BillFeffer Loc: Adolphus, KY

Since you all were so helpful with the last one, here is another. Thank you in advance for all of the input.

(Download)

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Are you after feedback or is there a specific issue that you want help with?

BillFeffer Loc: Adolphus, KY

Feedback solicited.

SalvageDiver Loc: Huntington Beach CA

Well, you've exceeded my skills. This is just a very good image in my book. The composition, perspective, tones and lighting are all excellent. Beautiful image. If I were taking this image, the only thing that I would want to explore would be to keep the entire table in focus. But without seeing that to compare, I'm not sure.

Sorry I can't be much help on this one. Nice work
Mike

BillFeffer Loc: Adolphus, KY

Thanks Mike. The shallow dof was on purpose to put attention on the foreground.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

Beautifully done. Thanks for sharing it.

Dannj

I’m a big fan of shots like this. Personally, I would have tried to have the serving dish centered rather than a bit to the left. Just my opinion, of course.

GeorgeK Loc: NNJ

I think you did a nice job with the table. I don’t think the ceiling adds much, though, and would consider cropping.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

To start off with a positive, the visual interest is there, and while the title "Shaker Life" doesn't mean anything to me I'm sure there will be many who can derive the appropriate story-telling aspects from the image plus title.

Having looked at the download I noticed evidence of sharpening (i.e. sharpening artifacts). I get the impression that you used quite a lot of sharpening, but the trouble is it affected the noise in the original image, and despite the quantity of sharpening used, the image still has a softness to it. My guess is that you were trying to reduce that softness, and I can see why because the image as a whole would suit the starkness that sharpening would imbue it with.

If I am right so far I can tell you that you could learn a useful lesson about sharpening from this image.

Point 1) - your sharpening has aggravated the noise. This is avoidable and it doesn't necessitate using denoise to the point where the image becomes over-soft.

Point 2) - the softness that has remained after your sharpening is caused by the main edges being less well defined than they could be.

You don't say what software you have, but the answer to both of these points can be easily achieved with the right sharpening tools.

It is possible to get the sharpening tool to avoid the noise (not completely but substantially), and it is possible to get the sharpening tools to focus on the main edges within the image. In Lightroom - my main software - (and I've no doubt in many other PP suites), the Masking slider in the Details section (or a direct equivalent in other PP software) can be used to get the Sharpen tool to fulfill both of the above requirements. Moving it to the right creates a mask which is used to limit the sharpening to the main edges, and in so doing it will cause the sharpener to avoid the noise. That allows generous amounts of sharpening to be used and it's applied where the eye most readily perceives sharpness, so it achieves maximum vividness without generating unwanted side effects (most noticeable where noise and texture are concerned).

If you don't have the tools to apply sharpening in the way I've just described I can edit the posted example (or better still, the original if you care to post) by way of a demonstration. Even before you applied close scrutiny you would be able to see a difference in overall vividness and cleanness.

In addition to the above process, if there were areas that could benefit from standard sharpening (e.g. textures that needed enhancing or areas where noise wasn't a problem), it cold be applied to those areas using a brush. The combination of a masking slider plus selections made using a brush can be very effective and give optimised results relatively easily.

(Please forgive me if all of this is old hat to you. My comments are based on my assessment that the edges in your image are under-sharpened and the noise is over-sharpened).

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

Being a bit picky - I would move to the right just a tad to get more of the stove and move the serving bowl to the center and move the focus point further back a bit.
I'm familiar with "shaker life" so understand the photo. and like it.

BillFeffer Loc: Adolphus, KY

Thanks. The shooting position was pretty restricted and a higher ISO and open aperture were necessary because the ambient light was perfect except for being low. And I wanted the dof to be as shallow as possible. I do agree that the symmetry could be improved. Thanks for the input.

BillFeffer Loc: Adolphus, KY

Completely agree,

BillFeffer Loc: Adolphus, KY

Thanks for your comments. Being a foreigner (to me) you might not be aware that Shakers were a very conservative religious group who lived communally.

I was shooting at ISO 6400 with a D760. The dim ambient light provided the effect I wanted. I did use a setting of 57 (LR 6.14) with masking set at 100. I also used a setting of 57 in NR. The Clarity setting was at +60. I did play around with different settings and settled on the softer grainy look. I will play some more based on your suggestions. I trialed the Topaz AI products and liked them a lot. I just haven't purchased them yet.

LarryLancaster Loc: Seattle, WA

The only thing I would change is to crop the ceiling. Otherwise, a lovely presentation. Oh, the tureen could be moved to the right a smidge.

BillFeffer Loc: Adolphus, KY

Thanks. I did try cropping the ceiling, but I opted for leaving it because it gives a sense of the expansive, cathedral feel in the room.