Homeless Grin

[sideeffects]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2090/2235328742_da74857f3f.jpg

Hello all was messing around with my new lens to get some B&W portraits and this was my best shot..

Exif:
f-2.8
focal 100mm
ISO 100
I cant remember my shutter speed how do I check this on an image that was internally converted to jpeg.. anyone? I think 1/100

I really like this image, however I feel the brighter area in the background to the left is destracting to the eye.

Should I crop this image and cut out the bright area or leave it as is?

Any other comments or critiques would be greatly appreciated!

The image is much more detailed on my flickr when viewed in a larger size. The link is in my signature if you are interested.

Thanks guys

[Digidave]

I really like this image, however I feel the brighter area in the background to the left is destracting to the eye.

That's the first thing I thought also. I don't think cropping is the answer though. Right now you have good composition. Maybe you could clone that darker area over the brighter area? Just a thought. Or, you may want to try lightening the main subject & then darkening the entire photo.

[xxpinballxx]

very good shot...the eyes look real sharp I would crop in a bit tighter and darken a bit around the edges and background.....
I think you could just darken around it with the burn tool but cropping would bring the subject a bit closer to the viewer.....

[Saralonde]

Nice shot. I like the choice of B&W for this. Very nice sharpness. Did you use the 70-200 for this?

[sideeffects]

Nice shot. I like the choice of B&W for this. Very nice sharpness. Did you use the 70-200 for this?

Thanks everyone for the kind words, and yes I did use the 70-200. I just got it like 4 days ago and have been using it a lot!

I wish I had photoshop skills I only know the very basics of the program. I am trying to learn though.

[peeperita]

i think this a great image.....the depth of field is a good choice and the backlighting on your subject really makes him stand out from the background.....the background light bits that you find so disturbing really don't bother me at all as your subject truly reigns as the focul point...

thanks for sharing

peeper

[Digidave]

I brightened up his face a little bit to see if it would make a difference. The idea being, if you make your subject stand out more, the background distractions will be less distracting. The changes I made are small, but I think they make a difference. What do you think?

Before:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/digidave/2236373589/" title="2235328742_da74857f3f by Digidave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2098/2236373589_b8c7d70b3f_o.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="2235328742_da74857f3f" /></a>

After:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/digidave/2236360425/" title="2235328742_da74857f3f-B by Digidave, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/2236360425_d338f05fcb_o.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="2235328742_da74857f3f-B" /></a>

[siopaopei]

i dunno, i like the first photo better, i like the darker lines of the face.

[xxpinballxx]

I took a stab at it too......
http://xxpinballxx.zoints.com/image/76429-bumcopy2

[Digidave]

Pinball: Oooo, I'm likin' that!! That's more than just a crop though, correct? How about a small, "What I did".

[xxpinballxx]

Thanks dave...its sort my new thing...I am trying this with just about every photo I get...lol. Portrait that is.

I first selected the the subjects face with the quick select. Worked real well getting the head face and beard and the lighter color lining of the jacket.
Took that selection and increased contrast and brightened it.
Then I zoomed in close on the eyes and selected only the eyes trying not to get any of the lids. I again increased the contrast almost all the way and brightened them till they stood out a bit.
Now comes the fun.......
I duplicated the layer.....and layered it with a multiply blend mode. This will give the entire photo a dark look. I then reselected the entire body including the jacket. I increased the brightness here but then went into the shadows and highlights and tweaked them till the range came back into the subject. When I brightened it it lost alot.
Now the photo is pretty much where it is in the post other than adjusting the levels and contrast and brightness a bit like you would with any B&W photo.
Its my shrot version of Dragan. The only areas I skip that Draganizing doesnt is really the blur layers. I find IN B&W photos like this it really doesnt add anything to it in my eyes.

[jiminyClickit]

sideeffects,

Since the title is subject-specific, and there is nothing detailed enough in the background to make it worth keeping, it can go. The grin is worth making more apparent, fairly easy with a gradient mask to darken upper left side. Man is as you photographed him.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/47146451@N00/2237637478/" title="GrinX by jiminyClickit, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2420/2237637478_10e8f87ece.jpg" width="411" height="500" alt="GrinX" /></a>

[Digidave]

sideeffects: As you can see, there are many routes you can take with your original photo. The only problem now is, deciding which one you like best. They are all good in their own way. That's the biggest problem I have with Post-Production. Sometimes you can look at a shot for too long a period of time. Then it's best just to step away for a day or so & comeback for another look. The one thing you got going for you is, you have a very good starting point with the original that you shot. You left enough room for cropping & that appears to be the way to go. Give it a shot & post back with the results. Good Luck!!:)

[JFSanders]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2090/2235328742_da74857f3f.jpg
OP's original

http://xxpinballxx.zoints.com/image/76429-bumcopy2
Pinball's PS edit

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2420/2237637478_10e8f87ece.jpg
JiminyClickit's PS edit

Because you are making a portrait the background is not needed. I like the pose. I also think Pinball's background work is good for making the subject pop out as the dark line is distracting in Jiminy's edit. But I like the OP's face as it was in the original. Nice work and did you get to talk to the man? Did he have a name to go with the post or some background info? I am thinking of some sort of caption. My PS skills are weak or I would try to show a edit with those parameters.

[sideeffects]

i dunno, i like the first photo better, i like the darker lines of the face.

I agree I like the dark shadows cast on his face I feel it gives it more depth, however I do still feel I should darken the background a bit. Now all I have to do it bust out the photoshop book I just bought and see if I can figure it out :P

Also I really like JimmyClickit's version of the photo. Pinball yours was good as well but I feel the change to brightness or maybe it was the contrast change lost a little detail in his face/cloths.

I'm still learning but I'll post an edited version up in a bit. Thanks guys!

[jiminyClickit]

sideeffects, Thanks

Starting out, nothing becomes more important than saving your original; always work on a copy of it. If you need to undo or start over a dozen times, you'll learn from that too.

I don't have PhotoShop; any general questions I can help with, feel free. If you relax and enjoy your edit, your neck and wrist won't hurt as much (That's probably not in the book).

[sideeffects]

Here is my attempt at post processing.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2404/2240255709_86be0cebc3.jpg

And here is the original image.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2090/2235328742_da74857f3f.jpg

I cropped the image a bit and selected the area around the portrait. Then I feathered the selected man to "blend" him into the new darkened background. I then selected the inverse of my lasso and adjusted the brightness and contrast a bit to darken the light area in the background.

It's not perfect but I'm still learning :P what do you guys think?