Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
At the bookstore and got in the truck and saw this image. I can’t hold my camera yet due to my accident . So I grabbed my phone and shot a few frames. Point and Shoot. It was there so i took it the best i could. Grab shots are fun and you never know when they will appear.
Specific Feedback
Just a grab shot.
Technical Details
IPhone 13 just point and shoot. edit in Photoshop
1 Like
My friend and great photographer Bill Guerrant did an edit and came up this idea. Thats the cool think about photography, we all see differently and give fresh ideas to a photo.
Both are cool but I love the first version! The tree is a fascinating shape and the tonalities are wonderful! I love how darker droplets against lighter BG morph into lighter droplets against dark BG.
The bright spot draws more attention than I like – might be possible to tamp it down a bit, but that may not suit your taste. I would consider a gradient burn from the LR corner – subtle, in keeping with the rest of the image!
Hope you’re healing OK. Take care with it!
What software are you using? Maybe your friend can help? In PS, go to Quick Mask mode. Choose the Gradient tool. Start from the corner with it and drag to maybe 1/3 into the image — or use a very large brush to paint a feathered gradient. Go back out of Quick Mask mode to make a selection of the area you just painted. The do a Curve or Levels. It will create an adjustment layer masked with the gradient. You may need to do Select > Inverse, depending on whether you have Quick Mask set to do selected areas or protected area. You can do a subtle and controlled darkening with the adjustment layer — darkening the lights, mids or darks selectively.
Diane Miller
Thanks for the tip! I’m working on that technique some. I got a reddish color in selected area but couldn’t get rid of it. But I’ll keep working on it. Totally new to me. Thanks again.
Quick mask defaults to a red overlay to show the area – either selected or protected. Double-click the QM icon itself (bottom of tool bar) to choose the color and whether it will show selected or protected. Usually selected makes more sense. After painting the area (gradient or brush tool) hit Q again to make the painted area a selection. The color will go away.
You can confirm you got in/out of QM mode (with the Q key) by looking at the layers palette – the top layer will turn a color.
I started with the original and using Quick Mask Edit. I used brush tool and made small light edits. Took a while to get to b and w but I got there. Burn and dodge some. Contrast filter. I got a new photo. Not going to post it. I’ll try again.
Thanks for all your help. Always learning.
This is great Gill. I really like the way the darker section of the background and its relationship with the brighter areas on the bottom right of the frame. The way the tones of the water droplets mirror the background tonalities is excellent. Well seen image.
Thanks so much. There are so many great photo opportunities out there. Just have to keep our eyes open and have creative vision. The photographers on NPN are amazing and the vision blows me away. Peace 
