Grandson

Doug Lutke · Mar 23, 2007

This is my Grandson (Austin) at the computer. I know the composition is not great, but I was trying a few low light shots. Any CC which might help me out here would be helpful.
Thanks for taking the time to look.

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Doug Lutke · Mar 26, 2007

was it really that bad?

Is that picture so bad that it's not worth anyone's comments. I joined this group hoping to others would tell me what I'm doing wrong when my photos are not good. Fill me in here, I'm the new guy, What does it mean when no one bothers to comment on a photo? Does that mean it's so good there's nothing to improve on , ... or so bad it's not worth any discussion, .. what?

Doug

hoanginc · Mar 26, 2007

The photo's too dark for my taste. Also the eye's too dead centered, you might want to crop the left side of the picture.

hoanginc · Mar 26, 2007

Here's my solution to the problems I said above (if you don't like it I'll take it off)

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frede · Mar 26, 2007

Welcome to the Cafe Doug. Sometimes it takes a little bit before you get comments.

I like the photo. The lighting gives it a very moody vide, and the edit makes a good photo even better. A couple minor tweaks is all it needed - good job! :smile:

j_b_l · Mar 26, 2007

Doug, welcome.

The first image is a little too dark for me. I don't mind dark backgrounds and an overall low-key type of image, but for my eye, the subject needs to be a little brighter.

This is JMHO, of course. You as the photographer have to look at it and determine if it was what you envisioned when you made the image.

Jetta32696 · Mar 27, 2007

Welcome to the Cafe, Doug. Be prepared to spend lots and lots of money that you don't have!! :biggrin:

Sometimes it takes a little while for people to respond here, but some of us are actually working at "work" :biggrin: As others have mentioned, the photo is too dark for me. Looks like you "saved for web" so there's no exif data in the pic so one could suggest ways to correct the photo if you're unhappy with the results.

If the end result is what you're looking for, that's great, but if it's not - what would you have liked to accomplish? Were you looking for a properly exposed pic given the available light? Provide us with some general information that we could use to make suggestions - (aperture, shutter speed, iso, camera, lens, etc.) When you upload images don't "save for web" if you're asking for suggestions on how to correct an image. We can easily retrieve that info from the photo if it's there and make our own suggestions, but that's hard to do when the info is not available.

Hopefully this helps...

Doug Lutke · Mar 27, 2007

hoanginc said:
Here's my solution to the problems I said above (if you don't like it I'll take it off)

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I was quite proud of the photo, but after seeing your edit, I see that mine was to dark. Thank you

Doug Lutke · Mar 27, 2007

Welcome to the Cafe, Doug. Be prepared to spend lots and lots of money that you don't have!!

Sometimes it takes a little while for people to respond here, but some of us are actually working at "work"

Thanks Keith, I've seen your photos, and have learned to respect the wisdom of most of the people here, You being one. I didn't mean to come off a jerk, (I shouldn't post late at night).
I have to fight the thought that "if I only had that lens". I'm finding that I have so much to learn about the technical part first before I start purchasing lens. Also I'll work on my uploading so the info is also with the picture.

Thanks for your comments

Jetta32696 · Mar 27, 2007

No problem Doug. I didn't think you were coming off like a jerk at all, just trying to put things into perspective a bit for you. While there are some full-time photographers here, many of us have full time jobs, businesses, etc., and aren't always logged on - as much as we may want to be.

We've all been there early in our membership where you finally get the nerve up to post something, and then you don't get any responses right away. :biggrin: Don't let that deter you from posting images in the future. As you continue to shoot, you should continue to improve and people will notice the difference.

I'm still fairly new here too, but I continue to learn from many of the members here. Having high end glass is great, but you don't "need" it to take spectacular photos.

During your time here you're going to meet tons of great people, all of whom are willing to lend a helping hand to help you get better at something we all enjoy. Keep shooting, ask questions, experiment, experiment and experiment some more!! Good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your photos.

frede · Mar 27, 2007

Jetta32696 said:
No problem Doug. I didn't think you were coming off like a jerk at all, just trying to put things into perspective a bit for you. While there are some full-time photographers here, many of us have full time jobs, businesses, etc., and aren't always logged on - as much as we may want to be.

We've all been there early in our membership where you finally get the nerve up to post something, and then you don't get any responses right away. :biggrin: Don't let that deter you from posting images in the future. As you continue to shoot, you should continue to improve and people will notice the difference.

I'm still fairly new here too, but I continue to learn from many of the members here. Having high end glass is great, but you don't "need" it to take spectacular photos.

During your time here you're going to meet tons of great people, all of whom are willing to lend a helping hand to help you get better at something we all enjoy. Keep shooting, ask questions, experiment, experiment and experiment some more!! Good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your photos.

Well said Keith. The only thing I can add is that IMO the Nikon Café is the best photography site on the internet........hands down!

greyflash · Mar 27, 2007

Your concept or premise for this photo was a good one; however, your technique could be improved. If you look at the histogram for this image you will find that it is all in the left 1/4 of the scale. This means that you are missing out on all of the lighter tones. Also, I find that this type of image looks better in B&W. To correct some of the problems with this image I moved the right slider in levels approximately 1/3 towards the left of the scale. I then adjusted the Brightness/Contrast for the most pleasing tonal range. I then converted the image to B&W using the Fred Miranda plugin. Lastly I used the burn tool on the ear to tone it down a little and then recropped it for a more pleasing look. I hope you like it.

Here is the tweaked image:

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It is a striking image and you are to be congratulated for pushing the envelope in taking it. Also, welcome to the Cafe and I hope you will post many more images in the future. I hope you will take my input in the vein it was given, that is to provide the help you requested. My input is strictly my opinion and you should feel free to ignore it if you disagree.

TOLady · Mar 27, 2007

hoanginc said:
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As mentioned, the first image you posted was a tad dark for my tastes. This is more of what I'd like this image to portray.

Great image, captured a wonderful moment. Sometimes things move off the first page very quickly and get missed. Don't take it personally - we're all a very friendly bunch.
Welcome!

Doug Lutke · Mar 28, 2007

Thanks to all of you who responded, Your advise is great, and that is really what I was after. I have so much to learn, I feel a bit overwhelmed by some of the great photography I'm seeing here, it seems out of reach. But it's fun to watch how many of you can turn one of my crappy shots into something that really not to bad.
Thanks again to all.