Starbucks junkie : )

pilotgirl2007 · Dec 11, 2008

I know the image quality could be better but I shoot film black and white... therefore I have to scan everything in to the comp. As always c&c is welcome : )

1.This has to be one of my favorite photos!

2. I took this at Castle AFB in Cali... the SR 71 is such a stunning aircraft!

austriker · Dec 11, 2008

wow an sr71.. thats sweet

keybq · Dec 11, 2008

starten her early on star bucks aye

Stillwater · Dec 11, 2008

I really love her expression in number 1. It looks like she's enjoying it way too much. I feel like I have a much different expression when I'm slurping down some Starbucks, but maybe that's because I'm using it to recover from the evening before...

Something about the crop throws me off though. I mean I know the picture is crooked, its not that. I think that a tighter crop on the girl, mainly less of a gap on the right side, center her up a bit? Possibly.

elemental · Dec 11, 2008

1 is a fantastic capture- I can see why it would be a favorite. It's a pretty low-key exposure though- do you scan your negatives or do analog prints and scan those? Either way, I think this one would look even better brighter, whether through levels, curves, contrast, or longer exposure on the print (if it was an analog print you scanned). I know you prefer not to have your images edited, but if you'd like I could show you what I mean.

aadhils · Dec 11, 2008

Not enough contrast. Maybe use a filter when taking the photograph or even when printing.

OregonAmy · Dec 11, 2008

Re #1 - I probably would have opened up a bit, to f5.6 or f4.. maybe f8 at the smallest. A focus on the foreground would have brought more life & attention to the little girl.

pilotgirl2007 · Dec 12, 2008

I don't scan my negatives in at the moment although I have just found out that they have scanners just for this! I had no idea and now I am trying to see if I can fit purchasing one into my budget : ) not that they are that expensive. The prints are both printed in the darkroom and then scanned in. She moves so fast that sometimes it's really tough to get her in focus before she moves again. I remember it was a gloomy day so I am pretty sure that I had the aperture pretty much wide open... although I don't recall.

I agree that she should be cropped more but in order to get all of her in the shot I had to print it in 5x7... I couldn't get all of her to fit in an 8x10 which is another reason she is kind of off to the side of the shot.

pilotgirl2007 · Dec 12, 2008

Oh I always use filters in printing. I try not to go too high though because I don't want it to get grainy. I suppose I could have done a bit of burning to get her to pop a little bit more.

Early · Dec 12, 2008

pilotgirl2007 said:
Oh I always use filters in printing. I try not to go too high though because I don't want it to get grainy. I suppose I could have done a bit of burning to get her to pop a little bit more.

When you say you used filters, were you shooting for a higher contrast, or lower? Also, have you tried graded papers? I have found them to have a much better look, no matter what the ads say about how VC papers are so improved.

pilotgirl2007 · Dec 13, 2008

Higher contrast... I use multigrade RC paper and I use the multigrade filters to try to enhance the contrast. I have never used VC papers. Is the process different for VC papers?