Thoughtful Dad

[Peach]

This is a picture of a lake we stopped by on our hunting trip a few weeks ago. I had been taking pictures earlier of the trees lit by the sun, so my settings were still set for that when my dad went down and stood by the lake and looked out over it (spontaneous, he didn't know I was taking a picture of him). I grabbed this shot, hoping to sort of silhouette him against the clear lake.

My first question is:
What would have made for better settings to get the lake in bright color but him in a darker tone - is that even physically possible?

Secondly, I did some serious post processing with the picture and would like critiques on whether what I did "worked" or whether it fell short. Basically a lot of cloning, levels adjustment, brightness adjustment, etc.

I will post the original picture, and link to the post processed (as per forum rules).

Original photo:

Lake - Original by JustPeachee, on Flickr

EXIF info:
Nikon D40x
ISO 100
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal length: 32 mm
Exposure: 1/200

Here is the postprocessed one:

Dad By The Lake

Thank you everyone!

[Hill Country Hack]

Hello,

I like the PP done on the background. A very good job IMO. I feel you feel a bit short in the attempt to sihouette your father as one can still see the camoflauge pattern in the jacket. It feels too underexposed for my taste.

Your choice of f4.5 is interesting. What was your thought process in selecting that apeture? Keep on shooting.

[Peach]

Originally Posted by Hill Country Hack

Hello,

I like the PP done on the background. A very good job IMO. I feel you feel a bit short in the attempt to sihouette your father as one can still see the camoflauge pattern in the jacket. It feels too underexposed for my taste.

Your choice of f4.5 is interesting. What was your thought process in selecting that apeture? Keep on shooting.

No thought process at all, actually. This was the first time in a very lo-o-o-o-o-ng time that I'd actually fiddled with my camera so I'm finding that I'm re-learning everything again. It's been about 2 years, maybe 3, since I took some "serious" pictures. I do know I spent a bit of time fiddling with the aperture and shutter to get the brightness in the trees without over-exposing them too much and when dad went to the lake, the camera was still on those settings (I think).

I'm hesitant to darken him any more because I don't want it to look like a cut-out. Would going darker make it too much of a cut-out shot or should I risk it and see?

[Doug Sundseth]

If you want to raise the brightness on your dad, you'll need to add light to the scene. Since it looks like you were in shade, that would mean artificial light of some sort. If you want to lower the brightness on your dad, you'll need to use a flashdark. Unfortunately, that means you'll first need to invent a flashdark ... and change the laws of physics.

Essentially, the camera just captures what's there, so unless you change what's there, you get what you get. Anything not originally present will have to be changed in post.

I like the colors and contrast in your processed photo. I don't have a problem with the detail that is still left in your dad, though I think I would keep more detail if it were my photo.

I'm not thrilled with the placement of your dad in the frame. I think you'd have a more effective photo if you were to move him off of the centerline. Your call, obviously.

[Peach]

Originally Posted by Doug Sundseth

If you want to raise the brightness on your dad, you'll need to add light to the scene. Since it looks like you were in shade, that would mean artificial light of some sort. If you want to lower the brightness on your dad, you'll need to use a flashdark. Unfortunately, that means you'll first need to invent a flashdark ... and change the laws of physics.

Essentially, the camera just captures what's there, so unless you change what's there, you get what you get. Anything not originally present will have to be changed in post.

I like the colors and contrast in your processed photo. I don't have a problem with the detail that is still left in your dad, though I think I would keep more detail if it were my photo.

I'm not thrilled with the placement of your dad in the frame. I think you'd have a more effective photo if you were to move him off of the centerline. Your call, obviously.

I like the idea of changing the law of physics. I wonder if I'll get chocolate for doing that. I love chocolate.

I never thought to take a shot off center, but then again there were trees not too far left and right from where I stood and I didn't really want to take a tumble into the lake (though the dogs loved it; darn near swam straight across it). Next time I'll consider the off-center shot. It's hard b/c neither of my parents like being photographed, so working with an uncooperative model means you have to go incognito sometimes LOL