DSS#26 - help me out - don't need to win, just don't want to be embarrased.

jeffgroves · May 27, 2009

Hello Smuggers!

Have you looked at the entries recently! Wow, there are some fantastic photos in the gallery.

Since May19th's "picture of the day" in the daily community, I have been playing with the idea of unique lighting with the intention of entering this contest and while I don't feel like I need to win to enter, I also don't want to be embarrassed with the compared quality of my entry. Any feedback you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Here are the three potentials. I tend to lean more toward the baseball shot, since I actually used supplemental lighting for the shot (SB800 with grid and SB600 fill).

Potential Entry #1 - "Fastball".

Potential Entry #2 - "Staying in the lines'

Potential Entry #3 - "I cannot color between the lines"

I am relatively new to this forum and this is my first time posting photos for review. I truly appreciate any feedback or suggestions as to what I can do differently. Thanks,
Jeff

Flyinggina · May 27, 2009

Fun set of photos. I'm liking #2 a lot.

Virginia

DsrtVW · May 27, 2009

All 3 shots do fit in to the theme of the challenge. 1 and 2 are my favorites, no need to worry about embarrassment. We are here to learn and have some fun, cant do that if you dont play.

divamum · May 27, 2009

Welcome!! Come on in - the water's warm

Seriously, you've got some great ideas there, and this place is WAY more about the learning than the winning, so you're starting off on the right foot

I like #1 and 2 - three is good too (title's perfect!) but it's just a little too busy. I think for the challenge 2 is the most striking, even though I'm impressed by your flash balance in #1 from a technique point of view - spot on exposure!

Katmitchell · May 27, 2009

Welcome to the DG Jeff...

Your gonna love it here.. The people are great and you learn a lot by hanging out and participating.. Your work here is good and very creative..

Your strongest entry is #2.. that is well done. you need to clean it up a tad by cropping the bottom "just enough" to crop out that bottom right corner with the light coming in, because it does not apply to the light source of the photo and looks out of place and distracts from the composition.

Other than that the composition on photo #2 is very good and I like the way you gave it mood and feeling with the shadows, you can literally feel like your there broken down on the side of the road.

#1 is a very creative idea.. and you should re-shoot that one if you have time, however, a fast ball is "moving" so I would re-shoot it as you are pitching it like you would a fast ball..with the flames in motion going in the opposite direction. If you re-shot that, it may just be a contender for the contest, if you can't
re- shoot, then I would go with #2...

Nice work and look forward to having you around on the DG..

Best of Luck

Kat

richtersl · May 27, 2009

Come and join the party
You have three nice photos here.

Nothing to be embarrassed about at all. #2 is my favorite of the lot.

#1 is very good, technically, but to me neither the light nor the lighting is the main subject. In #2 and #3 the lighting most certainly is the main subject. What give #2 the edge over #3 is that the lighting and the background are cleaner. Also the ambient lighting is #2 is pretty neat.

nightpixels · May 27, 2009

#2 stands out more than the other 2. Hey, how about naming the first photo "Fireball"? ... you know, like fireball pitchers who throw heat

Porter · May 27, 2009

Imho
I prefer #1, but I'm a minority with that choice. I like your lighting choices in that portrait. You couldn't possibly be embarrassed by any of these entries!

pyry · May 27, 2009

The first there has a lot of potential!

It's just that the light on the face is the wrong way 'round, you'd need red(ish) toward the ball and the fill on the other - or preferably lose the fill and make that side of the face a good stop darker than the other. I hope I'm making sense here

The idea with the cars is good, but the sparks should match the lines of the car, I think.

jeffgroves · May 27, 2009

Why haven't I done this before?
Wow, what wonderful feedback from everyone. Why haven't I taken advantage of this forum before now?

Please continue to offer your thoughts and suggestions of the three potentials!

Pyry, I hear exactly what you are saying. I felt it, I just needed someone to say it and I think you are dead on with your comments. By the time that I got to the one that is posted here, I was beginning to burn my index finger a little bit and needed to walk away from it. Now that I have healed, maybe I can go back for a second dose of pain :splat .

I also am thinking that a real baseball player dressed out might improve the shot.

Again thanks to all for the suggestions and feedback so far and keep it coming!

pyry · May 27, 2009

jeffgroves wrote:

Pyry, I hear exactly what you are saying. I felt it, I just needed someone to say it and I think you are dead on with your comments. By the time that I got to the one that is posted here, I was beginning to burn my index finger a little bit and needed to walk away from it. Now that I have healed, maybe I can go back for a second dose of pain :splat .

Oh so that's how you got the flame so realistic! Wow.

I might suggest re-shooting with just lights and compositing it with the original, hurts less.

jeffgroves · May 27, 2009

pyry wrote:

The first there has a lot of potential!

It's just that the light on the face is the wrong way 'round, you'd need red(ish) toward the ball and the fill on the other - or preferably lose the fill and make that side of the face a good stop darker than the other. I hope I'm making sense here

The idea with the cars is good, but the sparks should match the lines of the car, I think.

This is the same photo, just tweaked in a different direction. Is this moving in a workable direction (if yes, then I need to sharpen it again) or do you think I should reshoot?

and for a side by side comparison, here is the one that I posted earlier.

pyry · May 27, 2009

jeffgroves wrote:

This is the same photo, just tweaked in a different direction. Is this moving in a workable direction (if yes, then I need to sharpen it again) or do you think I should reshoot?

Much better

I noticed that your fingers look like they're red hot an' glowin', nice touch

Tango · May 27, 2009

there is no reason to be embarrased over your own photography.
if you like it thats all thats needed!

some images are accepted with open arm by the masses and some are ignored... its just the way it is... and ive been on both sides of that fence and lived through it

Katmitchell · May 27, 2009

Ya know Jeff that red glow on the face suggestion did help it out a lot... I am liking the feel of it now... I would say that it is becoming a stronger entry than your car now...

Kat

manbou · May 27, 2009

Number 1 is a winner. The car photos are a good concept, but the light trails look too random and jumbled. If there were more of a purpose to them (i.e., tracing the lines of the car, as someone else said), the photos might work better.

Benjer · May 28, 2009

All your images are great ideas, but I'm with the rest that #1 is it. The rework is significantly improved and more than a worthy entry. It's a strong idea and well done (pun intended). The only embarrassment you could possibly feel is not entering sooner!

Oh...my only suggestion: I might try a square crop or portrait orientation like the first version to tighten it up a bit.

silversx80 · May 28, 2009

#1-edit, all the way.

fotoshipper · May 28, 2009

now for the eyes
Jeff,

I like the changes to the face with the red glow... but there was something that kept bothering me about this image.... I finally got it. It's in the eyes. Where's the reflection of the flame? Not sure if you can pull that off. But I think it might be worth a try...

Anyway, I really like the newer version!!!
-ron

divamum · May 28, 2009

Love the edit of #1. My only nit (and yeah, being a pain here) is that in tweaking the light, you've lost the detail in the face, particularly the beard stubble which actually added texture and interest.

Any chance of a "best of both worlds" combination?

jeffgroves · May 28, 2009

moving along...
Man, you guys are awesome! Thanks for the help. Yeah, I thought about the eyes as well. The shot is real and in real life, my eyes just didn't pick up that much of the fire's reflection. So here is a shot with additional modifications including the reflection in the eye. Since it is not real, I am not sure that I like it, but would love your thoughts! I am really liking what you have done to help me! I think I will go ahead and enter this one. I can always fix the eyes.

Here is where I am now! Version 3:

and for a side by side comparison, here is version 2:

this was the first:

richtersl · May 28, 2009

I like what you've done with the firey baseball shot.

clap Good luck to you!

nightpixels · May 28, 2009

Hi Jeff,

I have to say that the 1st image has started growing on me a lot, especially after you modified it. Good job on fixing the eyes too.

Tango · May 28, 2009

#1 of the last batch.

Flyinggina · May 29, 2009

Wow. I agree. Your revised #1 is a strong entry! Well done!!

Virginia

DSS#26 - help me out - don't need to win, just don't want to be embarrased.

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