Little Angel by the Stream

[RockNGoalStar]

Hi All,

Really trying to get to grips with my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 and more specifically improve my candid photography, both behind the camera and the monitor in terms of PP.

I would be very grateful for some C&C of this shot, especially in areas where you feel a different PP approach could improve it. I love the shot, I just want to get it right so that I can frame it and give it to my sister for a gift (the shot is of my niece).

Nikon D90 | Sigma 50mm f/1.4 @ f/1.4 | 1/4000 | ISO 200

I processed the RAW file in ACR and then sharpened and cropped in CS5. I added a B&W luminosity layer and played around with the levels til I was happy, and then added a slight vignette.



Thanks for viewing and thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Tommy

[Colin Southern]

Hi Tommy,

It looks pretty good to me as is, but if I had to suggest a couple of things ...

- Perhaps not so warm (appears to be a bit of a colour cast that's muddying the dress colours), and

- Perhaps push the levels a little more (especially brightness)

[RockNGoalStar]

WOW Colin, what a difference!!! I was secretly hoping you were going to reply to this, and if you hadn't I probably would have badgered you by PM until you did!

I was just reading your tutorial on White Balance and I am certainly going to invest in a gray card... ...in fact I am going to order one now

I will have another go at this from RAW and post back.

Thanks man

[RockNGoalStar]

I just can't get mine to look like that Colin

[FrankMi]

Thank you so much for posting this, Tommy! You started my day with a smile!

[jiro]

Had some extra time today to look at your work. Tommy. Here's something for you:

[RockNGoalStar]

Thjank you so much for posting this, Tommy! You started my day with a smile!

Thanks Frank! That's nice to know

How about this one...

[RockNGoalStar]

Had some extra time today to look at your work. Tommy. Here's something for you:

Oooh thanks Willie! I thought about a B&W conversion on it as well, but wanted to get the colour right first... You've done a grand job of both! Gives me something to think about.

Thanks for taking the time man!

[Dizzy]

Tommy, I love the setting by the creek; and the angel wings really make the image work, but she could just as easily have had a handful of pebbles to plonk in the water..

I think your most recent effort was the best one, followed by Colin's version. In the warmer version (first pic) she seems to blend into the background too much..perhaps the hair color is what causes that?

No matter...it's a superb pic either way.

Mike

[RockNGoalStar]

Tommy, I love the setting by the creek; and the angel wings really make the image work, but she could just as easily have had a handful of pebbles to plonk in the water..

She actually was throwing pebbles into the stream (which is actually just a water feature in my dad's garden!) but getting her to 'play ball' is a different matter! She's too much like her mother (my sister) to cooperate that easily!

Thanks for your kind words though Mike

[boko]

wow... Do you want some glow ? (joke)

[Donald]

Willie - That B & W is an absolute show-stopper. I was working my way through thread thinking - 'This is a very good one' and about to reply saying so to Tommy. And then got to your B & W version and it just took my breath away. A glorious rendition of what was (and I do mean it Tommy) an excellent starting point.

Whichever way you go with it Tommy (Colour of B & W; taking Colin's suggestion, etc), you're the one who composed and shot it. And it's beautiful.

[FrankMi]

Thanks Frank! That's nice to know

How about this one...

Having been captured by the moment, the additional improvements are icing on the cake. I was once told that when photographing girls, one of the most critical things to get right is the skin tone. This looks great to me and from what I see with the exposure, contrast, colors, sharpness where it counts, etc., I wouldn't be able to improve upon what has already been done.

I'm betting that both your sister and niece will fall in love with the final print!

[RockNGoalStar]

wow... Do you want some glow ? (joke)

I was actually thinking about going this way with it at one point and I quite like what you've done here. Hmmm... *scratches head*

Willie - That B & W is an absolute show-stopper. I was working my way through thread thinking - 'This is a very good one' and about to reply saying so to Tommy. And then got to your B & W version and it just took my breath away. A glorious rendition of what was (and I do mean it Tommy) an excellent starting point.

Whichever way you go with it Tommy (Colour of B & W; taking Colin's suggestion, etc), you're the one who composed and shot it. And it's beautiful.

Wow! Thanks Donald! Always great to get such praise from you! I agree about Willie's B&W number... he's done a wonderful job We make a good team Willie

I am still in two minds about getting a good B&W conversion plugin like Silver Efex pro or something. I also had some good results with Alien Skin Exposure 3 before my trial ran out

Having been captured by the moment, the additional improvements are icing on the cake. I was once told that when photographing girls, one of the most critical things to get right is the skin tone. This looks great to me and from what I see with the exposure, contrast, colors, sharpness where it counts, etc., I wouldn't be able to improve upon what has already been done.

I'm betting that both your sister and niece will fall in love with the final print!

Thanks Frank! It's my sister's birthday coming up in a couple of months so this may be a nice gift!

[Dizzy]

Thanks Frank! It's my sister's birthday coming up in a couple of months so this may be a nice gift!

It would be a superb gift Tommy, but be prepared for some tears..mom's tend to get
emotional about their little girls.

[Colin Southern]

WOW Colin, what a difference!!! I was secretly hoping you were going to reply to this, and if you hadn't I probably would have badgered you by PM until you did!

Take a number!

I was just reading your tutorial on White Balance and I am certainly going to invest in a gray card... ...in fact I am going to order one now

Seriously, they do make life so so so so much easier. Nothing says you have to so with exactly what they pre-adjust the image too (in fact usually they're a bit cold for portraiture) but what they DO do is give a thoroughly accurate and consistent starting point that you can then go from (I normally warm about 200 kelvin for portraiture). A little trick to keep in mind if you're desperate though ... rocks in scenes like this are often pretty close to being spectrally neutral; if you're struggling with white balance then try clicking on a few of them with the white balance tool and evaluate the results. They may not be perfect, but often they'll correct the bulk of the problem (and often the part that we're struggling with).

[Colin Southern]

I just can't get mine to look like that Colin

I also added a couple of GND filters - a little sharpening - some saturation tweaks - and some levels adjustments Basically, I want the girl to "pop"; vignetting gets you in the right direction, but other things were needed to achieve it.

[Harpo]

amazing collaboration in getting that awesome picture to look great! I wish I could transport some of that PP and technical knowledge from you guys thru osmosis!

[Colin Southern]

She actually was throwing pebbles into the stream (which is actually just a water feature in my dad's garden!) but getting her to 'play ball' is a different matter! She's too much like her mother (my sister) to cooperate that easily!

That's an easy one to fix ...

... bribery works every time

[RockNGoalStar]

I also added a couple of GND filters - a little sharpening - some saturation tweaks - and some levels adjustments Basically, I want the girl to "pop"; vignetting gets you in the right direction, but other things were needed to achieve it.

And how do you think I got on with my 'final' edit?