Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

While studying suggestions to take more compelling photographs, I read about using the "GOLDEN HOUR" just after sunrise or just before sunset to capture a golden background to my images. So, I got up at sunrise to take pictures of the birds at my feeders in my backyard during the Golden Hour. I captured the attached image of an early morning dove eating seed in my bird feeder tray during a cold snap. Any suggestions that the excellent photographers on UHH would care to make that would improve my image will be appreciated. Shooter41

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via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I think you posted this in the wrong section, there is a different section for critique. My first critique would be to attempt to get the bird not in the feeder. Getting anything in soft morning light is a plus and also have what is called rim light, which is also a plus but in this case does give a bit of a weird outline. Repost this to get a critique.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Improve?
Why, is it not good enough?

Looks fine to me.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

That rim of light (halo) is likely from the processing, typically oversharpening, and likely was not present in the original.

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

The halo is an artifact of careless selection before altering exposure on the bird and tray. Generally early or late light is used directly, rather than backlit (unless going for reflected light).

clickety

Unfortunately, I’m not an excellent photographer but, I would like to say that your post processing places this bird on the set of the old Miami Vice tv show. The colors are unlike any dove I’ve ever seen.

While a pretty picture, to me it’s become far too surreal, however it’s your image and I don’t qualify as an expert.

Shutterbugsailer Loc: Staten Island NY (AKA Cincinnati by the Sea)

Maybe so; but technology has let the Genie out of the bottle. Photographers will give up post processing when bodybuilders and football players give up using Steroids

JD750 Loc: SoCal

I think all the comments above regarding the image, are worthy of consideration.

I experience the image as overprocessed/oversharpened and I also think the feeder is not helping. Additionally it’s the “ tourists view” of the dove.

There is no simple gimmick to create a compelling image. Iconic images are usually a combination of multiple rhings such as, composition, timing, lighting, emotional factor.

Keep studying, look at the classic photographers work, look at other art, keep practicing.

User ID

As a pic of a bird in a feeder, warmly lit, it does indeed “look fine”.

Was it supposed to be something more
than an exercise where the OP tests a few ideas he recently read about ? As a shot “captured”, he adequately executed what he read.

I do agree he needs to likewise read up and get ideas about how PP can work for you or against you (or both at once).

NickGee Loc: Pacific Northwest

Just because post-processing software enables you to turn a sunrise green, vomit pastel, and breasts blue doesn't mean you SHOULD. The aphorism "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" belongs in the same garbage bin as "the customer is always right." Sheesh!

While not a popular view on UHH, I find all of these oversaturated sunsets, overprocessed house pets, and all of the rest of those entirely unnatural "views" of nature aesthetically offensive. I know I'll get flamed for this but just can't help myself. I prefer the colors and contours of nature to the fakery of over-processed imagery.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Do you recall the soft focus foggy video style that was popular in movies the 70s? It did not stand the test of time. Today that style screams “dated”.

IMHO the hideously over saturated over sharpened style that is so popular today, will not survive the test of time.

User ID

BuT that oddly colored pic of vomit and breasts at sunset does sound intriguing.

Acoarst the version in my mind is prolly waaaaaay better than any attempts ever posted in the gallery or critique sections so I’m expecting disappointment again when I see the uhh versions.

As to your “colors and contours of nature” I appreciate them too, but only as first hand viewing by eye, not as photographs. The natural world, but frozen in time, and embalmed in two dimensions is about as “fake” as any degree of PP that you’ve found offensive in pix you’ve seen.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Hi Don. I also have experimented with the altered color balances available during both Golden Hour and Blue Hour (the 45-60 minutes after sunset when the light color swings massively in the other direction). I have found that for it to work, you have to break from the current photographer's mantra of shooting with Auto White Balance and fixing the color later. Instead, set your WB to "Daylight" (or 5800K) and leave it. That's how it would have worked in the film days when the golden hour was first a thing. Of course, you can always use Auto WB, then adjust to 5800K, but that won't allow you to preview the effect in the field.

Of course, you will have to decide what to do with that special lighting. I don't prefer having the distinctive colorsjust in the background, but rather for the entire image, primary subject included. Your preference may differ. For Blue Hour, I prefer correcting for the color but taking advantage of the omnidirectional source of the post-sunset lighting. That may require setting to a color temperature of up to 20,000K if it has been some time since sunset. The first image in this post was captured at 10,000K (as far as my camera would go) about 25 minutes after sunset, then further adjusted to 20,000 in post-processing, There were some other fairly minor adjustments made, as well. By the way...as exposed, it really wasn't anywhere nearly as interesting as I visualized it when originally taking the photograph.

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-555526-1.html

I would suggest that you experiment and decide what you like, because from what I can tell, this is not an area that has been widely pursued here, at least not particularly intentionally. And your best results are going to be a lot different from the over-saturated, excessively sharpened images that seem to get good reviews here.

wham121736 Loc: Long Island, New York

Amen!

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL