I am not looking for tips on how to make this a better picture without flash...I know this was not a good choice for that stipulation....it was just a picture I had....not havig time to take a picture without flash. I just want to know how to make things really 'pop'. Like his eyes, for instance. Any constructive comments are more than welcome.
This is not a post on being simple, I would call that Not Flashy.....But this is called 'No Flash" because that is the stipulation on the contest at iheartfaces this week....so click on this link, or the button, and head on over there to check out the shiny, happy people, with no flash over there.....
10 comments:
What a fun and colorful entry! He has amazing eyes!
He is such a cutie! Love the color and the angle on this shot!
what a cutie! Love the angel this was taken from!
Adorable! Love his bright eyes, and all the colors :)
I pulled this into Photoshop Elements to see what I found would work with the photo. I felt like his face was a little out of focus. I selected just the face and sharpened. I then adjusted the levels. I ran a free defog action and then a free action from Rita at Coffeeshop called Powder Room. It has a layer where you can define the eyes. She also has a single action for eyes, but I haven't downloaded it yet. The eyes were already beautiful, so it just made those beautiful eyes stand out even more. I also cropped in much closer following the rule of thirds. I used the healing tool to remove some of the side toys. I also selected just the shirt and despeckled it a bit. I did this very quickly, but I can send you a pic to show you the angle I was going with the picture. If you'd like me to send you the picture, email me at mriley1(at) neo (dot)rr (dot) com. Mainly I just wanted to make those eyes pop, eliminate distractions and bring out the bold colors in the picture.
Shooting children from above like this can result in fun, wonderful images. I find yours to be no exception! However, what I do notice is that my eye is not drawn to any one thing in the picture, as everything has the same tonal quality. The sand toys have great colors and you could really make them pop with some saturation. However, you don't want to outshine the main subject...I think he needs some brightness brought upon him, which can be done through curves or exposure adjustments. It looks like you were shooting with nice even light, so make that work for you by drawing the attention where you want it, probably on the little boy. if you brighten him and subdue the background, I think you will find the image has more ability to direct the viewer's eye.
I'd definitely crop this, all the other bright toys takes the viewer's eyes away from him. I played around with contrasting and color corrections until I found a combo that didn't fade his face but let his toys not be the center of attention. I sharpened ever so lightly on his eyes, they were already very clear. I added a light vignette to showcase him.
my edit
Count me as another that would crop. I'd make his head and eyes be in the top right quadrant of a 4x6. I'd do a slight "s" curve and sharpen for print. And that's it! He's adorable!
AJ
Awww... I remember your cutie from no flash week! So adorable. I'm not an expert, but I've started recently playing around with GIMP and Picnik to edit my photos, especially the eyes. I gave yours a try and posted it on my own blog here: http://2under2whew.blogspot.com/2009/04/constructive-feedback-lean-and-green.html
Let me know what you think. And if you don't have a photo editor, you can download GIMP for free!!!
I'm not sure what photo editing program you use...I use Photoshop CS3 and there are all kinds of free actions online that make those eyes just pop with vibrancy and color!
I agree with what everyone else has mentioned...I definitely think this photo would benefit from being cropped much closer in to his cute face. Right now my attention is drawn to the toys and he just kind of gets lost in there. A tighter crop would put the focus right on his beautiful face where it should be. :)
~Angie
co-founder of I ♥ Faces
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