All points taken and big thank you for prompting me to start some pp. (no pixel peeping, I just used the simple clone tool in Faststone). It is interesting how much that pipe actually distracted one's view. Once removed, flipping between the two versions, it is difficult to not have it dominate the pic. Even now the lighter left frame catches the eye, but I didn't want to crop any more bcoz he is getting off centre.
April 19, 2023
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Good work! Now you are starting to "see" like an artist! That is a tricky spot to work a repair even with photoshop, which is the industry standard for such things. If you think you need to try a more advanced toolset with photoshop level tools, just ask and we will help you find a free one to experiment with. Post processing is a part of the whole process. Some people love it, and others despise it but it's sometimes the difference between a keeper and a discard.
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Minniev your encouragement is worth a lot to me, thanks heaps. I have had Rawtherapee installed for a month or so and had started a tutorial but got distracted. I am software savvy and understand the basics of photography but it is a big jump into pp - a lot to learn for an older mind that just wants to take it easy and have a simple life... I have done plenty of image editing in my time but never photos. Today was a good start on a photo using a simple set of tools. I have the confidence now to just take it step by step and learn each tool as needed. Thanks again.
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For myself I would still crop a little off the top. Removing the pipe does make a big difference. The image could also use some noise removal if you have that available in the software you are using. I applied some local tone mapping (PSP, cheap on sale and has decent tools). Removing the top pipe is a lot of work to get right. I played with it but in the end gave up because it is not my image.
Andrew
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Absolutely! I'm an "older mind" as well, and it probably takes me twice as long to learn new stuff as it did when I wasn't so fossilized, but we old folk can still learn! Take it at your own pace, break it into small tasks and you'll gradually have an arsenal of tools you can use to sculpt your images into the way you imagined them when you took the photo. You have a fine model to work with,too.
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Thanks for the response - glad you like it! The green thing is a bottle and the light circles are supposed to look like a liquid pouring out... (of course it's not a liquid in reality but a reflective foil).
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Seed pods
Still getting used to after the eye surgery, I don't have 100% vision yet, but according to the specialist say that will come if everything goes well.
Thanks for looking.
Lou -
I like your image a lot Lou. Nice to see. Not sure what type of eye surgery you had. I had cataract surgery on both eyes, but about three months apart, a couple of years back now. It made a big difference when I was not expecting it to. I hope your surgery turns out well, what ever the reason.
Andrew
Yours has more structure than the one below.
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Hello Lou,
I have to view it at 100% on my 15" laptop for it to jump out at me and then it does well. To me the blue tones are just right for the yellows / oranges /purples/ lilacs / majentas. That's the sort of pic I would have set as my background 25 years ago. Was it based on flowers with fine petals / hairs or? [edit] ah I see now, seed pods... -
Let me start by saying I wish you well with your surgeries. For a reason I can't put my finger on, I really like this image! It is very creative and needs to be viewed in a large size with a dark background to get the maximum effect. Where you see seed pods, I see fireworks. And when I rotated it 90 degrees counterclockwise and stepped back I could just make out the face of a furry puppy!
Having said that, something about it feels off a bit. I suspect it stems from the fact that it is so dark overall, and I want to see more - depth, maybe, or tonal range? What would happen if you brightened the mid tones and highlights without affecting the blacks and shadows? I might also suggest toning down the one bright highlight on the left edge just above center. It seems to catch my eye and pull it out of the frame.
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I don't mind the bar at the top. It provides the frame around the head and adds a little more of the "shed" environment .
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The dark vignetting and the change of colour both take our eyes to the centre flower. It is too small in the overall composition. Look at the image and enlarge it. So far more of the centre is seen. This is the same as cropping about half of the width of the borders off all around the central flower.
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As always, I am stunned by this latest from the Dam birds. He/she/they (I have huge pronoun dysfunctionality) is/are so fragile against the massive blocks and the power of the water. Flight itself is an absurdity against that background. But there it is and it reaches for an opening, a portal of calm and promise. The image overflows with allegorical possibilities. It abounds with life, religious, political interpretations. Take your pick and you can find it here.
Then we might talk about the compositional lines in the shot, the placement of the subject, the light and dark tones.
Sometimes I can't find enough superlatives.
Minniev, I know there has been an exhibition, now, what about the book? -
Fantastic capture - love the shapes and patterns and the framing as well! Excellent work. All the best wishes for a good recovery!
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*A guitar with flames. Hot licks indeed.
Jim, your technique is resulting in image after image that would sit perfectly on album covers. I'm becoming very very intrigued by what you are doing. I have done a lot of playing about with camera movement during exposures but I have never got anything that looks like what you are doing. Impressionism, either in painting, music or via photographic technique, pushes my buttons. I'm going to have to play with this some more.*
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