Feedback Request - 1 fire art shot. 1 welding shot

[msilvey]

Hey Folks,

I'm starting to run into a wall about what to do with some of the photos I'm working on and need critique and ideas. These are two of my favorite images lately.

Camera/lens info: Canon 20d, 17-85IS USM lens.

The first is one of someone working with a MIG welder. The light is from an open bay door, at sunset, and passed through a welding screen. I ran this through PS and did a burn to accentuate the color a bit. I'd like to find a way to accentuate the MIG gun but I'm not sure if it's possible or not.
ISO 200, F/10, 1/80s @ 85mm

The second is of a sculpture in a nightclub-like space. The piece is a flower constructed of a carbon fiber with a flame element in the middle. The blues and purples come from an external light. I've tried to brighten the light streaming through the fabric.
ISO 1600, F/9, 1/15s @ 85mm

[Lightworks Imaging]

I'm a welder by trade, and I see that photographing a good dramatic welding shot is a matter of excellent timing. I think that in post you might lighten up the background to give more detail, but that may detract from the intended focal point of the image. The fire shot is another tough gig to get the exposure correct. That shot seems dark and kind of tries to be too many things at once. These types of shots give me much stress, due to the point light souce being the subject.

[msilvey]

Thanks for the feedback! I've been shooting a lot of welding lately and I definitely agree on the timing aspect. Can you explain a bit more about "stress due to the light source being the subject?" Not sure I get what you are saying.

[Lightworks Imaging]

Sure, I have a VERY difficult time from a technical standpoint when I shoot anything where the subject is a point of light in the photograph. I spend too many hours in PP trying to get everything just right and in the end I end up settling for a compromise. Usually, in my efforts to keep the intensely light main subject I have to sacrifice some of the details in the background. I'm fairly sure this is a testament to my lack of skill and experience, not other excuse.

[msilvey]

Gotcha, I'm in the same boat!

[F4 Cyborg]

try working with layers. PS's greatest asset is Layer's, a bit daunting to learn at first but once you get the hang of it you will see "the light". Layers, magic brush, filters and the ability to adjust each layers Opacity and Fill, with the add and remove brush at it,s opacity and flow, along with brush shapes and sizes.
Theres a lot of and's in the above wording, just as there is always an and I could add this and that and shade it this way and that.
Photoshop is not a cure all for bad photography, but it is a enhance all for photography taken for artistic editing.
I hear people scream all the time, if you have to photoshop it, you didn't get it right.
DSLR's are mini computers doing what we program them to do, editing that program is as normal as breathing.
A. Adams would spend hour's and Day's working on one photograph, dodging burning, pushing pulling.
I don't see anyone telling him he didn't get it right, in camera.
Yep cameras of today are different than one's of yesterday, that the total point.
Darn I've had way to much coffee, I like the burning flower by the way.
The welder, take another piece of metal and put it behind the upper seam, out of sight, something you can't see in frame close enough to the working section but not part of. crank up the juice to ever emphasize the arc and sparks.
Just an Idea.
Cheating to get the mood across is an artist's best weapon. Addicting as it will cause one to think, Hey I can shot it this way, cause I can make it do that in PS.