Serious Post Production Critique Please

[drewpigpen]

I know this isn't a loved topic. I myself find alot of post production work to be cheating. but when you are limited in time and pro studio you have to deal with what you have.

I really love the look of High End Jewelry photography (Shot on Black Plexy for the super nice reflection) for the photoshoot for this Rockford Fosgate show car i wanted to do the same, but lacked the studio to produce it. The final image was created with bracketed shots. the before shot shown is the Brightest of the 3. Needless to say lots of post work went into it. Not an Ideal place to shoot (Reflection Hell) But being in Phoenix, AZ durring the summer shooting anywhere inside is always a plus. Let me know what you think.

~Drew

[steveathome]

Maybe a tad too dark for the car but otherwise excellent.

[Jonathan H]

Agreed, I'd bring up your mid-tone levels a bit. It didn't look like a proper exposure until i brought up my backlight on my display to the max level and dimmed the lights in the room.

That having been said... wow! I could never have done that in a million years. Fantastic PP!

[Reeforbust]

This is an excellent job.....Really nice work!

After joining this forum (and others) and seeing all the post processing and tricks, I find it really hard to look in a magazine, see a great picture and believe it was taken "as is". Seems like everything now days is an altered version of the truth......I'm just spewing, don't mean anything bad by this.
Even reality TV is scripted and cut to make it better.

[drewpigpen]

This is an excellent job.....Really nice work!

After joining this forum (and others) and seeing all the post processing and tricks, I find it really hard to look in a magazine, see a great picture and believe it was taken "as is". Seems like everything now days is an altered version of the truth......I'm just spewing, don't mean anything bad by this.
Even reality TV is scripted and cut to make it better.


I couldn't agree with you more! I find myself nowadays looking in magazines trying to find out which is real and what is doctored. I have been in the design industry for about 15 years now so that's where the doctoring comes in. I always get bad photos that need touched. I have mainly kept photography as a hobby. but now i'm getting alot more photo work. and without the money to spend on proper lighting i have to make due with what i have. I started with getting a 1Ds Mark II and that killed my bank roll!!! GREAT camera though. well worth it! Thanks for the input!

[Reeforbust]

I couldn't agree with you more! I find myself nowadays looking in magazines trying to find out which is real and what is doctored. I have been in the design industry for about 15 years now so that's where the doctoring comes in. I always get bad photos that need touched. I have mainly kept photography as a hobby. but now i'm getting alot more photo work. and without the money to spend on proper lighting i have to make due with what i have. I started with getting a 1Ds Mark II and that killed my bank roll!!! GREAT camera though. well worth it! Thanks for the input!


Even with a big budget, it seems you HAVE to do a lot of PP just to make your pics "perfect", especially if your in it for the money because if you don't, the next guy will. The digital world is taking over TV and movies too.....It's just hard to tell what is real anymore.

I totally love your photo and would Kill to be able to control my editing program like you do, so believe me, you have an awesome talent in both photography And Editing!!;)

[RedHot]

It's slightly dark, I would bright it a little. And you should remove the reflection of the car on the floor. It distracts from the car itself.

[khnordeen]

i have to agree with everything RedHot said. awesome work, just a tad bit dark. and while the reflection is a cool effect, it is a little distracting.

[Croasdail]

Absolutely and totally disagree with the preceding two comments. Love the ominous mood and the reflection.... I would keep it.

[kevindar]

slightly dark for me too.

[drewpigpen]

Absolutely and totally disagree with the preceding two comments. Love the ominous mood and the reflection.... I would keep it.

Thank You!!! Ominous is exactly what i was going for! like the super high-end jewelry ads that are shot on black plexy.

I do appreciate all the other comments. it is dark, I fully agree. but I think thats what makes it classy yet mysterious at the same time.

[adam8080]

You have already heard that it's too dark, and I agree. Try bumping up the saturation a bit and try to bring out a little more red in that tail light. I think that would make it pop a little more. I'd also crop it a little closer, but that all depends on what you are going to do with the picture later.

[CelticRavenVA]

While not a classic picture, and perhaps not a finished product, this is where breaking many of the classic rules of exposure has payed off in my opinion. Dark, sleek, mysterious, and powerful, is what this photo screams.

If you want this to stand on its own, crop a bit tighter, there is a large amount of black area around the car.