Starting Season 3 in the Advance Group for the Colour Print. I don't expect any 10's this season, within this group - but I do hope to achieve no less than 8 for each print. My goal is not to be relegated back to the intermediate group at the end of the season. This season I have my own printer allowing me to experiment further with paper type - hopefully enhancing my prints. As I am now trying to process my images in a better/different way, I need to keep more details on how I achieved the final image. I know some will find this interesting!
Honeybee. Meet Betty, Betty Bee - this is the original image. Taken within the hive, it really is click, click, click and hope that you have some luck. Obviously thinking about composition is very low on the list of things to get right when you're head down in the hive! Things wrong with the image on a basic level. Below the bee there is an odd green bit, and something sticking up on the right. Colour a little pale across the whole image (expected as shot in RAW). A little too much negative space both to the left and the right of the bee.
Honeybee: Draft One. Obvious crop, removing the negative space all around the bee. Enhanced my shadows and highlights. Increased the clarity to try and make the bee face a little sharper. At this point I printed my first copy. Previously I would have had to have sent it away, generally not allowing me to re-print to improve. I would have entered this first draft in the previous season. However, having printed it I can see in the bottom right hand corner a dark space - not really in keeping with the rest of the image - in the advanced group this will be commented upon, as an advanced group member - we should know better. I know better, because I have watch and listened for the last two season but my skill level it not yet up to correcting it!
Honeybee: Final. Having 'played' with Photoshop for over two hours this is the best I could do. I'm not sure I'm in it to 'play' for that long - I'd rather have my head in a hive! I would agree that I was right to try and remove the dark space at the bottom right - is my cloning good enough - we'll have to wait and see. I can see clearly the cloning marks because I've seen the previous image - as have you but the judge won't have. Printed on Canon Pro Platinum Paper
Judges comment: Good depth of field - optimising focus on the face - but the image could have been improved on having the 'feelers' in focus. Good background but would have liked to see the bright area on the left a little darker. Score: 8.5
Multiple Flowers: Multiple Exposure, Intentional Camera Movement. I can't actually remember how many exposures I took here but think it was three (this was achieved within my camera). With each exposure I moved the camera slightly. I very much like the image I have achieved here - it really is by chance you get anything good at the end. Initially looking at the image I think the white flowers on the top right may be an issue, and perhaps the lack of detail on the far left of the image. Overall though, hopefully just a slight crop and alteration of colour.
Flowers: Draft One. Cropped off the left, enhanced shadows and highlights. For this image I have decreased the clarity. Printed off this draft version, and it did show a problem with the white flowers to the right of the image. The eye is drawn to the lighter part of the image and I don't want that. I also don't think the they are 'sharp' enough against the pink flowers. Because I'm printing my own, I can have another go.
Flowers: Final. Having originally cropped the left hand side off because of the lack of detail, I have reconsidered this area by rotating the image. Now at the top of the image, 'I think' it may add something. Printed on Permajet Fine Art: Parchment Classic (285g)
I Love that you'd rather have your head in a hive than playing with photoshop!! I Have taught you well.
ReplyDeleteI'd give you a 9!!!