Just joined - please comment and critique these images

[IcyVeins]

I took some photos at Half Moon Bay, CA for my 25th birthday recently with my Sony CyberShot W290, and am just getting around to editing them on Photoshop.

1.

This is the original shot.

2.

This is post editing, viz saturation, sharpening, and dodge/burn. Does this look like a decent finished product, or is there anything that could be noticeably improved? One thing I am considering is adding a lighting effect as the lighting is maybe kind of flat.

3.

This is a cropped artistic rendering. I kind of like it, but I'm not really a learned artist so I have a few questions. Is it too garish? Is it too obvious what filters and other effects I treated it with? Is the color scheme wrong? Can it be improved or is it a lost cause?

What I typically do when editing photos for artistic purpose like this is to try out several different effects and then fade them with different blending modes until I get something I like, then rinse and repeat until I like the finished product. So I often don't know what it's going to look like until I get to the end. Unfortunately I am kind of lazy and only how to use maybe half of the program's vast array of tools and functions. And even theones I do know how to use, I haven't really mastered them as in what situations they are most useful in.

One final thing I want to say is that I plan to start submitting images to websites like shutterstock.com (that is the only one I have found so far) so that I can sell them and make money. Are there any other good sites for doing this? Is #2 of a high enough quality to get accepted? Will they accept artistic renderings like #3?

Thanks to anyone who comments or critiques these images.

 

[Markw]

As for selling the images, everyone likes something different. Someone may like number 2, then another person will only like number 3. Its hit and miss.

For me, would I pay $40+ for either of them? No. Number 2 has a ton of color artifacts in the trees and it just looks very odd. The focus is off so the boat in the front is fuzzy. The background is just too busy for me to find interesting. This kind of photo, with a million and a half straight, prominent lines has to be tack sharp, and this just isnt that.

Number 3 just isnt my thing. As a photographer, I dont really get into the abstract graphic art all that much. This particular piece looks extremely busy and the colors seem to just blend together, making what looks like a red piece of board with orange and blue splatters. An artistic photograph, to me, is one with creative composition, lighting techniques, and generally has an interesting subject. This one looks more like an abstract painting, and thats just not my thing. But, Im sure it is someone's out there..

Good luck.
Mark

 

[DanFinePhotography]

i like #2 , it has good composition maybe a little overdone in PP

 

[IcyVeins]

Thanks you guys. Mark, are you saying that the photograph itself has to be sharper, and that sharpening it in PS creates color artifacts? Were they artifacts created by my camera or my editing? Obviously my camera is not professional grade so I'm wondering if this is an example of a limitation which cannot be overcome by editing.

 

[KmH]

Here are some things to consider regarding stock photography:

Legal ABC for stock photographers | Yuri Arcurs

Microstock Agencies – An Overview for Beginners | Yuri Arcurs

What should I shoot and what sells well? | Yuri Arcurs

 

[mishele]

lol but I kinda like #3. It's a very abstract look at the first 2 pictures.

 

[Markw]

Oversharpening in PP could have done this, as could a number of other things. Could also be color noise by the camera. I didnt notice you were shooting with a P&S. Its hard to tell the P&S what to focus on, control DOF, etc.

My reccomendation: Save up $100, sell the P&S, and buy a D40. Or, save $200 and buy a D3000. Or save $350 and buy a D5000 or D80 for $50 more, etc, etc, etc. :mrgreen: Sadly, this is what happens with most P&Ss..

Mark

 

[Francis E. Marchiona]

Ah ha, icy veins...I bet you play a mage :lmao:

 

[IcyVeins]

I have updated the #2 with a revised version. I started over with the original photo and tried to be more selective and judicious in how I edited it. I specifically tried to make the water less saturated and to fix some of the blue and other color problems in the trees/ Hopefully it is at least somewhat of an improvement over the original. I guess I should have kept it to make a comparison easier. I understand it is never going to be "perfect" because of the limitations of the camera and the lack of an ideal focal point but hopefully the color artifacts are fewer.

 

[Derrel]

I think #2 looks absolutely dreaadful and oversaturated...#3 though...has some artistic merit.

 

[IcyVeins]

Ugh sorry, it didn't update the first time, I forgot that you have to use a different file name or it will keep the old image for some reason, not exactly sure why but anyway the updated #2 is in correctly now. It is less saturated than originally. In general I am a fan of vibrant colors and I guess I have a tendency to overdo it.

 

[Markw]

The water looks a tad better, but the blues on the boats on the left are still a tad overdone. Im a fan of popping colors too, but these just look out of place. The trees still have an incredible amount of noise/artifacts in them..not too sure what you can really do about that..

Mark

 

[Markw]

Here is my rendition. Simple curves adjustment, selective desaturation and saturation, color noise reduction. About 1.5 mins in PS. Notice the distinct absence of color noise/artifacts in the treeline now..

 

[Nobleman201]

The Original photo looks good.