Sharing Comments and Criticism..

[havoc315]

Ok have at it. Taken tonight. It's a diet Pepsi can, a picnic table and a pasture. 30s exposure with some light painting on table and bushes.

What is the light in the top corner? Is that the moon? A street light?

Very interesting shot. There are a couple tiny distracting elements you can clone out in Photoshop. There is a yellow something sticking up in the pasture, and a stray glare or something on the far left side of the table. I'd clone those out. I might have also gone just a little wider to get just a tiny bit more room in the foreground.

But I really like it.

 

[TheBigE]

Ok have at it. Taken tonight. It's a diet Pepsi can, a picnic table and a pasture. 30s exposure with some light painting on table and bushes.

Well, this one have me a bit in-between decisions. My end thoughts are largely positive. From a technical standpoint I find it very well done and it has me wondering how it was done. You have given us that it was a 30s exposure, but it also seems like there was some gradients (Filters?)

Composition wise, very nice. I think some color would be nice but not really necessary. I am not sure why the can, some flowers vice the can would really add a nice layer of additional colors. But I think you were going for a bit of "Monotone" colors in this capture.

 

[TheBigE]

Still working through some more photos - this one came out as I wanted....maybe some more PP. To some the grash in the foreground maybe a distraction, but wanted to have the feeling of looking up through the grass. Fire away.

 

[fractal]

Still working through some more photos - this one came out as I wanted....maybe some more PP. To some the grash in the foreground maybe a distraction, but wanted to have the feeling of looking up through the grass. Fire away.

Good exposure, in focus, sharp, great color. the only thing I would do different is change the aspect ratio...

 

[dmaxphil]

Well, this one have me a bit in-between decisions. My end thoughts are largely positive. From a technical standpoint I find it very well done and it has me wondering how it was done. You have given us that it was a 30s exposure, but it also seems like there was some gradients (Filters?)

Composition wise, very nice. I think some color would be nice but not really necessary. I am not sure why the can, some flowers vice the can would really add a nice layer of additional colors. But I think you were going for a bit of "Monotone" colors in this capture.

I appreciate all the comments. I took about 10 shots and this one came out with the fewest problems. I used my cell phone flash light to "paint light" on the table and bushes. Probably 7-10 secs of light on table and a just flash towards bushes. There is the light post on the left side that could be removed, but I was just messing around so didn't put a lot of work into post. Just clarity, exposure, contrast, detail in LR.

I had my D700 listed on Ebay, then doubt sunk in so I ended the listing and immediately took it outside to play. This camera is a tank. Going wider was not really an option as there were distracting lights/objects just outside of the final crop.

 

[havoc315]

Still working through some more photos - this one came out as I wanted....maybe some more PP. To some the grash in the foreground maybe a distraction, but wanted to have the feeling of looking up through the grass. Fire away.

I like like the effect through the grass. Don't love the crop. I'd prefer if you framed it with more of the dinosaur... Head towards the right. At this point, I'd crop it closer in post. The right third of the shot is a bit of wasted space.

 

[havoc315]

Good exposure, in focus, sharp, great color. the only thing I would do different is change the aspect ratio...

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[havoc315]

So comment and criticism on the photoshop efforts with this pic. Dd some object removal, did a significant sharpening mask, another mask to get out some of the noise in the darkness. Before and after.

Chappaqua Station by Adam Brown, on Flickr

DSC_4294-Edit.jpg by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

[dmaxphil]

Here's a new one. Not so much a question of composition critique, but more trying to rank the following shots according to preferred color - and then separately which you feel has the most pleasing overall IQ trying to forget color. I've normalized all images to 3000px wide and these should go 100% if you click on them. I noticed a weird color flare on one, try to ignore that.

This is just an exercise to see if what I like matches what others like, or find pleasing or if I'm on another planet. Again, two separate things here I would say 1st try to rank based on your favorite color look (color, saturation, contrast) and 2nd try to rank based on overall lens/camera IQ. Just a heads up - 3 cameras - 4 lenses

Here goes.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

 

[havoc315]

Have at it:

No skating or swimming by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

[havoc315]

Here's a new one. Not so much a question of composition critique, but more trying to rank the following shots according to preferred color - and then separately which you feel has the most pleasing overall IQ trying to forget color. I've normalized all images to 3000px wide and these should go 100% if you click on them. I noticed a weird color flare on one, try to ignore that.

This is just an exercise to see if what I like matches what others like, or find pleasing or if I'm on another planet. Again, two separate things here I would say 1st try to rank based on your favorite color look (color, saturation, contrast) and 2nd try to rank based on overall lens/camera IQ. Just a heads up - 3 cameras - 4 lenses

Here goes.

I like the very last one

 

[dmaxphil]

Have at it:

No skating or swimming by Adam Brown, on Flickr

I like the composition. I like the contrast between the foreground snow, mid area snow, the tree background and the additional layer of branch overhang. The snow makes the sort of disruptive blurry trees not a bad thing.

Might want to check the processing because the post has a weird sort of glow/fringe thing that I find distracting.

 

[dmaxphil]

I like the very last one

Cool. That was taken with a 105mm Ais lens at f/2.8 with essentially a Fuji Provia film profile.

 

[TheBigE]

So comment and criticism on the photoshop efforts with this pic. Dd some object removal, did a significant sharpening mask, another mask to get out some of the noise in the darkness. Before and after.

Chappaqua Station by Adam Brown, on Flickr

DSC_4294-Edit.jpg by Adam Brown, on Flickr

Overall I say great job on PS work. I notice the state law sign is missing and if I look closely I can see it was Photoshopped out (color variation a touch lighter in rock). However, without knowing the sign was there in the first place I would never had noticed that it was removed. I looked at the EXIF on flicker and saw this was taken at ISO 12,800. I am very impressed with the lack of noise in the original and how well the "rocks" held the sharpening mask that was applied. I always struggle with this high of an ISO and having any luck at sharpening what so ever....care to share your final settings on the PS mask you used for sharpening and NR?

 

[TheBigE]

Here's a new one. Not so much a question of composition critique, but more trying to rank the following shots according to preferred color - and then separately which you feel has the most pleasing overall IQ trying to forget color. I've normalized all images to 3000px wide and these should go 100% if you click on them. I noticed a weird color flare on one, try to ignore that.

This is just an exercise to see if what I like matches what others like, or find pleasing or if I'm on another planet. Again, two separate things here I would say 1st try to rank based on your favorite color look (color, saturation, contrast) and 2nd try to rank based on overall lens/camera IQ. Just a heads up - 3 cameras - 4 lenses

Here goes.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

For me, I find that #3 is the best for Color, Saturation and contrast. I like the "deeper" feeling of the colors in the background. For IQ I would go with 6, it just seems to "pop" a bit more for me. Keep in mind still recovering from eye surgery....

 

[TheBigE]

Have at it:

No skating or swimming by Adam Brown, on Flickr

I like the composition and general feeling of the photo. I think this is a case, going back to a previous discussion, where I would try and pull out some more from the shadows if possible....also not really fond of the tree in the upper left hand corner. Well done.

 

[TheBigE]

So how do you handle a grey and gloomy day? I wish there was a touch of blue in the sky to bring this out...the grey nature of the sky really makes it difficult. I tried putting something in the foreground to give it a bit more UMPH. Fire away

 

[fractal]

Here's a new one. Not so much a question of composition critique, but more trying to rank the following shots according to preferred color - and then separately which you feel has the most pleasing overall IQ trying to forget color. I've normalized all images to 3000px wide and these should go 100% if you click on them. I noticed a weird color flare on one, try to ignore that.

This is just an exercise to see if what I like matches what others like, or find pleasing or if I'm on another planet. Again, two separate things here I would say 1st try to rank based on your favorite color look (color, saturation, contrast) and 2nd try to rank based on overall lens/camera IQ. Just a heads up - 3 cameras - 4 lenses

Here goes.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

from best to least.

6,5,2,1,10,7,8,2,1,9

 

[dmaxphil]

from best to least.

6,5,2,1,10,7,8,2,1,9

Interesting. 2 & 1 on the best and worst list?

 

[havoc315]

So how do you handle a grey and gloomy day? I wish there was a touch of blue in the sky to bring this out...the grey nature of the sky really makes it difficult. I tried putting something in the foreground to give it a bit more UMPH. Fire away

Really like the composition, and but it needs a lot of post-processing work.
I hate those types of skies in landscapes -- and that's what I was stuck with through out Alaska.
So you have a couple choices: You can go the photoshop route, and cut and paste an entirely different sky. Or, make the skies work for you -- Bring down the exposure of just the sky. You can also use a brush in lightroom with Dehaze (though be careful, a little bit goes a long way). This will bring out all the detail in the clouds, make them look foreboding. Meanwhile, increase the exposure of the rest of the image, except the clouds. Add more contrast, and lots of sharpening. Make all the rust and rivets in the bridge really pop. I suck at photoshop masking, but if you know how to build a good mask, it would be the best way to work with the sky as a separate element from the rest of the image. I'd probably just do it with lightroom brushes.

This is really a potentially standout image, with the right post-processing.

The sky in these shots, looked just like your shot, before post-processing:

The Yukon by Adam Brown, on Flickr

The Yukon by Adam Brown, on Flickr