roof dragon detail

[amrita]

I was wondering if i could get some feedback on this picture. I am looking for any kind of feedback in general - exposure, does the image have impact, is it composed well etc. But also specifically i want to ask about sharpness. I used manual focus here and selected the focus dot (cant's remember proper name for it, sorry) to overly the dragon in the right of the image. However it seems to be to still be a little out of focus, maybe due to camera shake? I have trouble working out how well focused an image is through the viewfinder. Do you have any suggestions on how I can improve? maybe its my poor eyesight ....

From 03.02 Kyoto Feb 2011

ISO: 800
Exposure: 1/160 sec
Aperture: 9.0
Focal Length: 250mm
Flash Used: No

Any/all feedback welcome. Thanks

[wulf]

The softness is almost certainly due to a touch of camera shake. Have you done any sharpening in post-processing.

Also, the dragon gets a little lost against the pattern of the roof tiles. You might be able to increase the contrast round the dragon enough to draw the eye but I wonder if the image might work better in colour? What colour were the dragon and tiles before you turned the photo to monochrome?

Wulf

[amrita]

Hi Wulf

Thanks for your post, I had given up on getting any feedback on this thread!

About post processing - no i havent done any sharpening. I am new to digital photography and don't do much post processing .. I want to practice using the camera first and don't want to shell out for PS yet!

I like your idea about increasing contrast around the dragon to make it stand out more. I guess that is something easily done with PS? I might see what i can do with picasa.

As for colour, if i recall the original roof was a grey slate colour, so there was'nt really much difference from the colour and B&W conversion...

[wulf]

Try the Gimp, for all the processing power you need to do a little photo development but for free (I think you can do some work in Picasa but, as far as I recall, you don't have valuable tools like the ability to work on different layers).

Without post-processing, it might be a case of waiting until the lighting is just right. Is this particular roof somewhere conveniently near to you, which would allow you to study it over time?

Wulf

[amrita]

ahh, yes, the gimp! i do actually have that program, but haven't been brave enough to tackle it yet...

And yes, the roof is conveniently located around the corner from where I live. I am thinking of investing in a tripod, which might also help matters along. Is your comment about waiting for good lighting referring to more light = faster shutter speed = less camera shake?

Thanks

Amrita

[wulf]

More to the fact that the position and intensity of natural light varies greatly. There might be a point, for example, where the rising or setting sun just strikes the dragon while leaving the rest of the roof relatively muted. At the moment, it is relatively dull with small patterns compared to the bright roof, which has a high contrast, repeating pattern. The eye is drawn to the latter and so the dragon is diminished in comparison.

Wulf