Drama. And Fake DOF

[roostabunny]

Picture of the Missus taken with a Lumix DMC-TZ5 PAS.

I apologize, because I didn't pay enough attention to the actual steps to get from one to the other, but I can tell you that I obviously bumped up the contrast a lot (enough to lose the detail in her sweater, and spent quite a bit of time selecting areas of the background to create a gradual fall-off of focus in the background. It's also pretty heavily sharpened which played up the textures of the painted metal and the wooden decking. And given the overcast skies, I think I brightened her face quite a bit as well.

I guess the operative word was "drama" from what the camera had rendered very flat. I think the work produced a passable stylized portrait from a cute snapshot.

[katia]

to me, in photo #2 the focal point becomes the pole, and the giant block of black (her sweater).

i prefer the original

[katahdin]

I like the original as well, but regardless, your wife is gorgeous!

[High_Speed]

I think it's just a TAD overcooked. I do like #2, but I'd back off the blacks just a bit (so she doesn't look like she's wrapped in a giant black rug), and I think you'd be pretty good.

PS: Lovely wife. Great smile.

[zona5101]

The edited is a bit overdone but it kinda hides the fact that she's out of focus so if that was part of the effort I think the edited version works better.

[High_Speed]

roostabunny: Take a look at these edits. See what you think.

[roostabunny]

Awesome, folks, thanks for this feedback!

I see the point about the block of black sweater and the pole stealing the show. Gorgeous as she is (and thanks for saying so) - she was not feeling well that day, which was also our 10th anniversary, so I'm all wrapped up in the sweet smile, probably missing the overall impact on the composition, and definitely missing the fact (until Zona mentioned it) that it's the bridge lattice behind her that's actually in focus.

Anyway, good lesson for me, don't let warm memories color the photo. At least, not while you're working on it.

And High_Speed, I like those edits, especially the less-saturated one. I think you did a lot less sharpening than I did, but how did you get the contrast and still save the sweater?

[High_Speed]

Originally Posted by roostabunny

And High_Speed, I like those edits, especially the less-saturated one. I think you did a lot less sharpening than I did, but how did you get the contrast and still save the sweater?

I adjusted on the image selectively. In other words, I adjusted the contrast differently for the sweater than I did the rest of the image. The quick selection tool really is like a magic wand sometimes.

PS: I thought you'd like the less saturated one. Looked like more of what you were going for. I like it too.

[roostabunny]

Originally Posted by High_Speed

I adjusted on the image selectively. In other words, I adjusted the contrast differently for the sweater than I did the rest of the image. The quick selection tool really is like a magic wand sometimes.

PS: I thought you'd like the less saturated one. Looked like more of what you were going for. I like it too.

Cool, thanks! Yeah, I guess the thing that makes the sweater a challenge (solid black block) also makes it relatively easy to select.

Actually, it was a tough choice, and I might have picked it for a different reason than you think. I really like the color of that beam (in fact, part of me thinks I might have increased saturation in my edit (sorry, I gotta start paying attention to these things if I'm going to post in this forum), but the earlier conversation about it becoming the focal point of the shot has me preferring the more toned down version.