Underneath

This tire was in the middle of the Bayshore in Redwood City. Sometimes the drought makes us see what is burried underneath ....

This is a shot with my Canon Rebel. For this one I used the Canon 75-300mm USM IS. I am pretty happy with the f-stop, but still very frustrated with the softness ...
The exif info is posted under the comments tab on my personal website.
All suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

I have no idea what that means to be happy with the f-stop. I am also very curious when someone expresses concern about the "softness". If they were bolting the camera down in the lab and shooting a resolution target and not getting numbers that compare with those taken by professionals who make their living in scientific testing, then I would find it worth worrying about. Otherwise, no! There are too many things like not being on a tripod, or not focusing correctly or having direct rays of the sun hitting the lens or the subject being in motion, etc., etc. - any of which can lead to "softness".

Anyway, back to your image. It is nicely composed and has a full range of tones for a low key picture. Perhaps the only thing negative is the subject itself, which as you say, makes one wonder what all lies beneath the surface.

Nicely done!

If by f-stop you mean to say you are happy with the depth of field- I think it is good too. As for softness- it looks okay to me, but if you want it sharper, use unsharp mask. It's a nice shot, well composed, but doesn't really "grab" my attention.

The usual curves tweak and sharpening does improve the shot. I have done one if you would like to see. Probably best if you change your signature/avatar to reflect that you don't mind edits though. Unless of course, you do.

Graham

I would love to see your edition. I looked for the option you suggested but didn't find it. Could you please educate me as to how I can authorize editions?
Thanks in advance.
Califfoto

Hi,

It's user CP and edit profile.

Here you go. Helps a bit.

Graham

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Woah...
This is amazing. Would you mind sharing how you did this? I have photoshop CS and use one of Fredmiranda's plugins to sharpen. Are there any specific readings that I should use with the Unsharp Mask function?
Thanks a lot

I use FM plug-ins for sharpening. I used the medium one. Before that I just used the curves dialogue box. It alters as you fiddle, so have a go. I basically made a bit of an 's' curve, where I put a point about a third of the way up and dragged down to lighten the highlights and the same, but opposite on the shadows. It basically adds contrast. The sharpening does have a slight contrasting effect too.

The major drawback with the shot is the amount of mid-grey in the background. Other than that, it seems to work for most shots that people post. I think a lot of shooters are unaware of how good their shots can be with just a little help from photoshop. It still needs a bit of vision in the shooting though!

Graham

Thanks so much Graham for the edit and all your guidance that I will try to apply to my future shots. I've recently started to play around with a couple of rangefinders (Voighlander Bessa L and Canonet QL17 GIII ).
I have the feeling that I'll be using your technique with these shots quite often.
I'd love to have your comments on these shots (HERE)

Hi,

I think you mistake me for a photographer!

I have a camera and know my way around photoshop, but feel ill equipped to be able to comment on a body of work.

If there is no point of reference in a shot (for example a face), then it is preferable to achieve as wide a gamut of shades as is possible. There ends my philosophy! Your shot was slighly compressed in the grey area and was improved by adding a little more contrast. You can go as far as the whites retain any significant detail and the shadows don't fill in.

The sharpening will add a little too.

Hope you have a play and see if you can tease a little more out of some of your shots.

Thanks for the comments though, it is very satisfying to think that I may have given someone a little help along the way.

Enjoy your photography.

Graham

nb I had a quick look and think you have a lot going for you.