liquor bottles

[Fangs404]

This is my first post here! I've been lurking for the last few days, and I figured I'd make my first post.

I picked up my first camera just about a month and a half ago (an XSi), and I'm still very new to this, but I'm having a blast. This is my first attempt at selective coloring. It's overdone a lot of the time, so my goal here is to be tasteful with it. Critique is gladly appreciated. :)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3374/3475908470_8242641dda_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcfairch/3475908470/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3354/3475907850_6a6879b27d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcfairch/3475907850/)

My only personal complaint is the scuff on the label of the Skyy bottle.

[Flo]

I would have included the purple in the pillow and curtains as well on the CR.but its still simply a bottle shot?
Second, not so much.

Good for the first SC though..maybe play some more on an interesting composition! The more you shoot, the more concepts you come across.

[DerekSimon]

Welcome to POTN to begin with. I will tell you first off that selective color really isn't hot around here per se. Trust me I found it out the hard way haha. Although I do like these I wish there were more too them. I wonder if maybe leaving some product in them next time would help?

I noticed you had a complaint about the scuff on the label of the Skyy bottle and that you Image Editing is OKay light is on so I gave it a really quick run through PS CS4. I didn't change anything else besides using a healing brush to "de-scuff" the bottle. Please keep in mind it was a five minute job so it could actually be better if you spent some time on it.

http://dereksimon.com/IMG2/Sky%20Vodka%20edit.jpg

EDIT:

I forgot to add, maybe next time when you do shots like this, eliminate that bright light from behind. On these it was really blown out and can be distracting.

[Flo]

Selective coloring is such an individual like/dislike/acceptance. In some instances, it actually brings attention to a small but important subject in a busy photo, or in a very simple photo. Used sparingly, it can have a great effect. Like HDR, it can be over/mis used.

Have fun with processing, learn lighting and subject composition instead of SC;) There are great tutorials here and elsewhere, do a search here for most any information you need. I still look at the stickies at the top of the pages.

Welcome to POTN.:D

[Sisyphus]

First photo needs a greater DOF -- the neck and cap are an integral part of the bottle and are out of focus range. The selective color here is okay as an exercise, but the point is lost on me.

Perhaps a greater DOF doesn't matter as much in the second photo, which is more artsy in style. Yet the edges of the bottle are not sharp and lessens the definition of the entire bottle. Perhaps this is the effect you're after. The scuffy label and other assorted marks and dings come across as a bit messy. Derek's PP is an improvement. The bottle set on its side makes me wonder if there's not someone passed out drunk nearby. Heh! But again, maybe this is by design. I guess I'm ambiguous about the use of selective color here -- perhaps it would work better if the bottle produced a cleaner image -- and there is purple in some of the reflection, which detracts from the implementation of selective color.

EDITED TO ADD: I guess the second photo is not really use of selective color as much as it's simply desaturating the background?

[Fangs404]

Awesome critique guys. I had dinner in the oven one day, and I saw the empty bottles and thought they'd make some neat photos.

I agree about the blown out lights behind the bottles, particularly in the case of the Crown bottle. I've gotta be more aware of my lighting next time.

Derek, thanks for the Photoshop idea. I've used the dirt removal tool in Lightroom (which I think accomplishes essentially the same thing), but I didn't think about using it. I'm still new to the processing also, so I have a lot to learn.

Thanks for the critique! I'm really glad I joined here. :)

[Fangs404]

Quick question. Should this thread have been posted in http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=31 instead? I'm not entirely clear what the difference between critiques and the specific art-style forums is.

[Sisyphus]

I find that criticism tends to be more forthright, even brutal here -- and more thorough. At least generally, as that is the purpose of Critique Corner, as I understand it. There is some crossover, but other forums are probably better if you mainly want to ooh and ah over each other's photos.

[Flo]

Quick question. Should this thread have been posted in http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=31 instead? I'm not entirely clear what the difference between critiques and the specific art-style forums is.

I wouldn't exactly call these Art styles yet? Here is where one would hope to learn from the critque and then learn what they are doing before posting in a specific forum. Then again, almost all the newbies cross post to see what folks will say:confused:

When you post in another forum, you aren't asking for C&C, you are simply posting for viewing.( Unless you ask for C&C)

[DerekSimon]

I agree with Flo, by posting here first, you learn how to walk before you run.

[Fangs404]

Sounds great. I'm definitely here for critique. :)

[mritchy]

Not a huge fan of spot coloring, but I can see why you would wat to. If you were going to do it, I would have done it to the whole Crown label instead of just the red. As far as the Skyy, it seems cropped too tight. I would have zoomed out a bit, I think it would look less soft. Great concept though!