Chestnuts

minimeeze

minimeeze

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Name
Cheryl
Edit My Images
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Ok, I'm being really brave and posting my first pic to get some constructive (but honest!) crticism from you guys. This was taken at a local nature reserve.. I know it would have looked better if there were some actual chestnuts in the shells
I haven't played about with it in photoshop, other than to slightly crop it btw


chestnuts.jpg


Taken with Nikon D70, handheld
70-300mm lens (at 195mm)
F/5
1/25 sec exposure

<holds breath and waits....> :whistle2:
 
Well its a good start if you want critique! :) Just in case you were thinking that you'd been ignored then don't worry, some people like to mull over it to provide aged and malty feedback ;)

Ok, I'm not sure it really says anything to me, but don't take that to heart, as we all see things differently. Seems a little pointless (there is a pun there :D )

Technically there isn't much wrong with the photo, nice DoF and good off the camera sharpness (more later). It's a bit central which sometimes doesn't help an image, maybe try it with the nuts a bit lower down i.e. less foreground.

Post processing is somewhere where you can make a big difference. I understand that you may not have processed it to get more feedback but you should try you hand at it first before submitting so that you can learn from your mistakes and sucesses! Nothing better than someone saying 'To much USM' or 'Great processing!'.

Anyway, this would benefit from increased saturation, levels and curves. Apply a bit of USM on the lightness channel to sharpen it more as it could take some.

You should have an image then that says 'SPIKEY!' which may give it the pop you want.

HTH :)
 
Great use of Depth of Field ....really like the way the 3rd part of chestnut falls out of focus. Composition works for me also, as the 2 front shells are on the thirds verticals. Green also stands out really well from autumn foliage.

Great start :)
 
Ooh... Alice Holt Forest unless I'm very much mistaken...
I recognise the 3rd leaf on the right...
 
Arkady said:
Ooh... Alice Holt Forest unless I'm very much mistaken...
I recognise the 3rd leaf on the right...
Click to expand...

Actually, it's Rowhills :p
 
Great attempt Minimeeze and I like the subject - although not the easiest for a first attmept I am sure.

I am not so sure about the DoF - it looks to me as if it starts to much in front of the main subject and, for me the rear third is neither in focus nor out of focus enough. :ponders: - again these are purely personal pov and you may like it just the way it is ... and that is what really matters.:smilenod:

I cannot really comment on any manipulation methods as I have next to zero experience thus far, but I can certainly see what SammyC is alluding to !

In simple terms, if it was the old way you would carry out d & p to your taste before presenting any pic ... same rules should really apply to digital on this basis. e.g. Tart it up to your taste before you go public !;)
 
BTW, thats to show curves and colours rather than sharpness as the JPG pixie has been in and killed any that was there! ;)
 
i really like it, nicely composed and framed, well done!
 
Thanks SammyC - that does make so much difference - the spikes look, well, spikier now :)

Having only just recently acquired photoshop CS, I am still twiddling about with bits in there and finding out what everything does.
 
The main one to look at is curves. I find that putting an S shape produces a very nice effect, effectively boosting the foreground and darkening the shadows. Obviously it depends on the image in question!

:)
 
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