might post it later.