Rare for me to post C&C, couple of candids from Thanskgiving, 1st time using PS

Rocketman1978 · Dec 5, 2013

These are my very first attempts at PP via Photoshop CC, prior to these I've never used PS before. I've used LR4 and Aperture in the past but admittedly I'm not very good at PP.

In shot #1 of my daughter I used some pretty heavy vignetting and blur to hide some of the undesirables in the background (parents house/TV trays, green walls and carpet, etc.). In shot #2 my wife was the intended focus point, unfortunately I got the edge of the side table at the bottom left. :-/ Wasn't trying to get perfect portraits here, just some candids for memories.

The photo quality has no doubt been diminished as I downloaded the images below from FB, I left my primary laptop at work today and I'm currently on my secondary. C&C and editing are welcome.

1.)

2.)

Trever1t · Dec 5, 2013

well I bet you learned something ya? Backgrounds background background. These are both cute subjects and I'm certain hold very strong personal emotions for which they are valuable. Keep at it!

paigew · Dec 5, 2013

Cute! I'm on my phone but i zoomed in and mom looks in focus...I would make both black and white. The color adds nothing. Only detracts from the subject.

kathyt · Dec 5, 2013

Both images are sharp as heck. Of coarse for candids there are distracting elements in the background. I would probably convert to b/w too because it might blend the elements more. Very cute shots though.

Rocketman1978 · Dec 6, 2013

Thanks so much Trever, Paige and Kathy! One of the most difficult things for me is background, a good portion of my candids have less than desirable backgrounds so I find myself not even wanting to process them for this reason. Some places' backgrounds are better than others due to style, for instance the decorating style of our house can make for a bit better of a background than the TV trays at my parents house, lol. I usually have more give and take at home basically. When we're at a family outing or event and I'm able to control my background I absolutely do, takes so much stress off and you can focus on the subject more.

So is that a good rule of thumb then, if background stinks go B&W or does it vary? Are there other tricks you can do to fade the background away and make the subject pop, creating the segmentation between the 2?

As far as these shots, would you start B&W processing from the originals or convert these final versions to B&W? I've never processed B&W, goes along with my lacking PP skills.

Sorry for all of the questions, your photos are some of my favorites posted on here and I'm excited to have your ear for a minute. Thanks a mil! =D

paigew · Dec 6, 2013

Most of my work is black and white, even if the background is nice I will often do a b/w. I love black and white because it is timeless and allows us to focus on the subject. Not the stained mismatched jammies, not the bright colored toys laying around, or the green walls in my house...just my kids, being themselves. I also shoot at wide apertures anywhere between 2.2 and 3.2 which helps to blur out my background.

As for the conversion...I start from scratch...what do you use to edit? LR?

Rocketman1978 · Dec 6, 2013

Honestly I've never spent a lot of time considering B&W, I like the look a lot but guess I struggle a bit to decide which would look better B&W.

I have a mixture of apps, I started with Aperture and then moved on to LR4. I just signed up with Adobe for their photographers deal, LR5 and PS for $9.99/mo. Now I'm using PS is what I'm getting at, though I've never used it previously, I'm trying to teach myself.

paigew · Dec 6, 2013

As with all photography light is everything. But when doing b/w light is even more important because, well, all you see is lights and shadows! So for b/w to work you should have nice directional light on your subject...which you have

I'll play with #1 if you email me the raw.

alexzobi · Dec 6, 2013

paigew said:
I would make both black and white. The color adds nothing. Only detracts from the subject.

I disagree with this statement. The second one, maybe I can see, but the first one, the very first thing I'm drawn to are the child's gorgeous crystal blue eyes. B&W would be an injustice to the child. Just my two cents.

If I were to edit this, I might look for a better crop. I wish the left hand wasn't cut off, but this is more along the lines of what I'd be going for...

This way there's a lot less going on in the background. Much less to distract. If you really wanted to, this crop would also make it relatively easy to go through and erase everything in the background via PS. I just cropped quickly so show what I saw.

and also... :wav:

...mainly because I want to use it but can't figure out in what context i could possibly apply it.

Rocketman1978 · Dec 6, 2013

paigew said:
As with all photography light is everything. But when doing b/w light is even more important because, well, all you see is lights and shadows! So for b/w to work you should have nice directional light on your subject...which you have I'll play with #1 if you email me the raw.

PM sent. =D

alexzobi said:
If I were to edit this, I might look for a better crop. I wish the left hand wasn't cut off, but this is more along the lines of what I'd be going for...

View attachment 61631

This way there's a lot less going on in the background. Much less to distract. If you really wanted to, this crop would also make it relatively easy to go through and erase everything in the background via PS. I just cropped quickly so show what I saw.

and also......mainly because I want to use it but can't figure out in what context i could possibly apply it.

I like that crop a lot, much less distracting, thanks so much! I, too, wish I hadn't cut off her hand but she moves so dang fast I was lucky to get her to look right at me long enough. I'm sure you folks know the feeling when photographing children, you definitely have my respect and admiration! Ha!

paigew · Dec 6, 2013

The blue eyes are gorgeous, but the huge purple chair seriously detracts from them.

alexzobi · Dec 9, 2013

paigew said:
The blue eyes are gorgeous, but the huge purple chair seriously detracts from them.

You'd have to play around with it more, but i still see more potential in color. This was just a quick edit as food for thought. Again, it's all about the style you prefer.

Rocketman1978 · Dec 9, 2013

Oh I prefer what you posted, lol. I like the toned-down purple! Makes one focus more on the subject rather than the gaudy Dora chair. There's a reason my wife hates Dora things, the colors are just horrendous.

Thanks!