mikeyank Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 My dear PS pros. I need help. I snapped this picture of my father the other day. Please, follow this link: http://www.photo.net/photo/5754430 As he does not like to be photographed while praying, I probably will not get another chance to do it again. So, I want to take THIS picture and turn it into something that I can frame and put it on my wall. My Photoshop skills are OK for some things. However, I do not know too many techniques of good post processing. I messed around with it already. I still do not like it. I wanted to make it look a little mystical, surreal, and a little bit like a painting. I do not know how to do it. Help, help?!... Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kahn Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Mike, overall I don't think I'd change a thing. As is, it has the look you're after - very nice capture! On the technical side, there are some artifacts around the candle that you probably should get rid of - not the glow effect, but some things that look like horizontal bars. Also, a little lens flare on the prayer shawl (left shoulder). Other than that, I'd say leave it alone. Half of knowing when to quit is.....well, knowing when to quit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 technically it looks fine to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyank Posted March 21, 2007 Author Share Posted March 21, 2007 I do appreciate kind words, but I still think it looks flat and boring. It does not stand out. There is no pop. Maybe it is just a lousy photo, but I've seen people do incredible things with mediocre shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik scanhancer Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Try the "Magical Beautify" command in the image dropdown menu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will king Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I think the photo is fine. This seems like a authentic momemt. Don't cheapen it by trying to pretty it up. The only thing I would remotely consider doing is boosting the contrast a bit and maybe adding a glaussian blur to the bqackground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brien_szabo Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I know what you are getting at with the image. You are looking for more drama from it, like a dramatic shadow or less even lighting across the face. I don't think you can manipulate that - maybe you can, I don't know how. Otherwise the shot stands out fine the way it is. Remember.., you are close to this and know what you wanted but to the observer who knows nothing about the process behind it, the goal, what have you, the shot has impact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricklavoie Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Just a suggestion :)<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricklavoie Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 or another one...<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synnacdesign Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 What about something like this: <br> <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/nw-fetch-msg?msg_id=00KLXp&tag="> Sorry not sure how to post it in here, please scroll to the bottom of the thread you will find it there </a> <br> Quick layer thing in PS, so please excuse some of the untidiness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synnacdesign Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 by the way I am no pro LOL but my thoughts were to darken the picture, to get some of the background out. it might have turned out a little red, but I am sure that you can adjust that. I used layers to adjust the original pic that you had posted. and then used the erazer with with flow and opacity to bring some light back into his face and clothing. Sorry I was/am not able to post the pics into this thread. But I loaded your original and then my quickly made suggestion so that you can look at both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyank Posted March 21, 2007 Author Share Posted March 21, 2007 Thanks, everyone. A lot of good suggestions. I am still searching though. If I find a solutions to my personal dilemma I'll post the final. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 The problem isn't technical: it's one of communicating the emotion you feel when you look at your father praying. To that end you need to pay more attention to his gestures and expressions, in particular his hands and his eyes. You need to look through the camera at your subject and shoot --or wait --till what you see is in sync with what you as a human being see and feel. When editing look for that sense of emotional engagement with who and what and where is in the image. this is part of what Henri Cartier-Bresson referred to as "The Decisive Moment (the other part of that is geometry of the arrangement of the elements in the photograph (AKA Framing and composition) ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjlewis Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I'm with Ellis on this one. You can tweak the contrast and color all you want but the photo missed something. The focus appears to be on but his eyes look like he's in the process of a blink... a little out of focus and sleepy. I find it distracting and disrupts the mood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kahn Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Mike, try this: Put the shot away for two days. Then come back to it and see if you feel any differently about it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wogears Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Do you know what 'mystical' means? Not a facetious question; the word is over used and under comprehended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candy_mcg Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 On the technical and not mystical side of things, the image actually does have a bit of milky flare over the eyes.....would have to look at it at 100% in PS to be sure. If that's the case then selective contrast in that area would be useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_miner1 Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 soften the eyes-just a crude attempt.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_mcblane Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I agree with most of what has been said here. What I think you are missing from the picture is that it wasn't shot with a short light. Meaning a light from the far side that creates a shadow side of the face closest to the camera. If I was trying to work on this and I'm not sure it would help or not but I'd try two things: "Burn" the close side of the face down a little and add catchlights at around 10 oclock that are not very bright but just add a small sparkle in the eyes. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot_n Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 another suggestion<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_lewis8 Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 You could pump it up with some mid-tone contrast on the subject, your Father. I like some shadow detail behind the candle to show the context of the occasion more.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will king Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Here's my attempt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will king Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 another attempt<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don_e Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 "Pros, what can I do with this image?" I'm not a Pro, so this will have to do from me<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyank Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 Wow, I did not expect so many suggestions from so many people. I greatly appreciate it. I notice that most recommend burning out the background completely, and adding a little more contrast to the subject. However, in the forum I encountered a problem with a site. Some artists attached their great attempts, and they come up as a link: ?Large photo attachment.? When I click on them I get an error: ?Not Found - The requested URL was not found on this server.? I really want to see those images. Anyone else encountered this problem? How do I get to see them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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