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Help With A Photo


tlc
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Hi Guys, Id like to enter a photo into a competition, I've picked the photo but just not sure on which edit I like, Im leaning towards the B&W but just can't decide.

The first edit

92e56575.jpg

The B&W

e4cc5e94.jpg

The last edit

7fcf1aa4.jpg

Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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I like the first shot, the colours are subdued and I think it works well. The last is too orange around the eyes for me and not sure about the overall orange cast. I like the black and white and would pick that if I hadn't seen the top version. Which ever shot you choose I suggest you slightly darken the flash on the metal bits and fittings, those spots are too bright. I'd also put catch lights in the dog's eyes, it's the first thing a judge looks for.

Edited by Reverend Jo
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Thanks for the feedback, looking at the three together the third one is too orangish, Jo I'm not sure how do to do catchlight in the eyes, can I do that in photoshop? Whenever I try to add something like that it just ends up looking fake, I wanted to try and keep it as natural as possible. The first one is probly the closest to natural but I still like the B&W too.

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All you need to do for catch lights is a small dot, in photoshop use the brush tool, very small and select white and just dot it in. People do it all the time so don't worry about adding it in, it's important to have. Just have a look at a some dog portraits in google images and you'll get an idea of size to use. It would be a shame to get beaten by someone else because of that. I like the black and white as a low key image but I think that the colour version is better, I'd save the B and W for future competitions, I can't put my finger on it but I feel it's lacking something.

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Teekay, I hadn't noticed that before, I think if I go back tot he first one and bump the contrast up slightly I might be able to get a bit more light in the eyes.

Jo I'll have a go at the catch light and see what happenes.

I think what's missing from the second one is Tullys face is kind of lost in the rest of the image as its all so much the same where as the first one seems to give her more character. I'm leaning towards the first one now.

Do you guys think its good enough for a competition? Details of comp HERE

Edited by tlc
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Do you know how to do layer masks and selectively lighten areas? I wouldn't do an overall boost in brightness, just lighten the eyes a smidge. The easiest way to do it is make a new layer, lighten till you get the eyes where you want, add a layer mask and reveal just the eyes. You'll blow out the image if you do an overall adjustment.

I've just checked the comp page and you should definitely enter, but get the catchlights right first :laugh: Since you have time I'd also just put the image away for a week then come back and look at it with fresh eyes. In the meantime do some reading on how to resize so that you don't lose detail, you'll be going up against people who get that spot on and it would be awful to lose because the image lost something in converting it. It's also something I need to learn more about too so you aren't alone.

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The sizing thing is really wierd, I didn't shoot it in raw only jpg so it's not a huge file anyway, it says when uploading to use the best quality but then it says it can't be over 3mb so a bit of a contradiction there. I had a play in photoshop and then saved the file and it was 58mb :eek: not sure how that happened!

I've done a bit with layers but it was ages ago I did a photography course and they touched on layers, but I have time to have a play so I'll do that. I have just got CS6 so thought I'd try to get back into photoshop and learn more. I do most things with LR. But as I mentioned in another thread the new CS6 has some great features, content aware fill and move are just amazing!

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I like the first one the most tlc, it's such a gorgeous photo :D

Be wary of the t&c's.........!

By entering, you grant to San Disk and Sponsor a non-exclusive, 

worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, republish at any time in 

the future and otherwise use your submission, along with your name and likeness, 

in any and all media for any purpose, without further permission, notice or 

compensation (except where prohibited by law).

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I like the first one the most tlc, it's such a gorgeous photo :D

Be wary of the t&c's.........!

By entering, you grant to San Disk and Sponsor a non-exclusive, 

worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, republish at any time in 

the future and otherwise use your submission, along with your name and likeness, 

in any and all media for any purpose, without further permission, notice or 

compensation (except where prohibited by law).

What would this mean exactly that they can use the picture wherever they like? Give me credit as the photographer yea? Is this a bad thing?

I actually like the B&W the best!

I still keep looking at the B&W, Im playing in PS now and making a hack of it. :laugh: all in the name of learning right! Jo the eye thing is hard! Ill put a reedited version up so you can see if Im doing it right!

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That B & W is better, the dog has more definition now. The eyes look good, I can see a hint of the pupil which is enough in a dark eyed dog, just move one of the catchlights over a bit, they don't match position enough, but they look good! You could possibly make the CLs a tiny bit smaller, but it looks much better.

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That B & W is better, the dog has more definition now. The eyes look good, I can see a hint of the pupil which is enough in a dark eyed dog, just move one of the catchlights over a bit, they don't match position enough, but they look good! You could possibly make the CLs a tiny bit smaller, but it looks much better.

Thanks for the feedback, I think I will definatley go with the B&W and still time to have a play with it.

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I like the second B&W edit now, and I have to say your bathroom is immaculate! :laugh:

I like the first one the most tlc, it's such a gorgeous photo :D

Be wary of the t&c's.........!

By entering, you grant to San Disk and Sponsor a non-exclusive, 

worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, republish at any time in 

the future and otherwise use your submission, along with your name and likeness, 

in any and all media for any purpose, without further permission, notice or 

compensation (except where prohibited by law).

What would this mean exactly that they can use the picture wherever they like? Give me credit as the photographer yea? Is this a bad thing?

Nope not if you are happy yourself with those conditions. To me it sounds like a large corporation obtaining thousands of images and getting people to pay an entry fee for fairly paltry prizes. San Disk then end up with a pretty extensive library of royalty free images to choose from for advertising etc whenever they feels like it......

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Nope not if you are happy yourself with those conditions. To me it sounds like a large corporation obtaining thousands of images and getting people to pay an entry fee for fairly paltry prizes. San Disk then end up with a pretty extensive library of royalty free images to choose from for advertising etc whenever they feels like it......

that is what it sounds like to me as well...

:(

I love the first one !

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Thanks guys! I guess if I was a pro I'd be a bit put out about them using a pic of mine without any royalties but I'm only an amateur and would probly get a kick out of seeing my girl pop up somewhere for advertising or what ever, I guess it's a chance you take.

Never In a million years did I think in submitting a photo of Cooper and Lacy to the pet section in the Herald Sun that they would end up plastered up next to Julia gillard and Tim Mattheson in another article in the HS 4 years later! :eek: What a shock that was!! :rofl:

Edited by tlc
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