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Jul 20, 2017 22:33:11   #
Jesse L.
 
So.....

This is the first photo I have posted on UHH, or anywhere for that matter. Although I'm a bit hesitant to post anything, I do believe advice from anyone who knows more than I do about photography will definitely help me along to the point that I am excited to share with you all. If anyone could let me know what I can do in an instance like this lily picture. I would've liked it to have a lot more contrast, making the flower "pop" a bit more. And in the second photo, how do i get this picture to not be so drowned out by yhe smoke? Thank you in advance for your constructive crititcism.





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Jul 20, 2017 23:41:27   #
SS319
 
First something quick and dirty: In your post process software, brighten the top photo up a couple stops, then add some vignette to darken the corners.

Now, in your camera, add some diffuse flash, and under expose the ambient image (if your camera calls for f/8@1/200, go into manual and set your camera to f/16 @1/200). This will darken the background and brighten the main flower

For the smoke with the sparkler, set up a box fan at your feet blowing towards your daughter to blow the smoke behind her.

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Jul 21, 2017 00:19:37   #
Jesse L.
 
Thank you for your guidance and time looking at my post.

SS319 wrote:
First something quick and dirty: In your post process software, brighten the top photo up a couple stops, then add some vignette to darken the corners.

Now, in your camera, add some diffuse flash, and under expose the ambient image (if your camera calls for f/8@1/200, go into manual and set your camera to f/16 @1/200). This will darken the background and brighten the main flower

For the smoke with the sparkler, set up a box fan at your feet blowing towards your daughter to blow the smoke behind her.
First something quick and dirty: In your post pro... (show quote)

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Jul 21, 2017 07:20:54   #
joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ
 
I agree #1 could be brightened up a bit but I love #2 just the way you captured it. Moving from the small, white, bare feet, up through the bright white heart shape which creates an elongated smoky torso, and up through the smoke which also maintains a silouhette shape before it diffuses; I feel like I am witnessing the metaphorsis of a human into a spirit. I wish that the vehicles could be removed from the right side. I think it is beautiful.

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Jul 21, 2017 08:32:59   #
big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada
 
At first glance, #1 looks 2/3 stop under exposed BUT... I tried cropping to a square format and was pleasantly surprised with the result.

With regard to #2, you didn't click on store original so we have no idea what settings were used leaving us with only guesses as to a solution. My guess is to shorten the exposure time by 1 stop.

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Jul 21, 2017 11:16:08   #
Argosinu
 
I would Crop #2. (I crop way too much.)

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Jul 21, 2017 14:23:16   #
shelty Loc: Medford, OR
 
SS319 wrote:
First something quick and dirty: In your post process software, brighten the top photo up a couple stops, then add some vignette to darken the corners.

Now, in your camera, add some diffuse flash, and under expose the ambient image (if your camera calls for f/8@1/200, go into manual and set your camera to f/16 @1/200). This will darken the background and brighten the main flower

For the smoke with the sparkler, set up a box fan at your feet blowing towards your daughter to blow the smoke behind her.
First something quick and dirty: In your post pro... (show quote)


Careful! Don't blow the highlights. Knowing the flower, I would say the the exposure is pretty close.

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Jul 21, 2017 19:52:39   #
hassighedgehog Loc: Corona, CA
 
If I was working on the lily picture, I'd brighten the whole image and then select the sharp lily and the one to the right. Then inverse the selection and darken the background (at least the highlights). I find the light spots in the background distracting.

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Jul 22, 2017 02:27:39   #
Heather Iles Loc: UK, Somerset
 
Jesse L. wrote:
So.....

This is the first photo I have posted on UHH, or anywhere for that matter. Although I'm a bit hesitant to post anything, I do believe advice from anyone who knows more than I do about photography will definitely help me along to the point that I am excited to share with you all. If anyone could let me know what I can do in an instance like this lily picture. I would've liked it to have a lot more contrast, making the flower "pop" a bit more. And in the second photo, how do i get this picture to not be so drowned out by yhe smoke? Thank you in advance for your constructive crititcism.
So..... br br This is the first photo I have post... (show quote)


Perhaps re-posting this photo in "For Your Consideration" section would be best, if you are looking to improve your photography. In that section, you could ask others to show you their version. Just a thought!

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Jul 22, 2017 10:03:55   #
Jesse L.
 
Thanks for all your input. Heather , I will definitely try that in the future.

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Jul 22, 2017 12:58:37   #
Meives Loc: FORT LAUDERDALE
 
You can go back after you post and add numbers or names to each picture for easier discussion. I like the flower, but some photographers will place black felt behind them to hide the background. If the subject is far enough from the background then aperture and be set to totally bur it. Your background is busy and distracting. Good luck. David

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Jul 22, 2017 15:41:36   #
Heather Iles Loc: UK, Somerset
 
Jesse L. wrote:
Thanks for all your input. Heather , I will definitely try that in the future.



Jess, you can still put it in FYC. I have seen other members done that. If you do decide to post in FYC you should point out that it was in this section, but you would appreciate seeing how other members would process it.

Good luck.

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Jul 23, 2017 04:33:05   #
R.G. Loc: Scotland
 
You haven't stated if it's advice for shooting or advice for post processing that you're looking for. You've been given good advice on shooting but not much advice on PP, so I'll add my own 2 cents' worth.

It looks like there are parts of the petals that are close to being blown, so you did a good job of keeping the exposure low enough to avoid that. However, the shot is significantly under-exposed, so it needs lightening, but you need to keep an eye on those highlights. You can give it overall brightening, but use Whites (or Highlights or whatever your equivalent is) to keep those highlights from getting blown. It also needs more contrast so you can give it a mixture of Contrast and Clarity, but again you need to keep an eye on those highlights. And when you brighten it you may find that noise emerges as you brighten it, so you'll have to carefully balance sharpening with denoise.

If you have a HSL tool you can brighten the colours that you want brightened and darken the ones that you want darkened. You can also strengthen or weaken saturation in the same way. That is better than making global adjustments with Vibrance or Saturation.

Where the smoke is concerned, you can select it using a well-feathered brush and darken it, starting with the Highlights (that may be all you need). That'll reduce its prominence. But the best answer is to blow it out of the way, as already stated. With the lilies you can select the background and soften it with extra denoise and reduced Contrast and Saturation, and possibly darken it starting with the Highlights.

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Jul 23, 2017 10:33:07   #
Jesse L.
 
R.G.,

Thank you for bringing up post processing. These pictures have not been edited at all, I do not have any software to do such, yet. What program would you recommend using to someone beginning photography. I am using a Nikon D3400, not sure if that matters. Thank you.

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Jul 23, 2017 11:16:17   #
R.G. Loc: Scotland
 
Jesse L. wrote:
R.G.,

Thank you for bringing up post processing. These pictures have not been edited at all, I do not have any software to do such, yet. What program would you recommend using to someone beginning photography. I am using a Nikon D3400, not sure if that matters. Thank you.


Hi Jesse. A lot depends on how much you're willing to spend on PP. A good, cost-effective starting point would be Photoshop Elements and a good starting point within that would be the ACR section where you would learn about the basic controls and PP tools that are common to most editors. Elements has different levels that you can work within so it's not intimidating for a beginner but at the same time there's lots of room to grow and learn things like layers. And it can be had for a reasonable price, especially if you catch it during one of their sales.

Your D3400 is an excellent choice of camera. It has the same sensor as some of the more expensive Nikon crop sensor cameras like the D7200 and it will generate image files that can be worked on very effectively in PP.

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