How can I make this better? (CC)

[itsjustme]

First off, I do realize that this photo is grainy. I unfortunately didn't check my settings as I was shooting and ended up doing this at ISO 800. (Opps)

Other than that, what do you think I can do to improve this shot if I were to reshoot?

 

[willis_927]

I like the shot. A little bit less grain would be nice, as you mentioned... However I don't think the grain hurts the shot that much.

 

[WesternGuy]

Really not that bad - I like the concept - grain does not hurt it. If you really want to get rid of the grain (noise) then you will need some sort of "denoising" software like Nik software's Dfine, Noise Ninja, Noiseware, or something similar. I like the composition, the way you have used the fingers in the gloves to emphasize the cup and as you notice the cup, you then notice the person in the background as well - the fact that this person is OOF adds to the artistic aspect of the composition. The only thing that is missing is some steam coming off the top of the cup...

Cheers,

WesternGuy

 

[Jwlav]

Noise ninja works great. There realy is not that much noise. Great shot!

 

[gsgary]

Grain looks fine when you do this

 

[KmH]

How can I make this better? (CC)

Have her face in focus too.

 

[Proteus617]

Grain looks fine when you do this

I disagree. It's not grain, it's noise. Noise always looks egregious even in a BW conversion. It's really only noticeable in the oof areas. A bit of gaussian blur with a small radius (1 pixel?) smooths out the noise without degrading the photo as long as you mask out the in-focus foreground.

 

[bazooka]

I can't stand the writing on the cup and the strong red color which doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the image. Try a soft blue mug or....

 

[dakkon76]

I was going to comment on the grain vs noise, but Proteus beat me to it. You get grain on film, you get noise on a sensor.

I don't think you intended for her face to be in focus, and judging by the mark on the photo, I can see that this is part of a project meant to build skills. Be sure that the subject you want attention on is in focus. This type of shot would be a good product shot, because our attention is drawn to the coffee cup. If you wanted attention on the model instead, get her eyes in focus and have everything else out of focus. Had she been looking at the camera and been this out of focus, it would have looked more like a mistake. Since she's looking away, I think it makes it look more intentional.

All I could suggest is - go into this not only with the idea that you want to create a good shot, but being mindful of what you want the viewer to be drawn to - then get critique and see if you're getting us to look where you're intending. I like the shot, aside from the feathers in the foreground. Without these, we'd be convinced she was outside.

 

[gsgary]

Grain looks fine when you do this

I disagree. It's not grain, it's noise. Noise always looks egregious even in a BW conversion. It's really only noticeable in the oof areas. A bit of gaussian blur with a small radius (1 pixel?) smooths out the noise without degrading the photo as long as you mask out the in-focus foreground.

**** me i used grain as not to confuse the poster

 

[Forkie]

I really like the shot. It's very Christmassy! One thing I would do is whiten the whites a bit. They're erring on the grey side.