Photo Class Homework

[andysgirl8800]

Tanked....looks like you did an awesome job bringing out the blues in your clam!

 

[andysgirl8800]

Here is my before editing:

And here is my after editing:

 

[andysgirl8800]

Hmm...here is my first foot shot.

 

[Picasso]

Tanked,

I'm going to talk about your late homework tonight, right now I'll do your edited shot.

I love that you cropped in, the negative space of the sand keeps the viewer's eye moving around which is good. In the first shot, there was so much sand your eye got kind of lost so by cropping in, you've controlled how the eye moves which really helps your shot. I really like the blue of the clam but the yellows of your leather is kind of over done. If you like the blue color you can tone down the yellow with either the sponge tool or you can dodge it out. When we learn layers I'll show you a cool technique for this, remind me. Another way to deal with this is to crop it out completely, there is a nice composition if you cut your shot vertically about half an inch to the right of the leather. Also, the fish seems a bit over done to me too. You may want to use the healing brush to clean up some of the spots on your sand and a few of the white spots floating in front of the rocks. You know, now that I'm looking at it, try this. Reduce the saturation levels, that's what's giving you the overprocessed look in your fish and leather. Take your shot into Full Edit. Copy your background layer. Now, use the sponge tool on the clam and in your rocks to help bring out the color. The sponge tool will let you selectively deliver the colors where you want them so you don't over do the more delicate areas.

Please resize your shots using the save for web technique so that they fit into the screen without scrolling. You don't want to make your viewer work to see your shot.

C

 

[Picasso]

Here's my feet shot, it was NOT done using the film grain filter in photoshop, I got that grain naturally!

 

[Picasso]

AG, couple of suggestions, more tonight:

Your fish shot looks great, maybe you should crop in more and take out the rics? If you go in more, it looks like a very nice portrait.

Your feet shot has some AWESOME textures but I think your shallow depth of field combined with the textures makes the look cluttery.

Please resize your shots to fit in the window without scrolling.

I'll do a full crit this evening.

C

 

[andysgirl8800]

Have we got another class tonight?

 

[Picasso]

AG, I don't have one planned, but I can do a half hour on editing using the tools we've already learned. I'll use your "no horizon shot" and Tanked's "edited" shot as examples. Let me know if you want me to set it up. David and Yote, you guys up for a 30 min review?

C

 

[dcantucson]

I can't because I'll be at work until 9 p.m. (West coast time) :(

 

[Picasso]

Tanked,

In your Principles Shots you've done a pretty good job of sticking to the guidelines. I think your best shots are the "golden hour" and the vertical goose. Let's look at a few things.

In your "preference for 3's" shot you did technically stick to the idea of putting 3 things in the shot but it doesn't read correctly. The trees are pretty close together which kind of makes them read as one shape to me. Also, your horizon line cuts your shot in half vertically. I think this makes the shot look cluttered. In the preference for three, you want to keep the division into thirds. Raise your horizon line so that it falls in the top third of the shot. This is also the case with your "right third" you've got your fish in the right third of the shot but he's in the middle and your horizon line cuts your shot in half. Either crop out your "sky" (the water) in the top or, the better choice in my opinion, would be to put the fish in the bottom right quadrant. When you're doing the "right third" and the "preference for 3" remember, your main subject should still be in a quadrant! Try cropping those two shots again and re-post them.

Your golden hour shots are beautiful. Isn't it amazing how much color you can get during that time of day?

In your edited shot, you're showing me you've really started to get the hang of basic composition rules, why aren't you putting those rules to work when you look through your camera? Unless you're shooting a moving subject or something that will go away you need to stop and THINK before you shoot. Where is your horizon line? Where is your main subject? Is your composition weighted with the rule of thirds? Sometimes when life is happening you just need to grab the shot and work out your composition later when editing. Many of your shots, however; allow you the time to work out your composition.

C

 

[Picasso]

AG, try this:

When I look at this shot, the pre-cropped version, the first thing I notice is the eye of the fish. It's beautiful! So, I look at the picture and see the eye, then notice all the junk, wires, rics...stuff cluttering up your shot and I go back to the eye because it's the most interesting, then I leave your image because there is nothing really compelling me to stay and enjoy the view. So, your job as the photographer is to make the view so interesting that I want to stay and be inspired. How can you make this shot take my breath away? There are a million different answers to that question and the way you handle the answer will tell me what type of photographer you want to become. What I would do is crop in as much as possible to the face of the fish and it's reflection. Find a composition that makes the lines of the fish and reflection go right to the eye. Then, I would use my editing tools to enhance the contrasts in that eye, the whites, the blues the yellows... I would really play up those colors. I notice that you may get some blur when you zoom in that much because the eye looks slightly out of focus, if I couldn't use contrast and sharpening tools to bring it into focus, then I would play up the blur and make it look artsy.... like I meant for it to be that way. Don't be afraid of those little errors they often are the launching pad for great things to happen in the editing process. Your shot needs some bright whites and clear yellows to contrast with the blue more dynamically. Get rid of any color that isn't vibrant. Have you used the brush tool yet? Remind me and I'll show you how to clear up some of your mud with the brush tool.

I think you have the possibility of making this into a really special shot. Spend some time editing it!

Catherine

 

[Picasso]

PHOTO CLASS

PLEASE accept the invitation sent to you to be my friend on WiZiq. By doing so, you get placed on my "contacts" list and I can just click to send you invitations instead of having to type in your email address each time.

Anyone not officially in photography class that might be interested in "dropping in" is welcome! PM me your email address and I'll send you the information you need to know.

Catherine

 

[tankedchemist]

So for the editing one first: my leather is actually green, not yellow... maybe that's part of the problem? anyway, here's the new version:



so I have some questions... 1. most of my pics, I don't have to scroll to see... how tall in pixels, are most computer monitors? 2. At work, I have giant sunny windows, so when I look at photos on my laptop there, they don't look anywhere near as saturated. Now, looking at them at home, they look completely different-- on the same laptop! What to do about that?

 

[tankedchemist]

In your "preference for 3's" shot you did technically stick to the idea of putting 3 things in the shot but it doesn't read correctly. The trees are pretty close together which kind of makes them read as one shape to me. Also, your horizon line cuts your shot in half vertically. I think this makes the shot look cluttered. In the preference for three, you want to keep the division into thirds. Raise your horizon line so that it falls in the top third of the shot. This is also the case with your "right third" you've got your fish in the right third of the shot but he's in the middle and your horizon line cuts your shot in half. Either crop out your "sky" (the water) in the top or, the better choice in my opinion, would be to put the fish in the bottom right quadrant. When you're doing the "right third" and the "preference for 3" remember, your main subject should still be in a quadrant! Try cropping those two shots again and re-post them.

Your golden hour shots are beautiful. Isn't it amazing how much color you can get during that time of day?

In your edited shot, you're showing me you've really started to get the hang of basic composition rules, why aren't you putting those rules to work when you look through your camera? Unless you're shooting a moving subject or something that will go away you need to stop and THINK before you shoot. Where is your horizon line? Where is your main subject? Is your composition weighted with the rule of thirds? Sometimes when life is happening you just need to grab the shot and work out your composition later when editing. Many of your shots, however; allow you the time to work out your composition.

C

ok, so I actually really struggled with that assignment-- I didn't really know what you wanted because that's the part of the lecture that I couldn't get into the right chat room for. I thought we were just supposed to find something in a grouping of 3. I'll try to redo that one this weekend.... honestly, I'm inspired by nature, but the stuff immediately close to my house-- ie, that i have time to go to-- is still ugly from winter, so I don't find it all that inspiring in the first place. I think my mom and I will be going to the coast this weekend, though so I hope to find some better examples there.

as for the right 1/3, I was going for the horizon line to be at the 2/3's up mark. guess I miss-guestimated. I'm not that great at guessing measurements and I think that's part of my problem. I do have the grid on my camera turned on but it's not the right grid so it confuses me. Here's the new blenny shot:



as for not composing through the camera, in the case of many of those shots, I was worried about losing the light because they were (except the tank shots) all taken either at sunrise or sunset, when I take my dogs on a run. And also, I have to juggle the camera and two dogs-- and although they usually cooperate, sometimes I don't get the chance to take as long to shoot as I want to take. And also, again, I don't find the area around me very inspiring right now cause it's all still dead from winter.

And I think I want a tripod... I like taking landscape shots but when I push the shutter button, i get a lot of camera shake and so like 85% of my shots are very blurry.

 

[Picasso]

ok, so I actually really struggled with that assignment-- I didn't really know what you wanted because that's the part of the lecture that I couldn't get into the right chat room for. I thought we were just supposed to find something in a grouping of 3. I'll try to redo that one this weekend.... honestly, I'm inspired by nature, but the stuff immediately close to my house-- ie, that i have time to go to-- is still ugly from winter, so I don't find it all that inspiring in the first place. I think my mom and I will be going to the coast this weekend, though so I hope to find some better examples there.
.

Tanked, try pointing that camera down at the ground in your ugly winter world, you'll be amazed at the compositions you can find.

Some of the most fabulous shots I've ever taken were on the Oregon coast. The cloudy "Seattle Softbox" effect allows wonderful glowing colors in the shallow tide pools. I'm tempted to join you and your mom at the coast, you need a personal photography coach......right?

We need to fix your exposure problem, you shouldn't get camera shake on your outdoor shots. Do you want to have a class before you guys leave for the weekend? I've got rehearsal 'till 9:00 tomorrow.

Catherine

 

[tankedchemist]

can't do it tonight, we've got dog obdience classes and cub scouts unless you felt like waiting until at least 9:30 your time. Friday would work for me, but mom's going to be drivng. I can always flll her in later.

The tidal pools here are pretty awesome but I haven't been since I was a kid. So it should be fun. and of course we need a photog coach! :)

 

[Picasso]

Tanked, you want to get a circular polarizing filter to take with you this weekend. The polarizing filter will remove the glare you will find on the water and help you get good focus on the objects you will find in those tidal pools. This filter will help make your skies bluer or more colorful and give you more definition in your clouds. Stop by a good camera store with your Nikon and they will help you get one for your camera.

C

 

[Picasso]

so I have some questions... 1. most of my pics, I don't have to scroll to see... how tall in pixels, are most computer monitors? 2. At work, I have giant sunny windows, so when I look at photos on my laptop there, they don't look anywhere near as saturated. Now, looking at them at home, they look completely different-- on the same laptop! What to do about that?

1. Whatever your pixels are for this little shot, you can double it. 2. Welcome to the wonderful world of monitor calibration. What looks awesome on one computer looks awful on another. It's frustrating. For you, I suggest trying to do your editing in an even light situation. You can buy a monitor calibrator but it's not very realistic for most home applications. Here is an article about monitor calibration so you can see if it is for you: Digital Focus: Calibrate Your Monitor - PCWorld

 

[yote]

My feet home work.

Actually getting to sit in my recliner ( empty salt bucket ) in front of my tank with the lights on for once :bounce:

 

[andysgirl8800]

Those are some WELL-LOVED boots ya got there!