Please critique this photo!!

[Sam Price]

This is a picture I took of Lake Tahoe at sunset a few months back. Let me know what you think and how you would develop it differently. I shot it with a Canon T3i and the 18-55mm kit lens that came with it, and edited with Lightroom 5.

Thanks people!

-Sam

 

[Sam Price]

Also, take a look at my photostream on Flickr. I would love any creative input! I'm really trying to get better at my photography composition as well as developing techniques, color correction, etc.

Flickr sampricephoto s Photostream

Thanks a lot.

-Sam

 

[Matt Glick]

I like the shot, however I feel a long exposure would look real good here to get rid of the ripples in the water.

 

[waday]

Looks nice, as do a lot of the photos on your Flickr. For the photo attached, I may have angled the camera up just slightly so as not to have cropped the post and chain. It would be interesting to see a longer exposure, but the ripples in the water don't distract for me.

 

[Didereaux]

Good composition. But here is an example where over saturation is not good. Think of it this wy: It would be a very good b/w. Few BW photos can carry color well, and none carry too much color. I realize the fad today is to over saturate everything, but take a moment to adjust that pic down a notch or two and compare.

 

[Ysarex]

I'd treat the color differently; I don't think the heavy blue tint overall helps the photo and I've never seen "Vibrance" do anything other than damage a photo. Something more like this:

Joe

 

[Sam Price]

Thanks guys!

Sometimes I wonder if I'm oversaturating photos and apparently I must be. I'm pretty new to Lightroom and have been messing around with the settings a bit to see what does and does not work. I do like the example by Ysarex here. It looks a bit more natural.

I did try the image in black and white and it definitely looks quite nice, although I rarely edit images in black and white so I could very well be wrong about that..

Tell me what you think and again, thanks so much for the creative input.

-Sam

 

[KmH]

Let me know what you think and how you would develop it differently.. . . and edited with Lightroom 5.

Post the unedited original AND your edited version.
List the edits you did in LR5.

The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop (2nd Edition)
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers

 

[Matt Glick]

B&W works super well

 

[MikeFlorendo]

This is a picture I took of Lake Tahoe at sunset a few months back. Let me know what you think and how you would develop it differently. I shot it with a Canon T3i and the 18-55mm kit lens that came with it, and edited with Lightroom 5.

Thanks people!

-Sam

It's a nice shot I do like the comp and the reflections in the water but I think it's a little blown out by almost a full stop. Just my personal take but I would say drop it a full stop, tone down the the vibrance by -30, the saturation slightly -2 , highlights -43, shadows +31, whites +17, blacks +17 tone curve... highlights +57 darks -7 and shadow -11. Again this was a quick 2 minute edit but I feel it makes a big difference but again it's just my interpretation. I think it gives it more of a sunset/sunrise (not sure) feel??? See below-
Edit- +17 on temp but you can just play with it on your RAW file since I was working off your JPEG.

 

[Didereaux]

I like the lowered saturation one, but it is second to the BW. That scene just lends itself to BW. IN LR in BW you cn darken that sky with the blue sliders.

 

[Sam Price]

Thanks MikeFlorendo, I really do like how your edit looks compared to mine. Everything seems a bit more detailed in your edit, especially the sky/clouds. Like I said, I am still very new to editing with Lightroom; up until about a month ago, I would import my files to iPhoto, hit "Enhance" and that was it.

In your opinions, what are the best resources for learning to properly edit / expose / develop / etc. photos in Lightroom? I really do like the program and have watched a few youtube videos but would like to further my understanding of what all the different controls and settings do in Lightroom.

Also, when I try to drag the original RAW file to this box to upload it, I get some error message about security error or something. What is the best way to upload my original RAW file to the forum? I import my files photos using iPhoto and I cant seem to access the directory they are located in when I choose the "Upload a File" button...

Thanks everyone.

-Sam

 

[waday]

I import my files photos using iPhoto

Don't do that. Use Lightroom.

 

[MikeFlorendo]

Thanks MikeFlorendo, I really do like how your edit looks compared to mine. Everything seems a bit more detailed in your edit, especially the sky/clouds. Like I said, I am still very new to editing with Lightroom; up until about a month ago, I would import my files to iPhoto, hit "Enhance" and that was it.

In your opinions, what are the best resources for learning to properly edit / expose / develop / etc. photos in Lightroom? I really do like the program and have watched a few youtube videos but would like to further my understanding of what all the different controls and settings do in Lightroom.

Also, when I try to drag the original RAW file to this box to upload it, I get some error message about security error or something. What is the best way to upload my original RAW file to the forum? I import my files photos using iPhoto and I cant seem to access the directory they are located in when I choose the "Upload a File" button...

Thanks everyone.

-Sam

Sam,
Proper editing? Well it's subjective like I said I edit based on how I feel it looks and the only real proper/technical editing is in the black & whites in tone. You hold down alt key while sliding and you slide so you start to see image and slide back to where it just disappears and that is "technically" correct but I don't always follow that rule either. Some say that nothing in the histogram should be to far to one side but I break that rule as well.

It's more about working with the program and getting to know it and what the functions can and cannot do. Just play with the sliders and see how it effects your photo and try the color correction for individual colors as well. Saturating just certain colors can help you get more color without effecting the picture globally. I use the brush tool a lot to tone down highlights or add clarity to just certain areas.

As far as your photo most of clarity was there but over exposure which blew out the detail but dropping the exposure and raising the shadows helped. The highlights needed toning down and that brought out the reflections and color in the water more. I am self taught and people from sites like these have helped me out so I try and do the same. If the photo is there editing is what makes it go from good to great.

No RAW files will upload here you have to import into LR and then make no adjustments and save as JPEG. It's basically what it looks like in camera.

Here is a peak behind the curtain. I don't usually like to do this but what the heck! I exposed for the sky and didn't want to much noise with a high ISO so I took a chance and hoped the dark areas the RAW file still had detail. Any higher and I think the lights would have been severely blown out. Taking the shadows way up and highlights down is what helped this photo.

30 seconds
f4.5
iso 500
14mm

In camera no edit- (looks like crap huh?)

After Lightroom-

 

[Didereaux]

my attempt at that orig jpeg