green eye candy

[peeperita]

i debated which critique forum to place this in because there was a lot of post work done......i decided to rely on the subject instead....

so, here goes....

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/peeperita/2306763894/" title="IMG_7334 by peeperita, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3224/2306763894_c1c15ec17b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_7334" /></a>

Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 70 mm


this is wileen enjoying the first balmy day of spring here in mississippi....

she was up under a shrub that was 70 percent bare of foilage....there was a bit of late afternoon sunlight striking her on the right.....the original image came out soft and quite blue from the shadows....not at all what my eye saw....

in post, i used the shadows/highlight tool to take down some of the highlights while retaining the shadows....levels to remove the blue cast, and because the scene was so busy with twigs and leaves and grass....i placed my subject on a separate layer and sharpened her only......then a little green on a separate layer set to color to pop those beautiful eyes.....

almost satisfied, i uploaded the image.....but, on further reflection, i decided the scene was still too cool for such a warm sunny afternoon......so i decided to adjust the image with yet another layer with a warm brown to light warmish beige radial gradient set to multiply.....this brought focus onto wileen even more and threw the background into a slightly darker, warmer tone....

so....:)

i worried about my composition.....and tried to use her left eye on a third.......was this a good move or is there another way i could have cropped?....

also, my post was supposed to emulate what my eye saw as a warm, cozy scene....do you think i got there.....or was my post work too heavy handed?

your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated....

thanks

peeper

[windrider86]

Not quite sure how else you could have cropped it except maybe a little off the top.
I do love the way you captured the colors on this one. You did such a ownderful job with layers which I have so yet to master.

This is one of theose photos that would look amazing in black and white with those bright green eyes remaining in color.
Looks nice and warm there while I sit in a foot of snow. Of course its all melting off today but makes it hard to get about on 2 wheels

[peeperita]

thanks for your comments, wind....i have a lot of wiggle room in the original file to recrop.....

in mississippi, spring is lying at the doorstep and i don't expect too many more cool to cold nights.....pretty soon, i'll be hauling out the houseplants for a nice long stay outside.....

so, honestly, folks.....i would appreciate any comments on improving this image.....the more eyes i have via critique the better my skills become.....

so teach me!

peeper

[RussHeath]

Peeper -- I always love your post work, and this is no exception. Not heavy handed at all. In fact, other than the vingette (which I love) I would not have been sure that this was processed much at all.

The overall color temperature of the scene fits perfectly with the warm afternoon you described. The golden sunlight also fits that mood exactly.

Wileen has gorgeous eyes, and I really like the leaves hovering above her head as the two greens work well together.

The composition here does not strike me as problematic at all, but because you asked about it, I guess with the cat staring at sort of a down angle towards the right of the frame, it might be nice to see one with her face at the upper left ROT intersection rather than the lower left. Just a thought, you mentioned having room on the edges but you would need quite a bit for that. Cropping in that way would also let the slope of the ground lead you further down and right, following where Wileen is looking.

It's a great picture with the natural lighting, and really shows off your cat. :) (I can't let mine outside here, too many foxes in the area . . . :eek:)

[peeperita]

russ, thank you for taking the time to offer me critique.....

i worried over my post work when i viewed it on another computer and saw to my chagrin a slightly different, warmer cast to my images than what i saw here at home.....post work is a place that i have been concentrating hard on to be "lighter" and less obvious.....oftentimes i can be content with my work only to view it later in horror.....

the compostition always felt slightly off to me but i was hard pressed to see it through another's eyes and that's where your and wind's critique is invaluable to me......i do have quite a bit of room as i was a fair stretch from my girl wileen and i use only my kit lens......this weekend i will take to heart what the two of you offered and experiment with different cropping....

again, my heartfelt thanks for your time

peeper
Peeper -- I always love your post work, and this is no exception. Not heavy handed at all. In fact, other than the vingette (which I love) I would not have been sure that this was processed much at all.

The overall color temperature of the scene fits perfectly with the warm afternoon you described. The golden sunlight also fits that mood exactly.

Wileen has gorgeous eyes, and I really like the leaves hovering above her head as the two greens work well together.

The composition here does not strike me as problematic at all, but because you asked about it, I guess with the cat staring at sort of a down angle towards the right of the frame, it might be nice to see one with her face at the upper left ROT intersection rather than the lower left. Just a thought, you mentioned having room on the edges but you would need quite a bit for that. Cropping in that way would also let the slope of the ground lead you further down and right, following where Wileen is looking.

It's a great picture with the natural lighting, and really shows off your cat. :) (I can't let mine outside here, too many foxes in the area . . . :eek:)

[windrider86]

You are always so wonderful with your wording!
I have the same thoughts as you when i look at some of my work and think "cool, it looks great" and then post it and come back and fall over and think, "what was I thinking?"
Which is why i find you and many others invaluable. I respect your opinions and take your critique to heart, I've learned from you all and grown from your comments.

[RussHeath]

You're very welcome, Peeper. I look forward to seeing your revisions!

[RexK_Cozumel]

very nice one peeper it looks very natural to me. The vignetting makes it look like there was a ray of light passing thru the brush and hitting the sid eof the cats face. Anyways the thing that bothers me about this photo is the branch/leaves that are sticking out over the cats ears.

[peeperita]

I have the same thoughts as you when i look at some of my work and think "cool, it looks great" and then post it and come back and fall over and think, "what was I thinking?"
Which is why i find you and many others invaluable. I respect your opinions and take your critique to heart, I've learned from you all and grown from your comments.


my thoughts exactly, wind.....i know that this critique thing can be intimidating to a lot of members.....they will tend to shy away at the word critique itself.....but, what most don't realise is that an offering here is for anyone to comment on....that each and every set of eyes......be it a novice's or a so called pro.....they all have something to offer.....for me it's just as important to know what they all think....good, bad, or ugly......through another's eyes i find improvement....

thanks again, girl.....

peeper

[peeperita]

very nice one peeper it looks very natural to me. The vignetting makes it look like there was a ray of light passing thru the brush and hitting the sid eof the cats face. Anyways the thing that bothers me about this photo is the branch/leaves that are sticking out over the cats ears.


thanks, rex,....that's was the look i had hoped for in my post work.....

and yes, i do agree that the leaves and whatnot obscuring my sweet wileen are a problem.....

thanks for your time

peeper