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Discussion Board -> Request for Comment -> Before The Chop

Before The Chop

::LynEve
01/15/07 10:14 AM GMT
I am sifting through my gallery with a view to deleting some pictures. Before these two low scoring ones might join the pile I would appreciate some input as to where I went wrong. Personally I quite like both of them, but I am slightly biased lol. Is it the quality? The composition? or are they just plain boring?
Don't be afraid to be harsh, I no longer cry about my failures :)

Windy Day

On Reflection
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The question is not what you look at, but what you see ~ Marcel Proust

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::third_eye
01/15/07 12:05 AM GMT
did, and done :o)
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Hi,my name is Rob..ok, so I'm not the greatest at replies and comments. Sorry. For anyone needing to contact me, my email is back up in my profile. >> my cluttered mess of a gallery
::LynEve
01/15/07 12:21 AM GMT
Thanks Rob.
Not one tear :)
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The question is not what you look at, but what you see ~ Marcel Proust
.Canuck_Photo_Guy
01/15/07 4:55 PM GMT
Done! Hopefully they helped :)
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"To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
::LynEve
01/15/07 8:32 PM GMT
Rob, C PG & Keith, Your thoughts have been most helpful - thanks so much for taking the time :)

Keith's comment - "step over that line and MAKE the occasional picture .. instead of just TAKE pictures " Well I do try, honest, and in that Windy Day picture my intention was to capture the wind blown grasses and the ripples on the water caused by the wind. As for post work, sometimes I spend literally hours with PSP, sometimes it works, sometimes not but I have a techical block when it comes to altering just a part of a pic, - but I will keep trying. It seems the more I try to 'compose' a scene the less good it turns out. My most downloaded picture Punakaiki Coast was a quick click as I almost fell to my death :)
Perhaps I should place myself in danger more often lol.

As you all seem to have similar opinions I will add WD to the scrap heap (small sob). The reflection one is being attended to by a well known photo surgeon and I look forward to seeing the improved version :)
Your help is most appreciated. A year ago before I came here I had never taken a photo that wasnt just a record of a family occassion so I realize I do have a great deal to learn. If learning by mistakes is the way to go before long I will be an expert lololol

Now CPG- I am just of to search google to find out what a 'polarising circular filter' is - it sounds like something for a coffee machine.

Just as an aside, one of my latest flower pics, Inner Glow- I spent time setting up the flower, took about 12 shots and then spent a couple of hours messing in PSP with it to get the effect I wanted - and it has dive bombed, a miserable failure scorewise but satisfying to myself that I did, in the end, get the effect I wanted.



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The question is not what you look at, but what you see ~ Marcel Proust
.noahnott
01/15/07 9:16 PM GMT
If PSP has a gradient tool:

1) make a blank layer
2) fill it with a gradient (black to to transparent) top to bottom.
3) change the layer blend mode (whatever it's called) from normal to 'soft light'. You might want to also try playing with the opaqueness of the layer.

That should make the top of the image darker, as if you were using a gradient ND filter. I'm not sure if PSP can do this though.

As for a polarizing filter, it reduces the reflections off things. It takes away the glare on water, makes the sky more saturated, and it also lenthens your exposure time.

Gradient Neutral Density filters are also pretty neat, because they make the sky darker so you dont see that glare comming from the sky. :-S ...it also makes for longer exposed shots.
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::LynEve
01/15/07 10:19 PM GMT
Noah - I am stuck on #1 - say the word layer and I go blank but I intend to rectify that. I have a gradient sky filter plugin which I sometimes use but the results often look very artificial.
I do have Photo Shop but it scares the daylights out of me.
I dont understand the Raster, Vector, Mask and Adjustment layer options, which tells you how dumb I am.
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The question is not what you look at, but what you see ~ Marcel Proust
&KEIFER
01/16/07 1:20 AM GMT
neither do i ... O_o
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*---===>>>>>(¯`·._(¯`·._.: :o) <---- OBLIGATORY SMILEY :._.·´¯)_.·´¯)<<<<<===---*
.Canuck_Photo_Guy
01/16/07 3:52 AM GMT
Don't be scared of it, if you're afraid of accidently overwriting a photo make a copy of it, then you can go to town on the copy and won't have to worry.
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"To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
::LynEve
01/16/07 10:50 AM GMT
Ok I did a bit of work on On Reflection
. If any of you would be kind enough to have a look and tell me what you think?
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The question is not what you look at, but what you see ~ Marcel Proust
.Canuck_Photo_Guy
01/16/07 3:37 PM GMT
That looks way better! Good job on adding color and detail to the trees on either side and the clump of grass on the right. I really like what you've done with it. It does seem a bit bright to my eyes though. I wonder how a dark green gradient with the blending mode set to overlay would look? If you make a new layer then drag a gradient from the top to about half way through the water, that should do the trick. If it's too green you could change the opacity of that new layer to suit.

*edit* my bad, noah already suggested how to do this
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"To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
.noahnott
01/16/07 11:23 PM GMT
not really, you said a green gradient (which i thought was interesting b/c i've never tried) rather than a blk gradient. I wonder if using green works better...
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When is 2+2, 5? Oh Oh! I know! When the answer is WRONG!
::LynEve
01/17/07 2:48 AM GMT
HERE is a link to the improved version of On Reflection kindly done by Rob of the third_eye

I am delighted with the results and see it as a lesson in how a picture can be improved when you know how :) and now I can see how much was lacking in my original.

Noah - your rework on the other picture is great - looks sooo spooky :)I will leave the original in the meantime.

BTW everyone I have deleted about 10 pictures :)
:(
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The question is not what you look at, but what you see ~ Marcel Proust

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