The Dead of Winter

[mrodgers]

I'm finally going to post a pic. I haven't gone out to take photos in particular, just have been taking family snapshot of all the Christmas parties. But I liked the look of this old dead sunflower on the side of the house that I haven't torn out yet.

I'm new to messing around with photos in graphics software (using PaintShop Pro 7). Most of my use of PSP7 has only been for painting cars for a racing simulator that I use.

I changed it to sepia tone and messed around with some sliders to get it a bit more yellow looking. Feel free to comment (duh, that's what this forum is for, hehe). For some reason, when I resize in PSP7, I loose quite a bit of quality. That is resizing original 7 mp file down to 600x800. All my other photo software is even worse at resizing and messing up quality.

[Amira]

I love this shot and the fact that you've enhanced kind of a yellowish color throughout. It adds to the feeling of decay and cold to the photo. Can I ask if there is a reason you cut off the left side of the flower? I thought maybe it was slightly distracting to not have the complete flower in the shot. Or maybe it's the fact that the top of the bend is missing that is distracting? I'm not really sure which one...? I love the mood in this photo though I think you really caught the tone well. =) But what do I know?! =)

[Nathan deGargoyle]

I look forward to seeing this guy in the next series of Dr Who!

And you can load the full size to flickr then post the medium flickr image. that lets those of us who want to see the full size click through to it.

BTW, did I say I liked this. Sometimes my fingers run away with me.

[jiminyClickit]

mrodgers,

On Fickr, I upload 4mb (resized from 11mb out-of-camera) photos and let them resize in increments (using Medium for DPS), down to 80x80 pixels for avatars. So much easier and useful, and the site is chockful of information about everything photographic, with millions of examples of good photography. Not that photobucket won't work . . .

Photo has old illustration qualities to it, you may want to rethink the crop (either in camera next time, or on this one if you cut off some). Anything close to, touching or crossed by the frame draws attention to itself, usually to the detriment of your photo. Attention should revolve, rotate, within the frame without reminding you there is one. Exceptions abound: half faces, railroad tracks, bloom closeups.

Here, you have the edge of the bloom and the curved stems touching the side, and it would be so much better with space in between. Look around, try another of your flower shots, it is a small but important difference.

Based on your edit, it appears the original was well shot.

[mrodgers]

Thanks all. I have been looking at flickr and some other host sites. Just haven't jumped on one yet. My Photobucket is just a place to host game screenshots and such. I have a 1 mb limit, which is why I need to change (more limit for paid service).

I only edited coloring and overall size on the original. So, what you see is how I shot. Yes, I do know now about how to better shoot it just as you all said. It was one of my first shot.

It is not a DSLR, BTW. Just a Fuji S700. So far, I've been shooting only in P mode to force lower ISO numbers. But I think I shot this in A-priority since it was a test of blurring the background. It was also shot before I read quite a bit here and elsewhere on composition.

Thanks again. It's right outside on the corner of the house, so I may reshoot it just for my own benefit. Unfortunately, the snow is gone though. But now I see a toy grocery cart in the background as well from the kids which I wouldn't have noticed before, but now do notice stuff like that.

I tried to clone the toy cart out, but that didn't work out well. Not sure exactly how to clone stuff out yet, especially something of that size. It just pushed the edges up into the shadows for me. Have some reading on PSP7 tutorials to do.

[jiminyClickit]

mrodgers,

It is all relative to when you start and how fast you want to go. You did good here, and practice will only improve your work.