Okay, here's what I got...

I need help figuring out what I should do to fix this picture. This was taken with 100mm Macro (I was taking pics of shooms and the like prior) mounted on a 7D with a tripod. There is a tree to the right that kinda stuck out due to the color more than what I thought it would when I took the picture. I added some vignetting in LR3 to help hide it, but am concerned it might not be the best "fix" as this will be the second picture in a row that I used vignetting to hide my flaws and is starting to seem like a crutch. If I crop this to fit on a 11x17 or something like that, I can remove it entirely, but also lose the rocks in front (which I think I like..or not), or lose more of the waterfall up top. The bad thing about that is the stream would look more like it was running straight down the middle of the scene rather than right to left. I also have little "bubbly" things in the pond. Is this something that is typically erased or left in. I would hate to print this thing out big and see nothing but what I beleive to be fish farts (I think that's the technical term for it:). Any thoughts are welcome with changes in color, composition, etc. As a sidenote for any considerations: I suck at PS.


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.40.90/IMG_5F00_0221.jpg[/img]

nice shot by the way......, i like the stream/waterfall. my 2 cents, and i'm by no way an expert, as i am still learning........but, i agree that the tree is a little distracting, and i'm not a fan of vignetting, but everyones taste varies. i'd try croping the tree anyway, you'll only lose half the rocks in the bottom right, and it'll shift the waterfall that much further to the right. you might like the outcome, but wont know unless you give it a try. as for changes in colour, etc, if you post the original shot, it'll be easier to judge what can be done.......and the bubbles, i like


jim

This is what I came up with:


http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/3522/testiv.jpg

Crosby, I like it.


I know others may not like the tree in there, but it's really part of the "view." With the rocks in the foreground removed, it simplifies the image a bit more, too.

[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.92/redo0001.JPG[/img]





My take on it with a really quick edit in DPP.

Hmm I pretty much suck at PS as well as you do [:P] I would love to see a portrait-orientated shot of this scene though. Mostly because I´m curious at what is on top and in front of you. But I guess you won´t be able to shoot this scene again soon?


For what it´s worth, I like what you´ve done and I like the scene!


The new Adobe CS5 would be great help for you to remove the tree. Delete selection *** content aware *** haha really you should check out some new videos of it, photoshopping gets to easy [8-|] There won't be any ugly pictures in the future no more if it's up to them [A]


Jan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sheiky

Hmm I pretty much suck at PS as well as you do [img]/emoticons/emotion-4.gif[/img] I would love to see a portrait-orientated shot of this scene though. Mostly because I´m curious at what is on top and in front of you. But I guess you won´t be able to shoot this scene again soon?
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I'm with Jan. I think this stream begs for a portrait orientation. I still think that it still works well the way you shot it though. I love the idea of having the rocks in the foreground but there's not enough of them (portrait would correct that). That being said, I would crop them out the way crosbyharbisondid as well as removing that distractingtree on the right the way Wesdid.


Nice capture :-)

Go wide, much wider than you are in the original - I feel like I'm missing any "clues of location". Foreground, sides, sky; it's all "missing".


Or as others have mentioned, go vertical/portrait (and tilt upward to catch some sky for a "leading lines" composition).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wes

[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.92/redo0001.JPG[/img]





My take on it with a really quick edit in DPP.
<div style="clear: both;"]</div>

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Wes, I can see the pronounced cloning, particularly on the lower left and upper right. These areas can be challenging to clone, but if they look obviously cloned, it might be better to leave them alone.

I'm on it! It's going to rain today, making Saturday a good day for streams. I'll go back and do the portrait. It will solve most of my problems without too much PS involved. I do thank everyone for their thoughts. Even after the going back for a re-shoot, I'll still work on the one and do what others have said to see if I can pull something off.


How do you know when your done? Is there a point when you "see" it, or do you just say "that's enough time wasted on this one" and print/save it?

Good luck tomorrow mate!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andnowimbroke

How do you know when your done? Is there a point when you "see" it, or do you just say "that's enough time wasted on this one" and print/save it?

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I think you'll learn that in time. I know I personally have the tic to shoot everything landscape-orientated, mainly because when I started off with photographing the website I shot for asked specifically only for those kind of shots due to the layout it had. Nowadays I start to see more and more in the other direction as well, but I still got a thing for landscape-orientated shots [:P]


I say just try out a few shots tomorrow from a few different perspectives. Wide/closer, landscape/portrait, straight on subject/from an angle, lowupwardlooking perspective/eyeleveled perspective etc etc and see for yourself what happens to the composition when you do.


Good luck! Looking forward for some results [Y]


Jan

All I can say is that I should be thankful for the picture I took and to learnthe big lessons inmy first year. I went back to the place where I shot before and didn't recognizeanything. Doesn't take long for Mother Nature to change the looks of something in the spring time. I remember now why I shot in landscape. There are two other trees blocking the second level of waterfalls that looked disgusting at the time with no place to move and crop them out.


About the waterfall/stream: I've learned that the only people that lie more than politicians and get by with it are Weathermen! Thought something was up when all I heard were birds chirping as I was approaching my spot. I kept thinking "I don't remember hearing that before". There was no pond to speak of. The only water found was that coming from my eyes, remembering that I passed up a beautiful sunrise shot over-looking a calm steaming lake for this shot. Just for grins, I set up my tripod for what might have been, only to realize I forgot my mount a couple miles back. You have to remember that I've only used a tripodonce before. I still took a picture, but wasn't"in to it" at the time. I just pressed the left side of the camera (for portrait)into what wasnow an oversized boat anchor and fired off a round, walked back to the car, wiped the tears of pain from my face, and went back to the sunrise. You'd think if I wished hard enough, the sun would pause an hour in the skyfor my lake picture. So now that I know wishing doesn't work in photography either...