At the Rose Garden

[Alis]

How are the colors? Overdone?

[Colin Southern]

How are the colors? Overdone?

It looks a little "larger than life" in terms of saturation, but "so what" - that's how we mostly like to remember scenes anyway.

If it were me, I'd take some of the yellow out of the grass and peg back the crimson flowers on the right near the fence, but apart from that, I think it looks good

[Alis]

If it were me, I'd take some of the yellow out of the grass and peg back the crimson flowers on the right near the fence...

Can you do it for me? Just kidding

Thanks, I agree. I totally missed those details, specially the grass.

[Colin Southern]

Can you do it for me? Just kidding

Too late ...

[Alis]

Too late ...

That was fast. Thanks! I think you like editing pictures...

[Antonio Correia]

My version ...

[Alis]

My version ...

Nice job, Antonio. Mine was centered. What other changes did you make to it.

Here is another one from the same session!



What I don't like about these pictures is that no matter what I do, I can't get a crisp high contrast picutre that pops out of the monitor. I this case, I think it was because of the flare from the sunlight which was sort of in the background.

Thanks, again.

[Antonio Correia]

Look what I have done in the video I will post in a few time please.
For the moments just the pictures.
I mean, the photography in two versions.
Hope you like it.
If I had the raw file may be I could try something better.
He seems to have some kind of skin spot in his face I could not fix...
And may be he is too magenta ...

[Antonio Correia]

I am terribly sorry if the video doesn't have sound but I am a lurk in this kind of things (computers) and I am using a freeware without that feature. A shame.
Well, but it is better than nothing, isn't it ?
And I am sure it gives you an idea of what I have done.
However, as you will see I do have made some hesitations on working the picturebut I think that is normal, isn't it ?
I cropped without the hands because they are not "complete"
You should have framed better my friend !
Next time.

The work on the photo took longer than usual may be because the computer was making the movie and doing the job on LR at teh same time.I don't know.
LR usually runs far better than what you will see here.

Now, go and see. Drop me a line afterwords.
I am having difficulties. But I wrote this I send it anyway.
I hope to be able to overcome a problem here

[Alis]

I am terribly sorry if the video doesn't have sound but I am a lurk in this kind of things (computers) and I am using a freeware without that feature. A shame.
Well, but it is better than nothing, isn't it ?
And I am sure it gives you an idea of what I have done.
However, as you will see I do have made some hesitations on working the picturebut I think that is normal, isn't it ?
I cropped without the hands because they are not "complete"
You should have framed better my friend !
Next time.

The work on the photo took longer than usual may be because the computer was making the movie and doing the job on LR at teh same time.I don't know.
LR usually runs far better than what you will see here.

Now, go and see. Drop me a line afterwords.
I am having difficulties. But I wrote this I send it anyway.
I hope to be able to overcome a problem here

Thanks, Antionio. They both look nice.

He does not have a spot on his skin but I am guessing that is a reflection from somewhere?

About the framing issue, it is my fault but he does not like to be photographed. In these pictures, I put him inside the garden area and started shooting. He seems very calm in these pictures but it is because these are still pictures He was actually trying to climb up the black fence and get out. So he was moving a lot... I added another one:




As for the video, I don't see it. Did you post it here somewhere on CiC? Forgot to include the link I guess.

Thanks again.

[Antonio Correia]

Ali, The last photo is posted is better than the other.
Now, go and try to make it better and show us what you have done

About the video: In fact the video is not a good one, we can't even see the mouse !
But it is here for you to have a look in a temporary gallery I created for this purpose.

Later, in a couple of days, I will erase it for being a disaster. Sorry.

[Alis]

Ali, The last photo is posted is better than the other.
Now, go and try to make it better and show us what you have done

About the video: In fact the video is not a good one, we can't even see the mouse !
But it is here for you to have a look in a temporary gallery I created for this purpose.

Later, in a couple of days, I will erase it for being a disaster. Sorry.

Thanks, Antonio. I will watch it when I go home tonight. And I will try to post another version of the last one this afternoon. I hope it as much fun for you as it is for me

[Alis]

Here is another attempt. This time I kept the aperture wider to prevent too much blurring of the background which I tought was too blurred yesterday. I was trying to get a sharper picture by openning the aperture but then I realized it was blurred too much. And I also tried to selectively bring out a lot of detail in the shadows from the upper 1/4 of the picture and also in the right lower corner under the roses.



And here is another one:

[Colin Southern]

Here is another attempt. This time I kept the aperture wider to prevent too much blurring of the background ...

I think you mean the other way around Ali

[Antonio Correia]

Ali, I like best the images with the blurred background. But this is just me.
The 1.st is sharper than the second one.
I even wonder if it is perfectly focused... Perhaps using the method Colin described you could make the image sharper. I don't know.
The eyes are too dark, aren't they ?

[Alis]

I think you mean the other way around Ali

Ooops! Yes, Colin. You are absolutely right.

[Alis]

Ali, I like best the images with the blurred background. But this is just me.
The 1.st is sharper than the second one.
I even wonder if it is perfectly focused... Perhaps using the method Colin described you could make the image sharper. I don't know.
The eyes are too dark, aren't they ?

Thanks, Antonio. You are right about both points. I guess I need a checklist for retouching portraits. Do you have one? I forget to fix all the problems.

But about sharpness, when I did these yesterday, it was late afternoon and the sun was going down and it was overcast. So even a wide aperture did not help. So what would you do in this situation? High ISO and then fix the noise later, use flash? With flash I did not that much difference. Of course, if I could, I would ask the subject to stay in one place for 2 seconds and would put the camera on a tripod but those will be for next year...

And by the way, I have already done the capture sharpening in photoshop and then another sharpening selectively over the eyes and nose and lips and eyebrows. I guess I am still not good at it if it does not show...

[Antonio Correia]

Thanks, Antonio. You are right about both points. I guess I need a checklist for retouching portraits. Do you have one? I forget to fix all the problems.
But about sharpness, when I did these yesterday, it was late afternoon and the sun was going down and it was overcast. So even a wide aperture did not help. So what would you do in this situation? High ISO and then fix the noise later, use flash? With flash I did not that much difference....

Ali, I don't have a checklist. I photograph and work on my photos, on feeling, intuition.
Just that. I look, go on doing this and that and at the end may be it is good.
I have done it so often that I am getting the hang of it.
BTW: have you seen the disastrous video ?

Why don't you think: I have no light, no flash, the conditions are not gathered for a photo, then I don't do it.
It is true that it doesn't happen to me often...
May be there is some kind of white wall around that can give a good reflection... In a garden, I think there is not but sometimes, the wall of a cofee house, an umbrella or simply - I can remember this now - ask someone dressed in white to stay as reflector.

In the photo herewith I used the guide's dress mostly while to reflect some light on the handle.
Have you ever tried the command Shadow/Highlight in CS3 ?

See the light on the left at the bottom ? It's the reflection from the shirt.
Natural light from the right side. I should have used another person for the upper part
I have been looking trying to find another one I had without the reflection but I could not find it quickly. But this is good for you to have an idea.

-
As I didn't like the previous image I went to the raw file and did it again.
It was leaned somehow to the back and not enough sharp. I also added some vignetting.
Now, it's better.

EXIF

[Alis]

BTW: have you seen the disastrous video ?

Why don't you think: I have no light, no flash, the conditions are not gathered for a photo, then I don't do it.

Thanks, Antonio. I agree sometimes, as they say, it is better to take a nap rather than a picture.

And yes, I have seen your video. It is basically what have been doing but I find that adjustment brush in LR so annoying and slow.

I actually tried the same thing with layer masks in PS and it is much easier if you just have to do one or two,

By the way, I saved your video so you can take it down it is using space on your webpage

[Antonio Correia]

Thanks, Antonio. I agree sometimes, as they say, it is better to take a nap rather than a picture.
And yes, I have seen your video. It is basically what have been doing but I find that adjustment brush in LR so annoying and slow.
I actually tried the same thing with layer masks in PS and it is much easier if you just have to do one or two,
By the way, I saved your video so you can take it down it is using space on your webpage

LR is annoying and slow because it was working with the screen capture at the same time and this is a freeware version.
I do have tried Snap X Pro and nothing of this happened.
My video is just rubbish and I see no point in keeping it, but OK. It's all right.
In Smugmug my account is a pro one has no limit, so there is no problem of space.
However, I don't like rubbish on my web page and this is the reason I will erase it some day.
Thank you.