Sam (too dark??)

Alexandra · Jan 21, 2006

Okay, so i'm having some doubts here. The lighting was very poor, and i don't know if this is too dark. what do you think?
Also: is the blue too much? his uniform was already dark blue plus the colorization really darkened the shot. So, what are your opinions on this? any suggestions?

1986 · Jan 21, 2006

i think that it isnt too dark but it is a little blue...but thats just me

FuryofNature · Jan 21, 2006

Seems to me that the top is right, but the bottom is a little too dark. I can barely see any detail below his leg.

Having done mostly concert shots in dark and dank night clubs, I've had this problem many times. And it's a pain sometimes, but its usually recoverable.

I would try just lightening the bottom on a new layer.

Hope that helps in some way. I like the photo a lot.

_KA

JohnMF · Jan 21, 2006

i like the dark area. i would say, rather than trying to bring out details in the dark, do the opposite and get rid of those two the distracting specs of light on the bottom right.

also i think crop a tiny bit off the bottom and a couple of cm's off the right hand side, so that cupboard thing isnt in the picture.

i think the contrast is nice and i like the colour. It's a nice picture

Onyx · Jan 22, 2006

i really like this picture. the only thing id suggest is lightening the left side of his face a bit.

markc · Jan 22, 2006

I like the idea of a crop also. It would help to get rid of some of the dead space.

With both that much window and shadow in the frame, this is a really tough lighting situation to get a good exposure in. I think you did a good job of getting the necessary detail in his face to see who he is, even if one side is in shadow. It's just an extreme example of "short" lighting.

Alexandra · Jan 22, 2006

Guys, first of all, I wanna thank you a lot for the awesome advice! I was first kind of affraid of the critique gallery... but now i think i'll have to post here more often

So, I tried out some of your suggestions and here's what I got. (I'm really bad in PS and all, so go easy on me

)

JohnMF: i cloned out the specs to give a more natural look:

And I tried the crop thing also:

Fury, I tried the layer lighting, but the thing is that the darkness was already there in the original, so there's no way I can get more detail uot of it

But I think the crop solves that problem

markc · Jan 22, 2006

I like the crop you picked. I makes it easier for the eye to concentrate on his face.

Jeff Canes · Jan 22, 2006

Sorry but I dont like that last crop, IMO too tight, also I do not mine to refection off his watch, and i like the blue tone, As for the darkness looks good on my monitor

Alexandra · Jan 23, 2006

thanks guys!
I hope I can show the pics to Sam soon to know what he thinks

craig · Jan 26, 2006

I like the original post. I get a strong feeling of his surroundings. The cyan hue is nice. As long as there is something resembling white in the frame. the only thing missing is a huge bounce to open the shadows.

Tsimiri · Jan 26, 2006

I really like the original post. The angle and very light window contrasting against the person. But I think that the little bit of light on the left side of his face makes up for the rest of him being a bit dark. Very well done. I also love the blue tone, it fits perfectly.

-Fiona

carlphoto · Feb 2, 2006

It's a bit dark, but not too dark...

thebeginning · Feb 2, 2006

i also like the original better than the crop. the lower part of the picture really plays well with the brighter top half, and the shape of his body really leads your eye to his face. the crop makes him more look cramped, and takes away the feel of the image's contrast. I think the exposure/contrast is spot on, and the toning is also nice. nice photo, i really like it!