'Portrait Photography' Competition - Win A Samyang 85mm F/1.4 FE II Lens!
Comments
How do you think its worked out?
Apart from extracting the flowers from the grey background, from your description it seems a lot of work was done on the flowers themselves? Did I get that right?
Do you have the image of the flowers against the grey background, prior to processing that you could upload as a mod? It would help to see where you started out.
cmd on a mac = ctrl on a PC.
Willie
Apart from extracting the flowers from the grey background, from your description it seems a lot of work was done on the flowers themselves? Did I get that right?
Do you have the image of the flowers against the grey background, prior to processing that you could upload as a mod? It would help to see where you started out.
cmd on a mac = ctrl on a PC.
Willie
Uploaded as requested. I did crop the psd before processing so it might not be quite the same size but it will give you an idea of where I started from. As I said it was a bit of an experiment. I think it works but I am just not sure of the lens flare- is it too big?
That's an awful lot of work on the computer, Jacqueline... But you clearly like to do that, rather than fine-tuning the setup.
And the result is rather beautiful: light and airy, and wiht nicely chosen colours. You have doen a really excellent job.
However, for my taste, the end result comes across as having that 'airbrush' look. There's nothing wrong with that, but if I saw this on a card (and it would look good on a card) I really wouldn't be sure it was a photograph.
Maybe that doesn't matter, in any case, except for competitions which require photographic purity and no manipulation.
This made me wonder how I'd go about shooting the same subject. I concluded that I'd put my main effort into setting up the light, very possibly to give interesting shadows, and to shine through rather than on the flowers and leaves. Plus, of course, choosing the background to suit. In other words, my concern would be to set the shot up, and minimise processing - which simply shows that we do different things to get our results, and is not in any way a criticism of your approach.
And yes. I would definitely buy that card...
And the result is rather beautiful: light and airy, and wiht nicely chosen colours. You have doen a really excellent job.
However, for my taste, the end result comes across as having that 'airbrush' look. There's nothing wrong with that, but if I saw this on a card (and it would look good on a card) I really wouldn't be sure it was a photograph.
Maybe that doesn't matter, in any case, except for competitions which require photographic purity and no manipulation.
This made me wonder how I'd go about shooting the same subject. I concluded that I'd put my main effort into setting up the light, very possibly to give interesting shadows, and to shine through rather than on the flowers and leaves. Plus, of course, choosing the background to suit. In other words, my concern would be to set the shot up, and minimise processing - which simply shows that we do different things to get our results, and is not in any way a criticism of your approach.
And yes. I would definitely buy that card...
I think the overall effect works to a point.
The lens flare may be best left out; the extraction from the grey; use more and softer feathering, - the yellow flower head in particular is carrying quite an obvious dark outline.
I like the idea of the upper flowers slightly fading. I would try to use a diffuse glow to get this effect though, - it might be more realistic, - certainly worth trying.
I used the original and the posted image and layered both, posted image on top, setting opacity to about 60% to get the flowers slightly more solid, and the sun spot less harsh. Then used a diffuse glow, and a warming filter, having repaired the outline of that yellow flower and a few other small areas.
It may look a bit tidier, - either way it a different approach to getting something similar.
Regards
Willie
The lens flare may be best left out; the extraction from the grey; use more and softer feathering, - the yellow flower head in particular is carrying quite an obvious dark outline.
I like the idea of the upper flowers slightly fading. I would try to use a diffuse glow to get this effect though, - it might be more realistic, - certainly worth trying.
I used the original and the posted image and layered both, posted image on top, setting opacity to about 60% to get the flowers slightly more solid, and the sun spot less harsh. Then used a diffuse glow, and a warming filter, having repaired the outline of that yellow flower and a few other small areas.
It may look a bit tidier, - either way it a different approach to getting something similar.
Regards
Willie
