C&C please!

FoxyShorty

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This is my first time posting an image. I'm a beginner, and was just playing around with my engagement ring and a cala lily. I know the shot isn't great, and would appreciate your C&C, please. I don't know yet how to edit out parts of the photo that shouldn't be there (the dead flowers in fore and background). Thanks for your critique and any tips!

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we need some studio pros here to tell whats wrong.

I'll try, but I'm no studioman.

so there is something on with the focus. You should try decreasing your aperture or manually focusing.
Then you need a more controlled flash. I guess this is pop-up flash isn't it? Try using a softbox, could be self made just google it.

Don't get me wrong. It's a nice image, just some corrections to close it to perfect.
Patching away the flowers?

would be more technically correct to remove them. You have photoshop or something
Nice composition, color and noise well handled.
cheers
 
that is a beautiful ring. It would look really nice if the dead flowers weren't dead and you zoomed out so you saw them. I'm not really that good with up close photo's though. It is a very beautiful ring looks a little similar to the one I'm planing on proposing to my gf with
 
Canosonic, yes, it's definitely soft. And I wish the ring was sharper and stood out some more. It was taken with pop up flash, I will look in to the soft box, thanks for that tip!! And thanks for the compliment as well :) I just have a demo of Light Room right now, and haven't been able to play around on it to much lately.

Morpheuss, haha, I'm not a big fan of the dead flowers either. The bouquet was taking it's last breath of life, but the cala lily was still nice enough to play around with. I had cropped the photo because I didn't want the deadies in there. Have fun with your proposal, and congrats! :cheers:
 
i guess the focus should be in that beautiful ring rather than the environment.
 
You sure this wasn't using a ring flash? (sorry...couldn't resist).

Yeah, the biggest 2 problems here are the soft focus (guessing just missed focus) and the really bland and flat lighting. Get a strobe and fire it off camera through a umbrella and you'd be golden. I have a 33" white shoot through and stand that cost me about $50 total and works beautifully .
 
really bland and flat lighting.

thank you! that's what's bugging me (aside from soft focus- I did just miss it). You can't see inside the flower very well. It doesn't show the curve of it.
 
Yes, in Lightroom the patching options are very limited.
That tool is associated with a lot of stress and anger for me. :madmad:
I always clone or patch away in CS4, or when the situation is not critical in an older Photoshop 7. :)
Maybe someone here could recommend some free tools, dunno.
 
I would have tried to mix the available light and your flash. So I would set it to "M" mode and mess with the dials and buttons (sorry I am not familiar with Canon cameras or else I could tell you what the dials do) till it says 1/60 (if your indoor which I think you are) and F5.6 and ISO 400 or so.

That would allow you to get enough ambient light to the cameras sensor, or eye, so you aren't relying on hard ugly flash to bounce off the flower and then back into the camera's sensor.
 
Yes, in Lightroom the patching options are very limited.
That tool is associated with a lot of stress and anger for me. :madmad:
I always clone or patch away in CS4, or when the situation is not critical in an older Photoshop 7. :)
Maybe someone here could recommend some free tools, dunno.

I was told that LR would be all I'd ever need. What's the general opinion around here? I'd like to get really serious with photography.
 
Redtippmann, it was set to M mode. Too bad that flower isn't still around, so I could try out your suggests. Hmmm... maybe hubby needs to get me another bouquet??? ;)
 
Seeing as the ring and the flower don't move, if you are shooting in so-so light, more the ring closer to a window so it gets some angled light and then set your camera on a tripod and shoot it like that, no flash. You aren't worried about shutter speed as you are on a tripod. You can shoot either in manual or in AV for this, either would work.

As someone said, make the ring the focus of the image...zoom in more, get in closer. This will help not only keep the viewers eye more focused on the ring, but also eliminate the flowers and such. Work on your composition IN camera before even thinking of post processing.

Props for taking the time to set something up. Keep on shooting and practicing.. :)
 
I was told that LR would be all I'd ever need. What's the general opinion around here? I'd like to get really serious with photography.

LR is more Workflow/Organization focused (couldn't resist the pun), so it's editing capabilities are limited compared to Photoshop. Elements is more editing oriented, but still limited compared to it's big brother. PS, however is $700US, compared to around $80US for Elements. If it's my money, I spend $80 on PSE and $20 on a good book to learn it (Scott Kelby's books are good), and if and when I feel I need more, buy PS.
 
Imo, Gimp (free) blows PSE out of the water and approaches full-blown Photoshop in features. I would never suggest PSE over Gimp for serious work.
 
Hmmm... I had looked at Gimp (and actually downloaded it), and it looked confusing. But, that was without reading a book, etc.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions!
 

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