[missbirdphotos] Re: Critique
- From: "Judy Howle" <howle@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2013 18:57:03 -0500
That's a very nice photo Larry, except for the blob at the top which needs
to be removed as it draws the eye right to it away from the bird. That can
be done in any decent photo editor but I actually did it in Lightroom 5 with
the new healing tool and also removed the blue spot on the right "just
because I could" as Jack Davis says, and it does look better without it. If
I was doing it for myself I would probably remove some of the blue spots
below the bird also but not a big deal there.
I used Topaz Clarity plugin on a duplicate layer to bring out a little
detail in the bird and it also toned down the highlights just a smidge, but
it also brightened the water so I applied it only to the bird with a layer
mask which means I just painted it onto the bird only with the paint brush
tool. All of that only took about 10 minutes tops. Then I added a slight
vignette around the edges to put the focus on the bird by slightly darkening
the edges.
Before on left but after I removed the blob. Oh, also cropped it a bit, too
much empty space IMO. I didn't add sharpening because Photoshop sharpens a
bit when the image is downsized.
_G8A1003orig.jpg _G8A1003-edit.jpg
Below is a larger version of the edited image. It does have a little more
detail in the feathers but I didn't set the micro contrast as high as the
preset because it made the noise show up. So ideally if you use any plugin
that brings out fine detail you need to remove as much noise as possible
first.
_G8A1003lg.jpg
Watched Jack Davis for 3 days this week in Adobe Camera Raw and learned a
GREAT TIP about using minus sharpening even -100 with the adjustment brush
and brushing over the background to blur it in either Adobe Camera Raw in
Photoshop or in Lightroom. He said that Adobe really improved the blurring
algorithm in the very last v 5.2 and also made it fade into the sharp area
better instead of the previous hard transition. Jack demoed it on 2 images.
wow! You can also use the adjustment brush with minus clarity settings to
smooth out areas such as noise, not as drastic. Of course it's perfect for
retouching skin in portraits. Then you can also use the adjustment brush
with plus clarity on detailed areas including eyes. That is what he prefers
to use over sharpening.
BTW today's session where he covered a lot of this stuff is being re-run
tonight, already on now. Even though a lot is on faces, the technique can
apply to any sharpening/blurring in Lr or ACR. He also covered 3 ways to do
vignettes in great detail.
Judy Howle
Southern Exposures Photography
http://southernexposure.zenfolio.com
Digital Photography Class; photography information and resources
http://digitalphotographyclass.net
From: missbirdphotos-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:missbirdphotos-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Larry Pace
Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2013 10:34 AM
To: missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [missbirdphotos] Critique
Hi guys
Haven't heard much from our photographers lately. Everyone must be very
busy! With the recent rains and the Government shutdown, my usual, reliably
productive spots are either unaccessible or flooded. I have been going over
some of the photos I shot in September and trying out new PP techniques
(primarily retouching tools). Of course. as usual, I am never completely
satisfied with the results. I am attaching a photograph of a Least
Sandpiper that was very active in "chasing" its neighbors as they were
feeding. If I could get you guys to look very closely at the photo and give
me some feedback, based on what you prefer in a photo, that would be very
instructive for me. Give some attention to all of the qualities you like in
a bird photo. I have a really thick skin so be straight forward with your
opinions--comments. Consider both technical and esthetic aspects of photo.
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