2018 Project 52 - 4th Qtr - Sandy (Skitterbug)

[skitterbug]

Week 40 - 4th Quarter!

I don't have the strongest sort of photo to start the fourth quarter but its one that I am going to use on a Get-Well greeting card tonight. I like the whimsy look and the structure. I would have liked a little less brightness and did attempt to tone it down a bit. The honeysuckle plants are still blooming but this may very well be the last we see of these little birds.

I'll definitely appreciate comments and any suggestions that are offered.

Hummingbird - ISO6400 - f/5.6 - 1/1250

[Rufus]

WK 40 has some attractive colours and a nice composition, including the mesh. But the large area of branch and leaves in the bottom right quadrant which is out of focus draws my eye away from the subject, and I don't think that tendency would have been any less had it been in focus.

The strong light has produced some of those attractive colours, but unfortunately does not provide the best light for the bird itself.

It is still a nice image for a personal message and the card will, I am sure, be much appreciated by its recipient.

[skitterbug]

WK 40 has some attractive colours and a nice composition, including the mesh. But the large area of branch and leaves in the bottom right quadrant which is out of focus draws my eye away from the subject, and I don't think that tendency would have been any less had it been in focus.

The strong light has produced some of those attractive colours, but unfortunately does not provide the best light for the bird itself.

It is still a nice image for a personal message and the card will, I am sure, be much appreciated by its recipient.

Hi David - I agree with your analysis of this photo. After I posted it, I was not pleased with it. It reminds me of homework that just passes the grade but really should have been redone or tossed and the effort started over.

One improvement doing the P52 has happened for me. I can look at a photo and know that it is an excellent one or just okay. I ought to have spotted it quickly in my own photo but I was caught up in the composition of the fence. The Honeysuckle is in focus but as you point out, the light doesn't do the little hummer justice.

Thank you for commenting!

[Geoff F]

I suspect that a crop of the right side and bottom would produce stronger looking main elements, Sandy. Just lose the right vertical mesh bar and a similar amount from the bottom?

[skitterbug]

I suspect that a crop of the right side and bottom would produce stronger looking main elements, Sandy. Just lose the right vertical mesh bar and a similar amount from the bottom?

Hi Geoff - I've been messing about with this photo trying different techniques on it and I'll post the end result but I probably should have tossed it in the rubbish at the get go. It didn't look terrible on the Get-Well card but then with the type of laser printer paper I used, I think it was okay. I'm hoping it is the thought that counts!

So here is an edit using smudge, etc. After the closer crop, I also had to try and remove "noise" but didn't succeed too well. On the plus side, I'm learning more about the "tools" that Affinity has to offer.

Final try on the Hummingbird munching honeysuckle.......

[Rufus]

That is definitetly an improvement, Sandy. The smudge work is very effective.

I might have left the lower bar in the image and about half of what was below it as the single bar just divides the image in two. The two bars would make it more like a portion of a leaded light window with a Mondrial type of composition (albeit with lovely nature instead of his of areas plain colour!).

[Geoff F]

There are several crop options with this scene.

What I often do with problems over difficult subjects is to place a selection around the areas which need to be sharpened (you don't need to be absolutely exact) and feather the edge by somewhere around 4 or 5 pixels then sharpen that area slightly. Invert the selection and apply noise reduction to the other areas. The real skill is in deciding exactly which settings to use for the sharpening/noise reduction so the whole scene looks natural and not over processed.

Dehaze controls can sometimes be used successfully but restraint is required.

[skitterbug]

There are several crop options with this scene.

What I often do with problems over difficult subjects is to place a selection around the areas which need to be sharpened (you don't need to be absolutely exact) and feather the edge by somewhere around 4 or 5 pixels then sharpen that area slightly. Invert the selection and apply noise reduction to the other areas. The real skill is in deciding exactly which settings to use for the sharpening/noise reduction so the whole scene looks natural and not over processed.

Dehaze controls can sometimes be used successfully but restraint is required.

Hi Geoff - I've been trying most of the afternoon, to figure out how to add noise to the area that I smudged so it looks like the rest and I've grown frustrated (to put it mildly). This is one of those things that I can read about but it doesn't sink in. I've always been a visual learner. I hunted for a video in Affinity Photo that would tell me how to apply changes to a selected area and haven't had any success finding what I want. I'll keep plugging away. It can't be all that difficult, can it??? <sigh>

BTW, cropping as David suggested was a snap, it is getting the details under control that's difficult. I reckon this week's P52 photo is definitely a learning experience.

Thanks for commenting and giving suggestions! I'll keep at it because I really don't like to be beaten! <chuckle>

[skitterbug]

That is definitetly an improvement, Sandy. The smudge work is very effective.

I might have left the lower bar in the image and about half of what was below it as the single bar just divides the image in two. The two bars would make it more like a portion of a leaded light window with a Mondrial type of composition (albeit with lovely nature instead of his of areas plain colour!).

Hi David - I like your idea and the comparison to a coloured glass window. It does give me hope, if I can get the whole project finished the way I'd like!

Thank you for all your encouragement and suggestions!

[Shadowman]

Nice bird shot.

[skitterbug]

Nice bird shot.

Thank you, John.

I worked on it a bit more on the bird pic incorporating the crop ((but maybe shouldn't have added the top strand of wire.... hummm)) and the adjustments that were suggested by David and Geoff. Hopefully it looks even a little better than before. Through all of it, I learned a bit more about how to use more tools in Affinity Photo so it was a worth while endeavor.

#1 - Edited Hummingbird Photo




And so I thought some more about this photo and decided to do one more crop!
#2 - More edits

[Shadowman]

I like the crop in post #5, the last crop makes the bird looked caged with that trestle, or perhaps it makes the viewer feel caged.

[skitterbug]

I like the crop in post #5, the last crop makes the bird looked caged with that trestle, or perhaps it makes the viewer feel caged.

Hi John - The common denominator in all of them is the hummingbird and the honeysuckle. I suppose if I was stuck in a cage and all I could see is this scene, then it would cheer me. <chuckle> But I do understand what you are considering. #5 is a much freer looking area for the hummer to be in and for the viewer to watch - without the bars in the way.
I also thought the edit on the bottom right in #5 turned out better than the following tries.
I definitely feel the last three are more improved than my very first one. My rating would be Post #5, then #1 (post #11) and finally #2( post #11)

Whew... and it's only mid-week!

Thanks for commenting about the photos.

[Geoff F]

The last edit seems to be coming together nicely. Maybe another option would be to crop fractionally tighter on the right and have the same amount of free space to the left of the honeysuckle flower. That would place the vertical bar closer to the thirds ratio. But I have never been an advocate of sticking firmly to the 'rule of thirds' in natural scenes.

[skitterbug]

The last edit seems to be coming together nicely. Maybe another option would be to crop fractionally tighter on the right and have the same amount of free space to the left of the honeysuckle flower. That would place the vertical bar closer to the thirds ratio. But I have never been an advocate of sticking firmly to the 'rule of thirds' in natural scenes.

Hi Geoff - I've migrated my thinking regarding crops in relation to whether I want to have the photos printed or not. So I try and choose square, 5x7, 4x6, etc so that I don't need to do more edits if I do print anything. I believe the last photo entry of#2 (post 11) is a square crop. If I shave any off the right side, I think it may look awkward but then that's how I view the photo. To others, it may make it more suitable.

I am pleased with my PP of the lower right photo area. I've learned a few techniques with this photo that I hope to be able to remember the next time I need to do this sort of editing.

Thank you for your helpful information. The dialog makes the P52 project interesting as well as a learning tool for me!

[skitterbug]

Week 41 - The following photos were acquired in a bit of a different manner and definitely not my usual sort of subject but I couldn't resist trying.
Hubby wanted to take off for a few hours so I grabbed the camera and decided to put the EF-S 24mm F/2.8 lens on it since it is tiny compared to the 100-400 lens. I also wanted to see what it might do. Unfortunately, it decided to rain.....

BUT - what can I say - I had to try.

We were stopped by a train. The freight cars had graffiti on them - and Donald Duck appeared!

#1 - F/9 - 1/200ss - ISO1600 - taken through the windshield with rain falling



Once we made it past the railroad crossing, we headed toward Indian Lake. It used to have Sandy Beach Amusement Park but it closed around 1970. (sad) Considering the vehicle was moving along around 40mph and it was still raining, I was surprised to have the resulting photo. This bridge was part of the park. I can't imagine how many people have crossed over it.

#2 - f/9 - 1/200ss - ISO100

[Shadowman]

Week 41, nice colorful captures.

[Geoff F]

You have done well with these. Donald Duck looks excellent and totally unlike the usual scribblings which appear on that sort of material.

With the second image, I wonder if you could get away with adding a fraction more highlight brightness to the buildings area using a layer which feathers away to zero around half way up the sky area. It is OK as it is now but I suspect you might be able to add just a little more 'pop' to the scene.

[skitterbug]

Thank you John! It was a fun day for me!

[skitterbug]

The only planning I did was mounting the Canon 24mm lens in hope that I could experiment with it. Turned out the whole day was an experiment. Donald Duck was a pleasant surprise! <chuckle>

Rainy days are a blessing because there isn't glare causing problems but they are not helpful because of the gloom! I will give your suggestion a try to see if I can do as you suggest!

Thank you for commenting!