C&C please

[tresguey]

I am starting to play in manual. Experimanting with candles.

 

[Sodak]

Well done. I like it. The only problem I see is that shinny thing reflecting on the right side is a tad distracting.

 

[tresguey]

Yeah I saw that myself. I would have taken it out but I really don't know how....But I'm sure I will figure this out in time.

 

[Sherman Banks]

If you're gonna do the central placement of the subject, you should crop it symmetrical so it's not off balance. The thing in the back right can be cloned out if you have photoshop. I assume gimp has a feature like it too. I like the shot though, pretty spooky.

 

[Dick Sanders]

I tried to bring up the levels a bit to show more detail in the base, and I also got rid of the distracting bright item on the right side. The solution is to use the rectangular marquee tool in PhotoShop, copy a dark area and paste into its own layer, then use the move tool to move the new piece over the offending item. From there you can adjust the levels on that layer, then use the eraser tool to erase the edges and blend it in with the background layer. I also copied and pasted the bottom half of the picture (mainly the base and shaft of the candle holder), and brought the levels up on that, then used the eraser tool at 50% to tone back the table cloth which had gotten too bright. Basically, it's a matter of adjusting levels in selected areas, then using selective erasing at different strengths. Also a little dodging and burning to bring things out or knock them down. On this shot you could have used more exposure to capture more detail, and then in Photoshop you could have easily toned it down where needed. Try that next time. There's not a lot of detail in this photo to work with. Good luck!