Advice on Edited Photos

[I AM THE MAN]

Im trying to start something in photography. I edited this photo in photoshop with the color adjustments, brightness, etc. Could you comment your personal thoughts, advice on how to take better pictures, how to edit a little better or what I could have done to edit the photo better? Thank you for all your help in advance.

Actual Photo:




Edited Photo:

 

[42streetsdown]

not really a mac thing but i'll have a go...

in general there is only so much editing photos can do. basic color correction, density correction, and a bit of stylization, that's mostly what you can do, but not much more. there is such a thing as over photoshopped. In the end, some of my best photos where pretty much perfect when I took them. On the other hand i've photoshopped the hell out of photos to fix clumsy mistakes. Knowing what you want and getting right the first time is the way to success.

The best thing to do to get good pictures is just to follow the rules of composition like the rule of thirds, simplicity, lines, light/shadows and so on (look 'em up if you're interested, there is lots of good stuff out there.)

 

[ComputersaysNo]

- Avoid taking pictures of anything within arms reach, unless human or animal.
- Although you might think it looks good messing with photo's like that, there is a reason why you never see stuff like that in the real world.

- go outside and start there. The first project i had to do at artschool was documenting 100meters of a particular street. Anything was acceptable, as long as it was shot within those 100meters. While most students took photo's of houses, curbs and a passing dog, i rang doorbells and portraitted all the neighbours.

- Maybe combine photography with something else you like to do or see. Focuss on motorsports if that's your interest, or dogs or whatever. But staying focussed and specializing helps your learningcurve a lot.

 

[I AM THE MAN]

- Avoid taking pictures of anything within arms reach, unless human or animal.
- Although you might think it looks good messing with photo's like that, there is a reason why you never see stuff like that in the real world.

- go outside and start there. The first project i had to do at artschool was documenting 100meters of a particular street. Anything was acceptable, as long as it was shot within those 100meters. While most students took photo's of houses, curbs and a passing dog, i rang doorbells and portraitted all the neighbours.

- Maybe combine photography with something else you like to do or see. Focuss on motorsports if that's your interest, or dogs or whatever. But staying focussed and specializing helps your learningcurve a lot.

So you would not recommend photos like these? I mean I understand what your point is, but is there a way you can do something with these kinds of photos to make them look good?

 

[jackerin]

The replies you have gotten have some solid advice, and you should definitely think more on what kind of pictures you want to take. You should also remember that photography is a subjective area as I tell you to never ever try to save a bad image photoshop filters or colour effects. Neither of the images says anything to me, and the edited one only gives the impression that you care more about graphical effects than the photo itself, which is fine but shouldn't be called "photography".

 

[imahawki]

That photo needs better lighting - either more dramatic one one end or more even like product photography on the other. And the photo isn't sharp. The edited photo is not good IMO.

 

[I AM THE MAN]

The replies you have gotten have some solid advice, and you should definitely think more on what kind of pictures you want to take. You should also remember that photography is a subjective area as I tell you to never ever try to save a bad image photoshop filters or colour effects. Neither of the images says anything to me, and the edited one only gives the impression that you care more about graphical effects than the photo itself, which is fine but shouldn't be called "photography".

I see what you mean. But is it possible for me to take pictures of different subjects. i.e. flowers, people, etc?

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Gold89]

I see what you mean. But is it possible for me to take pictures of different subjects. i.e. flowers, people, etc?

Thanks for your reply.

Of course it's possible for you to take photos of different subjects (or do I just not understand the question?).

The best way of improving your photography is practice, practice, practice. (Oh and perhaps study some shots by your favorite photographers to learn how they compose their photos).

 

[I AM THE MAN]

Of course it's possible for you to take photos of different subjects (or do I just not understand the question?).

The best way of improving your photography is practice, practice, practice. (Oh and perhaps study some shots by your favorite photographers to learn how they compose their photos).

Alright. Can you tell me some photographers (professionals) that display their photos? Thanks!

 

[DSPalpatine]

Some really good advice from the other responses. I'll add my $0.02.

It would help to know what you're trying to shoot with, and what program you are using for processing and editing.

First, if you're going to try to do 'product' photography, lighting is going to be critical. Lighting in this image is not good, and over-processing the image afterward didn't help. You might want to consider using a macro lens for maximum clarity with an image shot this close (although macro lenses can present their own set of challenges).

When I was taking photography classes way back in the day, the teacher gave us assignments to find a photo in an advert and try to reproduce it. It took several attempts to finally get it right, and this was back in the film days. With digital, you can figure out a lot quicker what you're doing right and wrong.

Some other recommendations- perhaps download and listen to some photo podcasts, subscribe to a photography magazine, and join a couple flickr groups to get more immediate feedback. I'd also recommend going to the bookstore one afternoon and just 'camping out' in the section that has photography books.

If you can afford it, taking a photography course or a course (either in-person or online) is a great way to learn as well. I prefer in-person training, but that tends to be more expensive and requires a set schedule, whereas online training can be done from the comfort of your own home.

Hope that helps. My own approach is that the better your image capture when you take the photo, the less work you have to do on your computer.

 

[I AM THE MAN]

Some really good advice from the other responses. I'll add my $0.02.

It would help to know what you're trying to shoot with, and what program you are using for processing and editing.

First, if you're going to try to do 'product' photography, lighting is going to be critical. Lighting in this image is not good, and over-processing the image afterward didn't help. You might want to consider using a macro lens for maximum clarity with an image shot this close (although macro lenses can present their own set of challenges).

When I was taking photography classes way back in the day, the teacher gave us assignments to find a photo in an advert and try to reproduce it. It took several attempts to finally get it right, and this was back in the film days. With digital, you can figure out a lot quicker what you're doing right and wrong.

Some other recommendations- perhaps download and listen to some photo podcasts, subscribe to a photography magazine, and join a couple flickr groups to get more immediate feedback. I'd also recommend going to the bookstore one afternoon and just 'camping out' in the section that has photography books.

If you can afford it, taking a photography course or a course (either in-person or online) is a great way to learn as well. I prefer in-person training, but that tends to be more expensive and requires a set schedule, whereas online training can be done from the comfort of your own home.

Hope that helps. My own approach is that the better your image capture when you take the photo, the less work you have to do on your computer.

Thank you for your response. I am thinking of purchasing a DSLR and doing some photography courses in-person (most likely) within the next month.

 

[davidinva]

I do photos and photo editing like this. I do it for practice in photography and photo editing. I usually trash most of them after I look at them and play with then in various editing programs. Once in a while, a little gem happens, but most of these I take are trash worthy. To me, taking pictures of the same old can get boring and I look for new ways to see things. I also like to play with the "artistic" features of photo editing software. My $.01 worth (discounted this time of night.)

 

[Fujiko7]

- Avoid taking pictures of anything within arms reach, unless human or animal.

This is great advice. I always groan when people post pictures like this or pictures of their computer keyboard. Either make some effort to find an interesting subject or put the camera away and go do something else. No amount of post processing is going to make that interesting.

Then when you do go out, do as much as you can in the camera. Think about the composition and the available light. For instance, lots of people here rave about the "golden hour" of early evening, when the light is more interesting. Early morning can be good too.

 

[compuwar]

Im trying to start something in photography. I edited this photo in photoshop with the color adjustments, brightness, etc. Could you comment your personal thoughts, advice on how to take better pictures, how to edit a little better or what I could have done to edit the photo better? Thank you for all your help in advance.

Actual Photo:

View attachment 284603


Edited Photo:

View attachment 284604

Personally, I often take pictures of things within arms reach that come out just fine. In this example, the original photo is not good, so you're not likely to get a pleasing result manipulating it. The original photo's composition is very poor, there's no good use of leading lines, negative space, the rule of thirds or any other normal compositional element- and if you don't have any of those, you really, really should have a good reason for not having them.

Secondly, the headphones are dirty, but the dirt doesn't add anything to the story- they just look bad.

Thirdly, they're difficult to identify visually without reading the words- but there's not a good abstract look there.

Fourthly, the lighting sucks. You need to create the light or find good light- creating is the best way, but it takes time to learn.

Fifthly, the background is cluttered and adds nothing to the image. The subject isn't isolated and its environment isn't germane to the overall image.

Lastly, the colors are dull and the contrast is flat.

Any of these by themselves would detract from a good image, all of them together make for a bad image.

Paul

 

[I AM THE MAN]

Personally, I often take pictures of things within arms reach that come out just fine. In this example, the original photo is not good, so you're not likely to get a pleasing result manipulating it. The original photo's composition is very poor, there's no good use of leading lines, negative space, the rule of thirds or any other normal compositional element- and if you don't have any of those, you really, really should have a good reason for not having them.

Secondly, the headphones are dirty, but the dirt doesn't add anything to the story- they just look bad.

Thirdly, they're difficult to identify visually without reading the words- but there's not a good abstract look there.

Fourthly, the lighting sucks. You need to create the light or find good light- creating is the best way, but it takes time to learn.

Fifthly, the background is cluttered and adds nothing to the image. The subject isn't isolated and its environment isn't germane to the overall image.

Lastly, the colors are dull and the contrast is flat.

Any of these by themselves would detract from a good image, all of them together make for a bad image.

Paul

Thanks for the honest reply.