winter scene - did i create melancholy and nostalgia?

[camillecc]

i took this photo today all properly exposed and all (at least i think)

i then added grain and lighting effects for vignetting. my overall goal is to create a sense of melancholy or nostalgia.

would like to find out if i accomplished my goal. also any tips and tricks i can apply to the photograph to improve my composition or post processing would greatly be appreciated!!!

i had originally wanted this to replace my entry for the current assignment on self-portrait... would this be wise?

THANK YOU so much for all the comments and helpful suggestions in advance.



Camera: Canon EOS 20D
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 10 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off

[Visions]

Hello and congratulations for trying something so different!
You have done a lot of processing but the one that worries me the most is the vignette - I feel it is rather too dark and has made the picture too dark.
What would have been good is if you had used the history brush and brought back a few of the highlights of the snow laden branch that you are looking at.
Incidentally, how could you take a self portrait in the snow without leaving footprints? I'm impressed!
Heck, you are going to wish I hadn't replied! I feel that the picture needs a little rotation - the figure is leaning to the right as are all the tall pines in the background. (I'm a picky individual!)
I do not know what you are using to edit your pictures but I have a feeling that most crop tools will allow you to rotate if you move the cursor out to one of the corners. If you CAN do that, use the crop tool to create a small rectangle with one of the verticals running up close to the body of your subject. Then put the cursor outside the corner of your crop rectangle and rotate it until that vertical edge actually does follow the line of the girl in the picture.
Drag out the nodes to the edges of the picture before hitting the "Enter" key. Your picture will rotate and everything will be upright.
AJ

[camillecc]

Thank you!

I was feeling the same about the vignette that it was a little too dark but I was still second guessing myself.

As for the straightening I never even noticed that! The terrain was really slanted and I was really leaning a bit forward but I will try and rotate the photo a little bit to see how it looks. Once I've done some minor adjustments I will repost the photo...

Thanks again!

[ingulita]

hi Camilecc,
congratulations, i think it's beautiful picture, I miss snow

i like the effect of u leaning to right, I guess you could try both, traightening or maybe rotating further right, becasue your body is naturaly leaning forward you could use it to create something different.

I love the trees and snow and your siluate in colored clothes, as mentioned in Visions post, maybe try lightening up most of the part, or in opposite, have trees further darkened while keeping yourslef higilighted in middle or with increase saturation. not sure what this effect is called, photoshop has something called gradient tool i think.

well i hope this makes sense and u find it helpfull.
good luck

[camillecc]

okay! it took a while but here is the edited photo...



i took everyone's advice by lightening the vignette effect and by making the ground look straight...

how goes it?

[Visions]

i took everyone's advice by lightening the vignette effect and by making the ground look straight...

how goes it?[/QUOTE]

Well Done! Now with the figure standing upright there is a huge sense of isolation and loneliness. With the figure standing upright there was a sense or urgency or expectation. Now you have a moody picture. Nice when someone can pick up on advice and get good results!
A big pat on the back!
AJ

[Visions]

Originally Posted by Visions

With the figure standing upright there was a sense or urgency or expectation.
AJ

Sorry! I should read my mails before I post them! I meant with the figure leaning forward that there was a sense of urgency or expectation. The way I said it before did not make much sense!
Sorry to confuse.
AJ