Thoughts

Good afternoon Rick. I like the image and not really done to much on my mod. Increased the black level, raised highlights and brightened. Finally sharpened a little and the cropped. In the crop I've tried to give areas of interest right across the frame. The gents forehead seemed a little redundant with the bottoms corners both fully used. Hope you like to result. Dave

Good afternoon Rick.
I like the image and not really done to much on my mod.
Increased the black level, raised highlights and brightened.
Finally sharpened a little and the cropped.
In the crop I've tried to give areas of interest right across the frame. The gents forehead seemed a little redundant with the bottoms corners both fully used.

Hope you like to result.
Dave

Hi Rick and welcome back to ePz after a long absence. You have uploaded this picture into the Critique Gallery, where you will receive constructive comments aimed at helping you improve your photography skills. We are here to help, and to give you the best feedback that we possibly can, but it would be very much appreciated if you could help us to more easily help YOU. It is difficult for us to offer constructive critique without some input from you, and so you can greatly assist us in our endeavours by providing us with a bit more information. Then the critique that we subsequently provide is far more likely to be what you are looking for, and consequently far more helpful to you. It is highly recommended that you provide us with answers to some of these questions: What is your reason for requesting critique? What inspired you to take this photo? What were you hoping to achieve? Do you feel that you succeeded or failed? Are there any specific elements of your photo that you require help with? Do you want advice on camera settings, processing, composition, or something else? Do you have any questions you would like answered? It is very difficult for us to offer the correct critique without input from you. As I see this it is a little flat tonally and could do with a contrast boost and tbh seems very poor quality. I quite like your idea but the big OOF cigar is tending to overtake the frame somewhat and is very close to the bottom edge, perhaps a little more room there would help things along. A nice catchlight in your eye helps but please come back to us and help us on our way with a couple of answers to the above questions. Thank you.

Hi Rick and welcome back to ePz after a long absence.

You have uploaded this picture into the Critique Gallery, where you will receive constructive comments aimed at helping you improve your photography skills.
We are here to help, and to give you the best feedback that we possibly can, but it would be very much appreciated if you could help us to more easily help YOU.
It is difficult for us to offer constructive critique without some input from you, and so you can greatly assist us in our endeavours by providing us with a bit more information. Then the critique that we subsequently provide is far more likely to be what you are looking for, and consequently far more helpful to you.
It is highly recommended that you provide us with answers to some of these questions:
What is your reason for requesting critique?
What inspired you to take this photo?
What were you hoping to achieve?
Do you feel that you succeeded or failed?
Are there any specific elements of your photo that you require help with?
Do you want advice on camera settings, processing, composition, or something else?
Do you have any questions you would like answered?

It is very difficult for us to offer the correct critique without input from you.
As I see this it is a little flat tonally and could do with a contrast boost and tbh seems very poor quality.
I quite like your idea but the big OOF cigar is tending to overtake the frame somewhat and is very close to the bottom edge, perhaps a little more room there would help things along.
A nice catchlight in your eye helps but please come back to us and help us on our way with a couple of answers to the above questions.
Thank you.

Is this a selfie?

Is this a selfie?

Hello, Rick. It has been a while since you uploaded to EPZ. Good to see you back. We really do need some input from you on this one, particularly because it's quite an unusual self portrait, and your reasoning behind it would help with any critique. So, until we receive a bit more information, I can only comment on what I feel about it. I like the idea because the viewer's mind will fill in the remainder of the face. However, the part that you present is quite cramped in the frame and I'd like more space on the left and bottom. The cigar end is nearly touching the bottom of the frame. So I have done 2 modifications which have extra canvas added to the left and bottom, with detail cloned in. The first has some contrast and brightening. Contrast is something lacking here. The second has a darker and perhaps more sinister look. Both were done by simply using the Levels sliders in Corel PaintshopPro. Pamela.

Hello, Rick. It has been a while since you uploaded to EPZ. Good to see you back.

We really do need some input from you on this one, particularly because it's quite an unusual self portrait, and your reasoning behind it would help with any critique.

So, until we receive a bit more information, I can only comment on what I feel about it. I like the idea because the viewer's mind will fill in the remainder of the face. However, the part that you present is quite cramped in the frame and I'd like more space on the left and bottom. The cigar end is nearly touching the bottom of the frame.

So I have done 2 modifications which have extra canvas added to the left and bottom, with detail cloned in. The first has some contrast and brightening. Contrast is something lacking here. The second has a darker and perhaps more sinister look. Both were done by simply using the Levels sliders in Corel PaintshopPro.

Pamela.

I assume a selfie, I like the idea. It's a tricky one; going in this close, convention demands that you really need one dominant focal point and here there are two - the eye and the cigar. That creates a tension, which works for me. Two points: This file is tiny, just 101 KB! Have you set to a low quality level, or have you saved the b&w conversion at a low quality setting? Visually the image really is suffering from this, if you have a larger file could you add it as a modification? Secondly, are you aware of the histogram? It's the graph that looks like a cross-section through a landscape, it shows the distribution of tones from the darkest on the left to the lightest on the right. The graph for this shot has the curve bunched entirely on the left, ie there are [i]no [/i]whites or lighter tones. The result is that the image looks flat, 2-D. Lighter tones give life, vitality. Look at how Rembrandt used flicks of white paint amid the shadows... I have added my modification, I simply used Levels to adjust the histogram curve, by moving the right hand slider inwards until it met the graph curve dipping down; nothing else. We really do need to hear more from you - your intentions, what this says to you; also how you produced the b&w conversion, and whether you have a full-size file available. Regards, Moira

I assume a selfie, I like the idea. It's a tricky one; going in this close, convention demands that you really need one dominant focal point and here there are two - the eye and the cigar. That creates a tension, which works for me.

Two points:

This file is tiny, just 101 KB! Have you set to a low quality level, or have you saved the b&w conversion at a low quality setting? Visually the image really is suffering from this, if you have a larger file could you add it as a modification?

Secondly, are you aware of the histogram? It's the graph that looks like a cross-section through a landscape, it shows the distribution of tones from the darkest on the left to the lightest on the right. The graph for this shot has the curve bunched entirely on the left, ie there are no whites or lighter tones. The result is that the image looks flat, 2-D. Lighter tones give life, vitality. Look at how Rembrandt used flicks of white paint amid the shadows...

I have added my modification, I simply used Levels to adjust the histogram curve, by moving the right hand slider inwards until it met the graph curve dipping down; nothing else.

We really do need to hear more from you - your intentions, what this says to you; also how you produced the b&w conversion, and whether you have a full-size file available.
Regards,
Moira

As has already been pointed out this is dull, flat, two-dimensional. It's a tiny low res file with no EXIF that has presumably been 'saved for web.' The result, predictably, is crap. But maybe that was part of the plan, who knows... as yet you haven't chosen to say anything. I've done a mod which eschews thoughtfulness for a faint air of intimidation... seems to fit, somehow. I put it through Nik Silver Efex's "Silhouette" filter, and cropped out the cigar, partly because it's trying to dominate the frame and partly because it's bad for you. Nicotine patches worked for me.

As has already been pointed out this is dull, flat, two-dimensional. It's a tiny low res file with no EXIF that has presumably been 'saved for web.' The result, predictably, is crap. But maybe that was part of the plan, who knows... as yet you haven't chosen to say anything.

I've done a mod which eschews thoughtfulness for a faint air of intimidation... seems to fit, somehow. I put it through Nik Silver Efex's "Silhouette" filter, and cropped out the cigar, partly because it's trying to dominate the frame and partly because it's bad for you.

Nicotine patches worked for me.

A subject who fits nicely in the frame is a good reason to take my Panama hat off to the photographer. The rest were done by Kodak, now are done by Apple. I trust this would look good in colour too. The orange burn of the brown cigar with the yellow white black label would be a good start. I have nothing bad to say for a folk who smokes Cohibas. The uses of the picture can be endless. and one of this is "Je m'en fous!!!" Bravo! pablophotographer

A subject who fits nicely in the frame is a good reason to take my Panama hat off to the photographer. The rest were done by Kodak, now are done by Apple.

I trust this would look good in colour too. The orange burn of the brown cigar with the yellow white black label would be a good start.

I have nothing bad to say for a folk who smokes Cohibas. The uses of the picture can be endless.

and one of this is "Je m'en fous!!!"


Bravo!
pablophotographer

I can't really add to what's been said above: the more you tell us, the more we can help you... And you've given us a small file and little explanation. I assume you've processed this a bit, to get monochrome, and that rather flat look. But I'll suspend judgment, until I know what you're looking for.

I can't really add to what's been said above: the more you tell us, the more we can help you... And you've given us a small file and little explanation.

I assume you've processed this a bit, to get monochrome, and that rather flat look.

But I'll suspend judgment, until I know what you're looking for.

I'm not sure how the critique box got checked but appreciate the feedback/modifications. Just a selfie from my phone which was edited for saturation in phone - nothing more to say about it really Thanks Rick

I'm not sure how the critique box got checked but appreciate the feedback/modifications.

Just a selfie from my phone which was edited for saturation in phone - nothing more to say about it really

Thanks
Rick

Thanks for getting back to us Rick. It would be worth uploading this without ticking the critique box, I think. But it would also be worth while spending a little time to try to sort out why this saved at such a low quality level. Moira

Thanks for getting back to us Rick. It would be worth uploading this without ticking the critique box, I think. But it would also be worth while spending a little time to try to sort out why this saved at such a low quality level.
Moira

Yes, thanks for getting back to us. And thank you for being gracious about the feedback when you didn't know you'd asked for it!

Yes, thanks for getting back to us.

And thank you for being gracious about the feedback when you didn't know you'd asked for it!

Hi Rick, After a long time I came back to ePhotozine :) Welcome back me ;) Awesome selfie I like it but didn't add some dramatic change on your selfie through photo manipulation. I tried but without your permission I cannot share or upload. Thanks dotPix

Hi Rick,

After a long time I came back to ePhotozine Welcome back me

Awesome selfie I like it but didn't add some dramatic change on your selfie through photo manipulation.

I tried but without your permission I cannot share or upload.

Thanks

dotPix