Circles of Coersion >> Need Some Votes and CC Please..

Katmitchell

ok,, I super promise to stay sane this time
and not become attached to hay photos..:D:D:D:D:D:D:D "Scouts Honor"

Come on now, I am just getting my feet wet, ya had to give me some room to flip out a little in the beginning.:wink


OK, so this time, keeping it simple and sticking with my very first original idea.. The Ruger..

I had a hard time getting this one past the husband and he babysat me the whole freggin time...... talk about your backseat photographer.:huh:huh:huh



I favor them all.. I struggled with the HDR attempt.. I am very new to HDR.. I know the basics of mirror up, tripod and remote switch etc.. and I have a heavenly program called Dynamic Photo HDR.... super kicks CS3 and Photomatix Pro in the butt by the way... IMHO...

However, I am not so skilled in the conversions and lighting of HDR's... and for some odd reason I got green and purple highlights in this shot, and up on top of the gun the blowout shows as a black blob...??? I do not know what I am doing wrong.. I know some of you are HDR skilled, I have seen your awesome work... please help...

Note: I did a re-shoot on the HDR and will try to get those processed soon..


What is your fav and why? I always appreciate critiques if you see something I am missing or doing wrong.. Thanks, Kat



Here they are...

The one that makes it to the gallery as my entry > I will title >> "Circles of Coersion"

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HDR




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Black and White Conversion.. I know, I know.. >> Kat why on earth did you not do something like this for the Black and White Round... > I don't know.. honestly..





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Shallow DOF Version Black and White



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Shallow DOF Color Version




There they are.. Let me have it..:noob

I need to get my entry in by this weekend.. Too much going on this week.. Thanks in advance for your help...:bow:thumb

Kat

richtersl

These are all OK but I've seen you do better. Technically they're very well done but lacking "something".

I'm not 100% sure you need the pistol in the composition. The bullets themselves are already conveying circular very well so I would try stacking them different ways and either eliminate the pistol entirely or let it play more of a secondary role. What would the bullets look like if they were stacked inside something square-shaped?

Yeah, I noticed that black blob in the HDR version. I'm not familiar with the particular package you used but I've had similar problems with Photomatix where I'll wind up with black areas or blown out areas. But not all the time so go figure ! I've been using ReDynamix for a while to get that effect and have had a lot of success with it. I just apply its effects to a single photo and when you do that, the software acts like a super Shadow/Highlight tool. But enough of that. Just had an idea for you! How about using the Shadow/Highlight tool to recoup some details from the shadows and then applying a strong unsharp mask to the results?

I know you'll come up with something that'll knock our socks off!

Katmitchell

Well Linda.. I hear ya... Thanks for pushing.. I will try to get my butt out of the studio setting and see what I can find... and at all costs I will try to avoid the hay wheels.:D

On the method you suggested with highlight and sharp mask. That is exactly what I did.. However, I held back on shadows because when I opened them up too much it made the background and that handle on the gun look to separated and strange looking.. The only other thing I have shot so far is a sunflower, but I thought it was too plain.. Here it is.. It is also an HDR..

Will try to find a few other options and see what you think of those.. I just don't have the talent you do in finding the awesome locals.. but I will try..

Thank you so much for the help.. Kat

JAG

of the first images you posted I like the last one best. The forground in the other once (before the bullets) seemed too distracting to me. But the shallow dof color version has pleasing tones to me and makes that edge not so distracting but leading into the bullets. As for excitability of the image....the composition layout is not bad...but its not exciting either. I agree with linda you have done better.

The flower is a nice flower...but in all reality....it is just a pic of a flower...there is no pop or anything that makes a person stop and say wow.

So theses are my honest opinions. Keep shooting...I know you will come up with greatness!

nightpixels

Hi Kat,

Regarding the HDR shooting, make sure that your darkest shot of the bunch does NOT contain any "blinkies" unless it is a strong light source or something. Now, I am not saying that it will not work if your darkest shot does contain some blinkies, but for that perfect HDR look, you'd be better off if your darkest shot does not contain one. The blinkies indicate that you do not have any details in that area of the photgraph, therefore that particular area in the image will look wahsed out in the combined image. On Canon 5D Mark II, the way to tell if you have lost detail anywhere in the image or not, I keep pressing on the info button until it tells me what areas in my particular shot I have blownout highlights. On the other hand, your brightest shot of the bunch should be full of "blinkies". I hope this will help you eliminate the blowout in your image ... which really means you might need a reshoot. Of course, this is all assuming, the blob in your image is not because of some settings in your HDR software.

travelways

richtersl wrote:

These are all OK but I've seen you do better. Technically they're very well done but lacking "something".

I'm not 100% sure you need the pistol in the composition. The bullets themselves are already conveying circular very well so I would try stacking them different ways and either eliminate the pistol entirely or let it play more of a secondary role. What would the bullets look like if they were stacked inside something square-shaped?

Yeah, I noticed that black blob in the HDR version. I'm not familiar with the particular package you used but I've had similar problems with Photomatix where I'll wind up with black areas or blown out areas. But not all the time so go figure ! I've been using ReDynamix for a while to get that effect and have had a lot of success with it. I just apply its effects to a single photo and when you do that, the software acts like a super Shadow/Highlight tool. But enough of that. Just had an idea for you! How about using the Shadow/Highlight tool to recoup some details from the shadows and then applying a strong unsharp mask to the results?

I know you'll come up with something that'll knock our socks off!

jeffmeyers

I like the first and last one best. Get rid of the "black blob" in the HDR shot and I think that one is super. You beat me to using bullets, but I may still try them.

dnie

jeffmeyers wrote:

I like the first and last one best. Get rid of the "black blob" in the HDR shot and I think that one is super.

jeffmeyers

Gotta ask: what kind of 9mm pistol is this?

bf2015

Now you're talkin Kat!

I'm going to be the odd duck and say that I like the shallow DOF B&W. I wonder what it would look like if you added a row of bullets on top of the row that's there. I think it would give it a little more composition and use some of the space in the top of the photo (IMHO).

If you are having trouble with your HDR program try Picturenaut by HDRlabs. It's free, extremely easy, and seems to generate better HDRs than PhotoMatrix. Again my opinion.

Here's the link:

http://www.hdrlabs.com/picturenaut/index.html

Katmitchell

Thank you everyone....... I can always count on honest CC and I do appreciate the time you took in reviewing my entry...

Linda and PhotoBug: I went out all day.......today....... and I shot so many different things and I just cannot find anything better than my gun shots. I live in the country and the more you drive, the more country there is, and the hay wheels and farm equipment were everywhere.... I even ran smack into the moon pie festival and got stuck in that for hours in traffic, should have done my research.. Anyways,, I just could not pull off anything better.. So, I am going to go with the gun shots and maybe re-shoot on all of your wonderful advice... I do have one more studio idea I will post for you though, if I can pull it off.

Brian: I will do a re-shoot on the DOF and try to do something to give the composition some kick. You all are right, it needs "something".. I will try to figure out what..

Jeff: Go for it... I think it makes it fun when people shoot the same idea with different twists and look forward to seeing yours... It is a Ruger 9mm. We do have others, but not sure my husband will let me go anywhere near those..

Jag and Linda: I will work on the composition and try to liven it up and will keep that foreground "out" of the way., I was wondering if that loosened up the comp too much.. so now I know.. Thanks.

Linda: I really need that gun in there and to be front and center because of my title; it is the gun circle that makes the title hold true..

Donna and Jeff : I will re-shoot that HDR.

Allen: Thank you so much for the HDR help.. I see now from your advice what I did wrong.. I know how to look for blinkies but I was not employing that method to avoid them. It never occurred to me that in the darkest exposure they need to not be there.. It makes perfect sense.. and it seems almost like it is a mirror effect with HDR,, I am really new, so thank you for that lesson..

I shoot with a Canon EOS Reblel XTI 400 D.. The canon mark is my dream camera.. .. so I think our settings are similar menu wise. I know I can set it to show me blinkies on the brightness histogram review after each shot. So I will make sure I pay attention to that this next shoot.. Thank you for the help.

Thank you all for your support.. Sorry for the delay, I usually reply more often, but family has dropped in on me out of state un-expected this weekend...

I will re-shoot and see what I can bring to the table employing all of the wisdom you have all offered..thumb, it is all so very helpful and I will keep my eye on the board for your stuff too..


Kat

AirThom

bf2015 wrote:

Now you're talkin Kat!

I'm going to be the odd duck and say that I like the shallow DOF B&W. I wonder what it would look like if you added a row of bullets on top of the row that's there. I think it would give it a little more composition and use some of the space in the top of the photo (IMHO).

B&W shallow was my fave, but felt like it was too "empty" up top.

DsrtVW

HDR version makes it look like there is corrosion on the shell casing. I like the BW of both version but as other said it lacks on the top. But I am hard pressed to suggest a different layout for the pistol. Maybe shallow DOF with pistol standing in profile in back somewhat OOF Tough call.
I am pleased when women play with guns more should.

Katmitchell

AirThom wrote:

B&W shallow was my fave, but felt like it was too "empty" up top.

Thanks Airthom.. I am working on different layouts.. it looks like shallow DOF rules though, so I will definitely keep that aspect of the shot..

Kat

Katmitchell

DsrtVW wrote:

HDR version makes it look like there is corrosion on the shell casing. I like the BW of both version but as other said it lacks on the top. But I am hard pressed to suggest a different layout for the pistol. Maybe shallow DOF with pistol standing in profile in back somewhat OOF Tough call.
I am pleased when women play with guns more should.

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Hey Chris.. Thanks.. I am assuming you think the corrosion part is a negative? or does it help?


Good idea on the pistol towards the back, I think that is what Linda was saying too.. This is tough because I really need that barrel right in the viewers face to hold the impact, bullets alone would not pull the title off..

I tried to stack those bullets on my first shoot, but they won't stay put..

Going to have to implement the poster putty and bring in a second clip of them too..

Well all the advice on here so far is spot on. so I will see what I can do.. I am also thinking of having my husband hold the gun to maybe bring the composition to life.. it is just too flat..

P.S> your right,, more women should use guns... or at least know how..:D


Thanksthumb

Kat

richtersl

Kat, you go with whatever you feel works. You're very creative and I know you're going to make this pop.