BMW 330i on the Old Columbia Highway (OR)

[Bianca.Tarleton]

I spent some time in photoshop working on the background, but here are the original stats:

Canon Rebel XSi
Shutter speed: 1/125
Aperture: f/5.0
ISO: 800
Focal length: 40 mm



I'm looking for any critique anyone may have. This is my first quality picture that I've found to be worthwhile to post anywhere, and I'd like anyone's input on the lighting, compostion, etc. or anything else that I could do to make this picture better. Also, rate on a scale of 1-5 on overall quality. Thanks!!

[smc1377]

Are you looking for any sort of critique in particular, or should I move this to the Share Your Shots section?

[Sterling]

A few criticisms: I think the car is too close to the left edge. The colors of the yellow lines, leaves, and grass are too saturated, especially the grass. There is a halo around the car from where I assume you lightened it. Also, the light on the car doesn't really seem to match the light in the scene - it sort of looks like the car was "placed" on the road. Also noticed that the grass seen through the car's back window doesn't seem to match the color of the grass elswehere on that bank. Good idea, keep working at it.

[Bianca.Tarleton]

Originally Posted by Sterling

A few criticisms: I think the car is too close to the left edge. The colors of the yellow lines, leaves, and grass are too saturated, especially the grass. There is a halo around the car from where I assume you lightened it. Also, the light on the car doesn't really seem to match the light in the scene - it sort of looks like the car was "placed" on the road. Also noticed that the grass seen through the car's back window doesn't seem to match the color of the grass elswehere on that bank. Good idea, keep working at it.

Thanks for your critique. Theres a few reasons why this picture came to be the way it is - thank you for noticing everything that I was insecure about. Thats why I wanted it looked at by someone else with an eye! This picture is from a series of shots that I got of the car taking the turn, this one happened to be the sharpest. Funny you should notice the color of the grass through the back window - its because my husband's face used to be there. I smudged it out in PS because he felt awkward that he was in the photo. The halo around the car is because I originally cut it out to preserve the original color quality of the car while I worked on the background in a separate layer. I'm really new at PS, which could be an explanation for my methods. I'm sure theres an easier way around it!

Thanks again, I really appreciate it!

[Sterling]

You know, I thought the driver was missing but I also thought, "who would remove the driver from a shot of a car driving?" That really adds to the feeling that the car has been "placed" on that road artificially. IMO, it is sort of fundamental in photographing a driving car that it have a driver.