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Please review...am I over editing?

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JQuonDo

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I'm a 1 month old aspiring photographer and I'm looking to improve. I've learned so much of the basics and there is soooooo much more for me to learn.

I think I'm suffering from over editing syndrome for the following reasons. 1) I don't have a good eye for color 2) I'm still learning better composition 3) I haven't really developed a style, but I think my style right now is over editing. heh.

I understand that some opinions may be subjective, but please let me know do's and don't for the following images. What should I have done or how can I crop for better composition. Thanks!






Random building






Shot with no lens hood, so there is some flare.





 

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The look of these images is very nice, not over-processed to my eye.

For some more editing: correct the tilt in the 1st and 3rd image.
 
It's all subjective, but I like the flare. It's kind of what you'd expect looking at the sun like that. If you didn't have it the photo might look too edited.

In the first, the lower right looks a bit dense and doesn't really add much. I might wanna see how it looked cropped out. If you meant to keep the lower dark part to add some perspective/distance to the building, I can understand. But it has either too little or too much detail in my eyes, and ends up distracting.

In the third, I wonder how it would look with the foreground trunk having just a silhouette, and no detail at all, like the second photo.
 
Mark9473 said:
The look of these images is very nice, not over-processed to my eye.

For some more editing: correct the tilt in the 1st and 3rd image.
Click to expand...
 
robgendreau said:
It's all subjective, but I like the flare. It's kind of what you'd expect looking at the sun like that. If you didn't have it the photo might look too edited.

In the first, the lower right looks a bit dense and doesn't really add much. I might wanna see how it looked cropped out. If you meant to keep the lower dark part to add some perspective/distance to the building, I can understand. But it has either too little or too much detail in my eyes, and ends up distracting.

In the third, I wonder how it would look with the foreground trunk having just a silhouette, and no detail at all, like the second photo.
Click to expand...
I always thought the flare looked cool, but as I read forums and websites, people keep saying to avoid it. I don't own a lens hood yet, so anything I shoot naturally has flare...

Good tip on the first photo, sometimes I edit for so long (because i'm slow) that I don't know what I want out of the picture, but I will definitely play around with your suggestions.

I tried doing silhouette on the 3rd photo, but I had trouble maintaining the color of the background while making the foreground dark. Would it be better to use the brush tool on the trunk/foreground and bring down the exposure? I think I tried a few things, but I couldn't get it to look natural.
 
Third image, by the tree, the white ghosting is my only negative. I don't think you are over editing.
 
Personally, I like them.

But for information, a lens hood will do absolutely nothing to reduce flase when the sun (or whatever other main light source) is actually in the frame. In fact, theoretically it could make matters a tiny bit worse!
 
I've been shooting for a living for 35 years. These are very nice photos. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it!
 
JQuonDo said:
Mark9473 said:
For some more editing: correct the tilt in the 1st and 3rd image.
Click to expand...
Haha..it's funny you mention the tilt, I used the profile correction and the auto tilt in lightroom. At first I thought the tilt in the first image was better before the auto correct.
Click to expand...
I downloaded the full size image, and I now think my eyes were playing tricks on me...
 
AlbertInFrance said:
Personally, I like them.

But for information, a lens hood will do absolutely nothing to reduce flase when the sun (or whatever other main light source) is actually in the frame. In fact, theoretically it could make matters a tiny bit worse!
Click to expand...
 
MJBphoto said:
Third image, by the tree, the white ghosting is my only negative. I don't think you are over editing.
Click to expand...
What's the best way to fix something like that? I have that same issue with a couple of other shots that I would like to fix.
 
I think the first two photos are very good. The third doesn't appeal to me as much.

No, they are not over-edited. However, the white outlines around the man suggest that you didn't need such strong sharpening.

As for "developing a personal style" -- I say avoid it. Deliberate attempts at having a unique or different style just lead to gimmicky tricksy photography, and the gimmicks and tricks are always imitated from other photographers.

If you are a person with a strong character and you work hard to make every picture the best you can make it, then a personal style will come of its own accord. If you try to push personality, the result is egotism.
 
JQuonDo said:
robgendreau said:
It's all subjective, but I like the flare. It's kind of what you'd expect looking at the sun like that. If you didn't have it the photo might look too edited.

In the first, the lower right looks a bit dense and doesn't really add much. I might wanna see how it looked cropped out. If you meant to keep the lower dark part to add some perspective/distance to the building, I can understand. But it has either too little or too much detail in my eyes, and ends up distracting.

In the third, I wonder how it would look with the foreground trunk having just a silhouette, and no detail at all, like the second photo.
Click to expand...
I always thought the flare looked cool, but as I read forums and websites, people keep saying to avoid it. I don't own a lens hood yet, so anything I shoot naturally has flare...

Good tip on the first photo, sometimes I edit for so long (because i'm slow) that I don't know what I want out of the picture, but I will definitely play around with your suggestions.

I tried doing silhouette on the 3rd photo, but I had trouble maintaining the color of the background while making the foreground dark. Would it be better to use the brush tool on the trunk/foreground and bring down the exposure? I think I tried a few things, but I couldn't get it to look natural.
Click to expand...
One possibility for that third photo would be to split it into two photos -- the left half and the right half. Don't divide exactly down the centre, but see what looks good.
 
AlbertInFrance said:
Personally, I like them.

But for information, a lens hood will do absolutely nothing to reduce flase when the sun (or whatever other main light source) is actually in the frame. In fact, theoretically it could make matters a tiny bit worse!
Click to expand...
True. But it can make a big difference when the Sun is just outside the frame.
 
D Cox said:
I think the first two photos are very good. The third doesn't appeal to me as much.

No, they are not over-edited. However, the white outlines around the man suggest that you didn't need such strong sharpening.

As for "developing a personal style" -- I say avoid it. Deliberate attempts at having a unique or different style just lead to gimmicky tricksy photography, and the gimmicks and tricks are always imitated from other photographers.

If you are a person with a strong character and you work hard to make every picture the best you can make it, then a personal style will come of its own accord. If you try to push personality, the result is egotism.
Click to expand...
I like your perspective on style. Definitely made me think. Thank you for the feedback
 
Wow only one month old. I didn't know who I was at that age never mind use a camera.

Seriously I like the first 2 and your editing seems fine to me. Best advice I can give you regarding editing is to learn when to stop.
 
Tedolph
 
I don't particularly care for the first one nor the last. The building has way too many distractions from the tables up front to other items on the building. I just don't think there's much here. The building is also misshapened, bent.

In the last, I like the framing, but don't really see a subject. The background is too hazy for me with what might be too much veiling flare. Though it might be level, it just doesn't look like it to me. There might be something there, but I'm not seeing it off hand. Someone suggested to split it in half. Might just work. I like the right side. On the left, I might position the camera so that flower was much larger and in the lower left third of the frame.

The middle picture I really like and like it a lot. You've got a subject. You're telling a story. It's a compelling composition. The only thing, and this is a bit picky, is I'd bring out the background mountains or hills with a slight bit more contrast there. Just an opinion. Nicely done. :-)

This is not one of my best, but just to show what I mean by adding some contrast to those mountains. Maybe not quite this much, but you see what I mean on the more distant ones.

mountain_sunset_6-9-09.jpg


--
Cheers, Craig
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I reserve the right to make mistakes in reasoning and logic as well as to change my mind anytime I wish. I also ask forbearance with respect to my typos. Please take a look at my gallery here at DPR.
 
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