Reflective Willet (Help Appreciated)

[kentruth]

A friend saw this file on my computer & expressed her fondness for it, I'm contemplating getting it printed/matted & framed as a gift for her...The honest truth it will/would be the first picture that I've done that with & I'd like to do it right so any & all criticism will be suffered in the vein of learning I'll be quite honest I don't know where to begin.

[Bobobird]

It is a very nice image and no surprise that your friend wants a print.

I cannot see anything out of place or needs fixing. Except that bit of "dirt" at the bottom left. A bit of off-centering to the right might help somewhat.

What size print?

[kentruth]

Out damned spot! I(personally) wouldn't do anything less than 8 x 10 and I wonder if I shouldn't "slide" the bird over more to the left and not crop out so much of the ripple behind him. (does that make sense?)

[jeeperman]

Nice capture, and I +1 to Bobo's post. Chop a little off behind the bird. Not only will this give a bit better comp but it will serve to make it a more common dimensions and easier to find a common frame.

[jamn4ex]

lesley that will make a sweet print as is , I definitely would not take the space away for more ripple. Lovely shot .

[kentruth]

Interesting, I'm left-side dominant so visually I want to "fill" that empty space, so where does one find a quality "printer" in the digital age I'm only back to taking pictures after a 35yr hiatus so I have a lot to catch up on.

[FootLoose]

It's a beautiful study in symmetry, Lesley. I have been trying to acheive something along these lines recently but the elements have been against me. I would print it as it is, too.

[Donald]

If you look in a local store, you'll see that the standard frame sizes are things like 7 x 5, 10 x 8, etc. So you'd need to crop the image to this ratio and then get it printed at the size you chose. I'd also get rid of that watermark you've put on it at the bottom left.

Other than that, you've gto a winner there. That, I think, is a very good image.

[ktuli]

Lesley,

One nice thing is you have such a clean/uniform background here, that you could easily resize and clone the background to fill the added space. I definitely would not cut off any of the ripple in the water by cropping.

As for where to get it printed, I've used Adorama in the past and have always been very happy with the results. They are very meticulous and give you plenty of options. I've done color and B&W prints from them as well as a canvas print (this would look fabulous on a canvas I think). I've also used CanvasOnDemand with excellent results - I made a 30x20 canvas of the false clownfish I use as my avatar and it is stunning. Plus, if you're on Groupon, they currently have a deal available for $45 for a 16x20 wrapped canvas (if you're not, PM me your email address, and I can send it to you (I get a credit from Groupon for referrals that way)).

Hope this helps!

- Bill

[kentruth]

Thank you Bill, much to my husband's chagrin I'm well acquainted or rather my banks cards know Adorama I would have thought having a major art college in the area would make it easier to find a printer who was interested in a bit more than the colour of my money. Good to hear that Adorama does quality work & yes I'm interested in the CanvasOnDemand deal (I'm still figuring out this board so will PM my addy in a bit)

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Lesley,

I would straighten it before printing - but then I'm a stickler for levelness - not that I would have achieved it while shooting either, but it is always something I check in PP.

Since there is no horizon to level with, you'll have to use the reflection (which is actually far more reliable anyway).
The aim is to get the tip of the tail, and its reflection exactly vertically aligned.

I don't know what PP software you have, but most should be able to do this;
a) start as if to crop the image
b) pull in the right side of the frame to the tip of the tail
c) if you place the cursor in the dark area, it should show the rotation tool
d) grab and rotate anti clockwise until both tip and reflection just touch the edge of the crop
(now it will be level after you complete the crop)
e) now move the right edge back out to where you want it 'artistically'
f) adjust the other three edges where you want them; ideally crop off the slim white triangles caused by the rotation, but if you can't, cloning over them is another option
g) complete the crop and the image should now be straight

Don't know if you needed a step-by-step, but someone reading this will one day

It is a lovely shot by the way, I'd like to have shot it

Hope that helps,

[kentruth]

Thank you David, yes I'm a stickler for details, I probably allow them to stop me from achieving much of what I set out to do I'm using PhotoShop Elements11 and haven't "touched" the original file, only played with a copy. I truly appreciate the step-by-step, there is a wealth of information in there for "me" and I'm sure for others, that on the surface I missed that on the 2nd & 3rd read started coming through...Once again, thank you.

[ggt]

Leslie, remember there is true Level and Visual Level (visual balance).

The photo as it is doesn't bother me as it does you. There are some basic guides I learned in college about what the average person accepts as "visually balanced". This looks to be a good overview.


I love this picture BTW!