it's the blown highlight on forehead look that irritates me. I see too many people going "look at me, I'm an ar[se]tist!". I appreciate yours was not intended that way, but it's a short-cut to a short temper on me.
The composition on it is *GREAT*. Perfect. It's just the curve work. Yes you can fiddle a curve in photoshop, well done, now go and have a biccy. No, that does not make you one of the great artists of the 21st Century. No, I will not yet take your work seriously. If you want me to do that, engage your little brain and come up with something that's meaningful, thought out and not-pretentious. Yes, post-production may take longer than three minutes if you're aiming at calling that fine art. DO I HAVE TO GET THE CLUESTICK OUT???? GGAGGAGAGAGAAAAHHHHHH! *collapse at despair at the student art world*
(obviously this is not a rant aimed anywhere near at you - it's aimed at the general population of art "students").
Just to clarify, you're not currently studying for an art degree[1] of any sort? If so, hide behind that bunker over there while I nuke the rest of the art-studenty population.
Eammon McCabe has got a brilliant article about the state of student photography. I must dig it out at some point.
Trying hard not to take it personally, but as it was my blown highlights which induced your RAGE, it's tricky not to.
:-)
OK, I have a question then. Given that I borked the highlights on the photo of my cousin and didn't shoot in RAW in the first place, what would you do with the photo? I'm keen to learn, and have picked up some bits and bobs along the line from various people - I no longer just click on 'ooh, make it nice' in Picasa for example, and do at least get into Gimp and twiddle with the settings to try and see what I can do with the resulting photo.
What I need to do is find a good photoshop tutorial/course, or someone with a large cluestick who is willing to talk me through the finer points of where I'm going wrong.
Well if you didn't shoot in RAW, there's not a lot you can do :-) Learn from it, and work on balancing your exposure for next time. Although saying that...
John Blakemore laments the digital age as a "throw away" age, where digital photos are seen as disposable and once "processed" never looked at again. Because of the proliferation of photography, it was very easy to throw away the "not best", and just working with the best images out of the camera. Often, the best images are teased out of those "almosts", they require a lot of work and consideration, but come out with superior images to those straight out of the camera.
Have a play with the colour of the image to start with. Look at the levels of saturation in the image, and the overall warmth of the image. You can probably introduce a small amount of realism by taking some of the "pop" out of it (although it depends if you want realism). Try completely desaturating the image, or adding a tonal effect. Hell, even try posterising it.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-04-26 09:24 pm (UTC)Very cool! :D
no subject
Date: 2009-04-26 10:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-26 10:23 pm (UTC):-)
no subject
Date: 2009-04-26 10:34 pm (UTC)it's the blown highlight on forehead look that irritates me. I see too many people going "look at me, I'm an ar[se]tist!". I appreciate yours was not intended that way, but it's a short-cut to a short temper on me.
The composition on it is *GREAT*. Perfect. It's just the curve work. Yes you can fiddle a curve in photoshop, well done, now go and have a biccy. No, that does not make you one of the great artists of the 21st Century. No, I will not yet take your work seriously. If you want me to do that, engage your little brain and come up with something that's meaningful, thought out and not-pretentious. Yes, post-production may take longer than three minutes if you're aiming at calling that fine art. DO I HAVE TO GET THE CLUESTICK OUT???? GGAGGAGAGAGAAAAHHHHHH! *collapse at despair at the student art world*
(obviously this is not a rant aimed anywhere near at you - it's aimed at the general population of art "students").
no subject
Date: 2009-04-26 10:35 pm (UTC)Eammon McCabe has got a brilliant article about the state of student photography. I must dig it out at some point.
[1] Didn't think so.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-27 08:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-27 09:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-27 08:23 am (UTC):-)
OK, I have a question then. Given that I borked the highlights on the photo of my cousin and didn't shoot in RAW in the first place, what would you do with the photo? I'm keen to learn, and have picked up some bits and bobs along the line from various people - I no longer just click on 'ooh, make it nice' in Picasa for example, and do at least get into Gimp and twiddle with the settings to try and see what I can do with the resulting photo.
What I need to do is find a good photoshop tutorial/course, or someone with a large cluestick who is willing to talk me through the finer points of where I'm going wrong.
:-)
no subject
Date: 2009-04-27 09:32 am (UTC)John Blakemore laments the digital age as a "throw away" age, where digital photos are seen as disposable and once "processed" never looked at again. Because of the proliferation of photography, it was very easy to throw away the "not best", and just working with the best images out of the camera. Often, the best images are teased out of those "almosts", they require a lot of work and consideration, but come out with superior images to those straight out of the camera.
Have a play with the colour of the image to start with. Look at the levels of saturation in the image, and the overall warmth of the image. You can probably introduce a small amount of realism by taking some of the "pop" out of it (although it depends if you want realism). Try completely desaturating the image, or adding a tonal effect. Hell, even try posterising it.
In other words - play :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-04-27 09:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-27 10:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-27 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-26 10:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-27 08:46 am (UTC)*blush*
no subject
Date: 2009-04-27 02:18 am (UTC)