Friday, May 8, 2009

Constructive Feedback Friday




Yay!! So exciting!! iHeartFaces is hosting a special constructive feedback Friday, and I love to receive feedback on the photos I take so that I can get better. I like the edits that I have made, but I know that it can be better! Any feedback is much appreciated!! 

*For my regular blog readers this is a fellow beauty and she let me play with my camera at the park one day to get some practice. It was lots of fun!! *


Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter: 1/200 Focal Length: 45mm

Original:













Edit:









4 comments:

Stephanie said...

It looks great!!! I'm no professional and I pretty much take terrible pictures but I like it. :) I have a Nikon D60 and I really should learn how to use it...because I don't...and i don't want it to be a waste of money. i don't want to read that thick manual though. i need someone to just teach me. Have a great weekend!

angie {the arthur clan} said...

I really like the cropping job you did on this photo. I personally like to brighten the face quite a bit and would probably have done that before I converted it to a B&W. I also think the pole behind her head is distracting. I would try to clone that out.

I'm so sorry that your entry disappeared from the Mr. Linky today. The only thing I can say is that next time you'll probably want to go out of our site and then come back in to make sure that your entry registered. That really stinks that it didn't!

I hope this helped just a bit,

~Angie
co-founder of iHeartFaces

Anonymous said...

I think this is a nice photo. I'm a huge fan of cropping, so kudos to you on that. I think the conversion fits this picture very well. Your aperture is a good one for portraits, it's kind of in that safe realm, can't go wrong.

To me this picture is missing a bit of sharpness and crispness. I don't know what program you are using here, but in photoshop I like to go under Filter-Sharpen-Unsharp Mask. A good setting for people is 150,1,10. Next go to Image, Mode, Lab Color. Then over on the right side of the screen, click on channels in the boxes by the layers. Now, highlight lightness. Next go back to Filter, Unsharp mask. It will automatically remember your last settings. Now back to Image, Mode and RGB Color. The other thing I would look at are actions out there that are burn edges or edge details. I like one from MCP Actions, called Telescope-All in the Details, it's kind of a nice action to run when you are about all finished with your post production, it gives a bit of crispness to the photo unless you aren't going for that.

You could also do a couple of adjustments to the eyes, but I don't think it really needs it. I think this is a great pic and some nice PP you have done.

Great job,
B Dad

Teresa said...

Hi Kristi!

I agree...your edit is really good. You have a nice b&w, and the photo to begin with is a good photo with good exposure. She's a lovely subject, too! And I like the pose, the setting, and the way the wind is blowing her hair is really pretty. Very nice SOOC image!

I think I would have gotten closer to begin with to take the photo. It looks like the focus is a little soft on her eyes, and the focus may have fallen on the tree. Get close enough that you can really make sure you have good focus on the eyes.

You mentioned to me that you would be getting Photoshop soon. You will love it! You can do so much more with it than any other program. It might seem scary at first, because there's just so much it can do. Take it one thing at a time, and you'll be fine. Many of us have taught ourselves Photoshop through practice and reading.

What I would do in my editing process is:

Lighten and brighten her face.
Sharpen.
Add color and contrast.
Clone out the pole.
Crop closer.

I did all the editing in photoshop. I used actions from Pioneer Woman (free and awesome!)and actions from Totally Rad. I used Fresh and Colorful from PW to give more color and contrast. I used Magic Glasses from TRA to give more clarity and crispness. I lightened her face using levels and curves. I cloned out the pole, added a little color to the sky, cropped, and sharpened.

Since you don't have Photoshop yet, this might not make sense, but it will! Whatever program you use, you can find tips and tutorials here at i♥faces to help. Since you mentoned Photoshop was in your near future, I wanted to show you a few things you can do with it.

Here's the link to my edit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artfromtheheart/3516043418/

Thank you for leeting me play with your pretty picture today!