Leaf and Fence

[TwoRails]

I happened to notice the texture and nice natural lighting on this leaf. I like the way it was standing by itself. Other than some cropping, it's straight out of the camera. It might be more dramatic if I darkened or blacked out the background. C&C welcome

 

[tirediron]

"Straight out of the camera" is rarely a good thing. You've got a nice picture here, but, like all images, it's not as good as it could be. You've mentioned some of the points already; may I ask why you haven't acted on them? Overall, I'd suggest (as you have) blacking out the background, and burning in the lower edges of the leaf. I suspect some tweaks with the contrast and saturation sliders might not go amiss either.

 

[bschneider5]

I like the leaf, especially with the shadows, but the fence seems to be a bit of a distraction.

 

[TwoRails]

Thanks for the feedback. Keep it coming!

tirediron: Didn't do any editing as I wanted as many comments / suggestions as possible, so I am showing what I have to work with. For as long as I have been editing, I should be better at some things, but burning (and dodging) are my weakest areas. The few times I've attempted burning I aways end up with a mottled look with too much color change (or would the be hue?). Any tips on burning are greatly appreciated! (I use Paint Shop 12, BTW).

bschneider5: Ya, I wasn't sure how the fence would turn out. Naturally I was hoping for an "artsy" look. However, it was the shot in the sense that the leaf was just a few inches from the fences so I didn't really have any options. I took about 6 shoots, but all with the fence. I didn't think of it at the time, but I probably could have gotten closer for a few shots to exclude the fence. Gotta think of more options while shooting...

 

[tirediron]

The only real tips I can offer for dodging, burning, etc is practice. Seriously, read up on how the various parameters affect each tool and then practice, practice, practice.

 

[TwoRails]

OK, thanks!

 

[photo_lover_73401]

neat photo..I agree w/ the whole fence distracting the leaf but overall, i really like the leaf that's a neat color for a leaf..Oh how I love the fall..

 

[TwoRails]

Thanks. Ya, the more I look at it, the more the fence is "in the way." Too bad it was in the way for how the plant was growing -- Ya, I love the fall, too.