# I will c&c your work for you, beginners welcomed.



## Dwayne Oakes

I will c&c your work for you, tweak your photo with a repost of the photo
and a list of the tweaks I made so you can pick up some pp tips.
ONE photo per photographer and a 35 photo limit to this thread only.

PS Please note the tweaked photos from my last c&c thread will be 
deleted to save upload space on my Zenfolio site. Thanks

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## sly677

Awesome, I was hoping you would start another one of those soon...I really like what you do and I would like to see what can be done to improve this photo. Thanks
Syl


----------



## benlonghair

Is this landscape only?


----------



## Stusmobile

After reading your previous C & C threads and enjoying the outcomes I'm feeling brave. One of a series of shots taken recently at Disney, It was the first time really shooting with a new camera so there was a week of experimenting and learning. Fuji Finepix S8000fd,






thanks in advance

Stu


----------



## sly677

I don't think it is,  there was another thread a couple weeks ago that was also here in this section and there was a variety of images in it...but really I guess it's up to Dwayne.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

All subjects are fine.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

sly677 said:


> Awesome, I was hoping you would start another one of those soon...I really like what you do and I would like to see what can be done to improve this photo. Thanks
> Syl


 
good 

-great off center comp
-great mood and mystery (blue color and mist)
-exposure is right on 

nit

-stray branch in the top left is a bit of a distraction
-photo is noisy
-photo has lens vignette in the corners
-photo has a slight tilt to the left when placed on a grid
-to many lights (takes away from the mood of the photo)

tweak 

-straightened the photo 
-put the photo through NR software

-lightened (dodge) the dark corners (vignette)
-lightened (dodge) the mist in the BG

-healed out the stray branch in the top left
-healed out the lights but left three under the tree to add to the mystery

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the main tree 

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## dizzyg44

How about this one?


----------



## F1addict

I was hoping you'd have another one of these threads up soon.

I took this about a week ago at Black Mountain Point on Lake George in NY. It was a great day for testing my new polarizing filter. And this was one of my favorites from the day




I tried a few things in photoshop to make it a little better like adjusting brightness/contrast and saturation, etc but I was wondering what you could come up with


----------



## MikeBookPro

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Stusmobile said:


> After reading your previous C & C threads and enjoying the outcomes I'm feeling brave. One of a series of shots taken recently at Disney, It was the first time really shooting with a new camera so there was a week of experimenting and learning. Fuji Finepix S8000fd,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thanks in advance
> 
> Stu


 
good 

-good comp, it works here 
-exposure is right on 
-good detail
-low noise
-contrast and color all look very good

nit

-photo has a slight tilt to the right when placed on a grid (lens distortion is typical here at 4.7mm)
-some shadows could be opened up a tad
-stray objects in the far right sky could be healed out

tweak

-straightened the photo
-added a tad of contrast boost (very little)

-opened up (dodge) some of the shadows a tad (tower tops) etc

-lightened (dodge) the three gold balls on the flag poles and the orange lit
areas on the one white tower (right)

-lightened (dodge) the clock
-good colors but I turned down the blue a tad (personal choice)

-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter

-healed out the stray objects in the far right (sky)
-healed out the red dot on the building in the FG center left

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Stusmobile

Dwayne Oakes said:


> Stusmobile said:
> 
> 
> 
> After reading your previous C & C threads and enjoying the outcomes I'm feeling brave. One of a series of shots taken recently at Disney, It was the first time really shooting with a new camera so there was a week of experimenting and learning. Fuji Finepix S8000fd,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thanks in advance
> 
> Stu
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -good comp, it works here
> -exposure is right on
> -good detail
> -low noise
> -contrast and color all look very good
> 
> nit
> 
> -photo has a slight tilt to the right when placed on a grid (lens distortion is typical here at 4.7mm)
> -some shadows could be opened up a tad
> -stray objects in the far right sky and the red dot on the buildng near
> the center left in FG could be healed out
> 
> tweak
> 
> -straightened the photo
> -added a tad of contrast boost (very little)
> 
> -opened up (dodge) some of the shadows a tad (tower tops) etc
> 
> -lightened (dodge) the three gold balls on the flag poles and the orange lit
> areas on the one white tower (right)
> 
> -lightened (dodge) the clock
> -good colors but I turned down the blue a tad (personal choice)
> 
> -added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter
> -healed out the stray objects in the far right (sky)
> 
> -healed out the red dot on the building in the FG center left
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...


Thank you Dwayne, much appreciated and gives me good starting spots for improving many other of the shots taken.

Stu


----------



## AndrewK

You do great work Dwayne! Hope you can get to mine.
Thanks!


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

dizzyg44 said:


> How about this one?


 
good

-beautiful model
-very good studio lighting
-good pose
-good comp
-great skin tones

nit

-backdrop has dirt specs and marks on it 
-red channel is clipped on model's right shoulder
-blemishes on the model's (neck, right knee and foot) could be healed out

tweak

-darkened (burn) the top of the backdrop
-lightened (dodge) the seam line in the backdrop to hide it

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to the model's hair and dress
-added selective desaturation to just the right shoulder to fix the clipping

-healed out all the marks on the backdrop
-healed out the model's blemishes on the (neck, right knee and right foot)

-using the LCH tool in Nikon NX2 I set a chroma point on just the
blue color bands on the dress and increased the color saturation to
just the blue color

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## dizzyg44

Awesome!!!




Dwayne Oakes said:


> dizzyg44 said:
> 
> 
> 
> How about this one?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -beautiful model
> -very good studio lighting
> -good pose
> -good comp
> -great skin tones
> 
> nit
> 
> -backdrop has dirt specs and marks on it
> -red channel is clipped on model's right shoulder
> -blemishes on the model's (neck, right knee and foot) could be healed out
> 
> tweak
> 
> -darkened (burn) the top of the backdrop
> -lightened (dodge) the seam line in the backdrop to hide it
> 
> -added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to the model's hair and dress
> -added selective desaturation to just the right shoulder to fix the clipping
> 
> -healed out all the marks on the backdrop
> -healed out the model's blemishes on the (neck, right knee and right foot)
> 
> -using the LCH tool in Nikon NX2 I set a chroma point on just the
> blue color bands on the dress and increased the color saturation to
> just the blue color
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...


----------



## outdoorsms

i am very new to photography bout 2 month to be exact if you could show me some pointers on this pic i would greatly appreciate it thanks


----------



## avilamillar

Thanks


----------



## Yemme

Yes another one... This was really overexposed.  Not sure what you can do....  Good luck







Stusmobile ... I love the castle... Didn't get to go this year... Me very sad...


----------



## robertwsimpson

I was also hoping you'd do another one of these!

sorry that the material isn't cityscape, but what do you have to say about this one?


----------



## 512

Dwayne Oakes's suggests are very good...also for me. thank you


----------



## Mohai

Hi, i'm quiet new, about 2-3 months, pointers would be great thanks!


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

F1addict said:


> I was hoping you'd have another one of these threads up soon.
> 
> I took this about a week ago at Black Mountain Point on Lake George in NY. It was a great day for testing my new polarizing filter. And this was one of my favorites from the day
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I tried a few things in photoshop to make it a little better like adjusting brightness/contrast and saturation, etc but I was wondering what you could come up with


 
good

-cool contrails
-good comp
-horizon is level
-no sensor dust (sky)
-contrast and colors look good
-good DOF

nit

-photo is underexposed (still room left on the right side of the histogram)
-stray branches in the top left and far right are a bit of a distraction
-CP filter making a light to dark effect, typical at wide angles (personal
choice)
-photo is tad soft

tweak

-cropped the photo a tad tigher to get rid of the stray branches 
-healed out the remainder stray branch in the top left

-added a tad of global contrast boost
-moved the white point slider in (levels) to the left to take up the space
still left in the histogram to improve the overall exposure

-lightened (dodge) some of the land on the right
-lightened (dodge) the tree on the island on the left
-lightened (dodge) the white water reflection from the clouds
-lightened (dodge) the FG water and right side of the photo were
it is dark from the CP filter (personal choice)

-darkened (burn) the left side of the sky to match the right from the
effect due to the CP filter (personal choice)

-healed out the marker buoy right of the island
-healed out the rock on the left in the MG water

-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

MikeBookPro said:


> Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!


 
good

-great off center comp
-great portrait DOF
-exposure is right on 
-colors, contrast and detail are all very good
-low noise

nit

-the background is a tad to bright
-black and white might work a bit better (personal choice)
-black spot on the table in the FG left is a bit of a distraction
-the two freckles could be healed out

tweak 

-switched photo to black and white for a more artistic look (personal choice)

-added a tad of global contrast boost

-darkened (burn) the backdrop to tone down the brightness a tad

-darkened (burn) the bottom left corner to match the right, it makes
for a nice effect

-added a tad of selective (gaussian blur) soft-focus to the subject's face

-added a tad of selective USM (shapening) to just the subject's eyes,
hair and the first bolt closest to the subject

-healed out the dark spot on the table in the FG left
-healed out the two freckles

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## c.cloudwalker

Dwayne Oakes, stay away from my freckles!

What in h*ll is wrong with freckles?  My brother and I both have large freckles (beauty marks) on our faces that photographers have been removing for years and... they have been re-printing their photos for years because we want our freckles. You may not like them but they are part of us.

With us, the problem started with passport photographers. Do you really want to spend 10 hrs at some border because the photographer didn't like you freckles?

I don't, he doesn't, we don't.

LEAVE THE FRECKLES ALONE!


----------



## c.cloudwalker

BTW I like 99% of your C&C. Just leave the freckles alone. lol


----------



## ZachH

I was wondering how i could make the subject in this picture pop out more.


----------



## robertwsimpson

lollllll I like freckles too!



SAVE THE FRECKLES!


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

AndrewK said:


> You do great work Dwayne! Hope you can get to mine.
> Thanks!


 
Thank you very much for the comments !

good

-good off center placement of the subject
-good detail 
-good DOF
-low noise

nit

-the comp is good but just a tad to much negative space
-photo needs some light drama and a color tint to add interest
-stray DOF branch in the right FG is a bit of a distraction
-photo is tad underexposed (still room left in the histogram)

tweak

-cropped the photo a tad tighter to get rid of some negative space
-moved the white point slider in (levels) to the left to take up the 
space still left in the histogram to improve overall exposure 

-added a sepia tone tint to the photo to add some interest (personal
choice) most editing software programs have a one click sepia tone feature

-added a tad of Orton-effect to add to the interest (personal choice)

Orton-effect

1-move the midtone slider in (levels) so the photo goes lighter
2-move the radius slider in (gaussian blur) so photo goes very blurry
3-go into (blending mode) and select multiply
4-readjust sliders in (levels) to set final exposure

-lightened (dodge) some areas around the forest hillsides to add some
light drama

-added a tad of global contrast boost
-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the forest hillsides 

-healed out the stray DOF branch in the FG right

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

outdoorsms said:


> i am very new to photography bout 2 month to be exact if you could show me some pointers on this pic i would greatly appreciate it thanks


 
Well for 2 months you are doing great ! Keep at it and it is great to see
you capturing nature, awesome !

good

-great song bird
-colors, contrast and detail all very good
-good DOF effect
-low noise

nit

-comp (the bird is on center)
-to much background (negative space)
-green color is a tad over (green channel clipped in the histogram)
-bird is in a shadow (try fill flash or fix in pp by dodge)
-bird is a tad soft 
-background is a tad bright

tweak

-cropped the photo tighter to reduce the negative space and placed the jay
to 1/3 rule

-desaturated the colors to tone down the green color
-darkened (burn) the background so it is not so bright

-lightened (dodge) the jay 
-added selective color saturation to just the blue color of the jay
-added selective USM (sharpening) to just the jay and stump to get over
the AA filter

-healed out the sunflower seeds

PS If any of these terms are new to you just google them as there
is lots of info on them. Learn and practice one term (topic) at a time then
move on to the next to keep things simple.

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

c.cloudwalker said:


> BTW I like 99% of your C&C. Just leave the freckles alone. lol


 
lol

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## AndrewK

Thanks Dwayne, great work,
i love it


----------



## sly677

Hey Dwayne, thanks for the CC and the tweaks of my image. Whats the NR software you use? I hadn't realized how big a difference it made.

Thank

Syl


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

AndrewK said:


> Thanks Dwayne, great work,
> i love it


 
No problem I am glad I could help.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

sly677 said:


> Hey Dwayne, thanks for the CC and the tweaks of my image. Whats the NR software you use? I hadn't realized how big a difference it made.
> 
> Thank
> 
> Syl


 
I use Noiseware, great software.

Imagenomic - Best Plugins for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Apple Aperture

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## outdoorsms

thanks for the work i will take all the pointers you gave me and try to improve
thanks again i really appreciate it 


outdoorsms' Photos- powered by SmugMug


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

avilamillar said:


> Thanks


 
good

-very good 1/3 rule comp (land vs sky)
-good FG placement (adds depth)
-good exposure (slight clipping in the sky, typical)
-good contrast
-good DOF

nit

-photo is a tad soft
-colors could use a boost 
-stray grass blade in the far left and floating debris in the FG could
be healed out

tweak 

-lightened (dodge) some areas of the sky
-darkened (burn) some areas of the sky

-lightened (dodge) some of the forest shorline and its reflections
-lightened (dodge) the cloud reflection in the FG pool
-lightened (dodge) the little plant in the far left

-added selective color boost to just the rocks
-added selective USM (sharpening) to just the rocks

-darkened (burn) the clipped sky area in the far right

-healed out the stray grass blade in the far left and  the floating debris
in the FG pool

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Yemme said:


> Yes another one... This was really overexposed. Not sure what you can do.... Good luck
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Stusmobile ... I love the castle... Didn't get to go this year... Me very sad...


 
good

-good contrast
-low noise
-good DOF

nit

-metal bar is a distraction
-to much negative space and clutter (tree branches) 

tweak 

-cropped the photo tighter and to portrait orientation to get rid of the
clutter and some of the negative space

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the subject

-healed out the metal bar

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

robertwsimpson said:


> I was also hoping you'd do another one of these!
> 
> sorry that the material isn't cityscape, but what do you have to say about this one?


 
Slight clipping, other than that a technically flawless and needs no 
additional pp. Excellent work !

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Mohai said:


> Hi, i'm quiet new, about 2-3 months, pointers would be great thanks!


 
You are doing very well for 2 months ! keep at it.

good

-very good comp
-good FG placement (adds depth)
-exposure is right on
-good contrast
-no sensor dust (sky)

nit

-photo has a tilt to the left when placed on a grid
-colors are tad over (personal choice)
-pier rail in the bottom right corner is a bit of a distraction
-light hotspot (clipped) in the center water reflection is a distraction
-alot of shadows
-photo is a tad soft

tweak 

-straightened the photo
-desaturated the colors (personal choice)

-lightened (dodge) the sky in the upper right
-opened up all the shadows (dodge)

-lightened (dodge) the base of the cliff and its water reflection (far right)
-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the houses and the
rocks in the MG, FG

-healed out the hotspot (clipped) in the center water reflection
-healed out the stray light in the far left
-healed out the pier rail in the bottom right

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## lvcrtrs

Dwayne,
What is "add selective color boost"?  Is it the same as increasing saturation?

Sherry


----------



## Overread

Well I'm game for this - and I'll give you something a little different than landscapes - a nice bug!






The result of a focus stack, a sleepy moth and some flash


----------



## Mohai

Thanks a lot, i appreciate the notes! xD


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

lvcrtrs said:


> Dwayne,
> What is "add selective color boost"? Is it the same as increasing saturation?
> 
> Sherry


 
Hi Sherry,

Yes that is correct, those terms mean the same thing. Most editing
software programs have a selection tool that you can place around an
area. Then you can increase the color boost (saturation) to just that
area without affecting the other colors in the photo. Thanks for 
the question.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Overread said:


> Well I'm game for this - and I'll give you something a little different than landscapes - a nice bug!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The result of a focus stack, a sleepy moth and some flash


 
Your photo is not showing ?

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Overread

ahh thanks! Not sure what happened there, but its up now (I hope)


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Overread said:


> Well I'm game for this - and I'll give you something a little different than landscapes - a nice bug!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The result of a focus stack, a sleepy moth and some flash


 
good

-tack sharp
-cool compound eye
-great contrast 
-great detail
-great colors
-exposure is right on 

nit

-to much negative space

tweak 

-cropped the photo tighter to get rid of some of the negative space
and placed the moth's eye to 1/3 rule

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Yemme

That is so scary...


----------



## robertwsimpson

Dwayne Oakes said:


> robertwsimpson said:
> 
> 
> 
> I was also hoping you'd do another one of these!
> 
> sorry that the material isn't cityscape, but what do you have to say about this one?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Slight clipping, other than that a technically flawless and needs no
> additional pp. Excellent work !
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...


SCORE!!!

thanks man.

I actually did some work to try and make the clipping a little better, but that pesky little sun ray got the best of me.


----------



## Overread

Dwayne Oakes said:


> good
> 
> -tack sharp
> -cool compound eye
> -great contrast
> -great detail
> -great colors
> -exposure is right on
> 
> nit
> 
> -to much negative space
> 
> tweak
> 
> -cropped the photo tighter to get rid of some of the negative space
> and placed the moth's eye to 1/3 rule
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Dwayne Oakes



Many thanks Dwayne!
I'm somewhat amazed that the out of focus leg in the foreground was not sitting in your nits list (its in mine!) though the negative space aspect was something that I did not consider myself. The crop certianly helps to bring out the details more (at websize at least) and is bringing the viewer a lot closer to the insect itself.


Yemme	He's not scary, he's pretty. Now scary is when there are 8 of those evil staring eyes looking at you!


----------



## Jeff Canes




----------



## DiamondCactus




----------



## Dave1668

Disregard the "no editing" tag under my name....


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Jeff Canes said:


>


 
good

-great 1/3 rule comp
-great mood (sky)
-great shades of green
-great DOF
-good detail 
-nice natural colors

nit

-photo is a tad underexposed (still room left in the histogram)
-photo is a tad flat (contrast)

tweak

-moved the white point slider in (levels) to the left to take up the room
still left in the histogram to improve the overall exposure

-added a tad of global contrast boost
-lightened (dodge) the different shades of green through out the photo

-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Jeff Canes

Dwayne Oakes said:


> ---get over the AA filter---


 
want is an AA filter?

Thank for the input


----------



## UUilliam

Jeff Canes said:


> Dwayne Oakes said:
> 
> 
> 
> ---get over the AA filter---
> 
> 
> 
> 
> want is an AA filter?
> 
> Thank for the input
Click to expand...

Anti-Aliasing filter (makes the edges smooth thus loosing sharpness)


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

William is correct ! It is located in front of your camera's sensor.
All that is needed is a slight amount of USM (sharpening) in pp to reduce
its effect on a image.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

DiamondCactus said:


>


 
good

-good comp
-great contrast
-great color
-exposure is right on 
-great water reflection

nit

-photo has a tilt to the left when placed on a grid
-light to dark effect, maybe from a circular polarizer filter (personal choice)
-sensor dust in the sky (center)

tweak 

-straightened the photo

-darkened (burn) the left side of the sky to counter the CP filter effect
(personal choice)

-darkened (burn) the left side of the water to counter the CP filter effect
(personal choice) 

-lightened (dodge) the building's water reflections
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter

-healed out the sensor dust in the sky (center)

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

PS Looks like a CP filter effect in this photo. There is nothing
wrong at all with using a CP filter and its effects. It's a personal choice
thing.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## SlySniper

How about this:


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Dave1668 said:


> Disregard the "no editing" tag under my name....


 
good

-very good off center comp
-great water reflection and its shades of color
-great contrast 
-good color
-very good detail
-exposure is right on 

nit

-blue color cast in the water reflection in the bottom right 
is a bit of a distraction

-water dot in the FG could be healed out

tweak

-lightened (dodge) some of the areas around the water reflection

-added selective color saturation to areas around the water reflection (greens, browns)

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the turtles to get over the AA filter

-healed out the blue color cast area in the water reflection in 
the bottom right

-healed out the sun's hotspots (clipped) on the turtles backs

-healed out the water dot in the FG 

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dave1668

Thank you Dwayne.
You saw a couple of things I missed.


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

Dave1668 said:


> Thank you Dwayne.
> You saw a couple of things I missed.


 
No problem Dave, I am glad I could help.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


----------



## Dwayne Oakes

SlySniper said:


> How about this:


 
good

-great side lighting
-good off center comp
-good DOF
-good detail

nit

-photo is overexposed (clipping)
-crack in the pavement is a bit of a distraction
-good comp but the ball is to close to the edge of the photo on the left
-photo is a tad flat (contrast)
-photo is a tad soft

tweak

-darkened (burn) around the BG of the ball to create more light drama
and to improve overall exposure

-lightened (dodge) the lit side of the ball to create more light drama

-added a tad of global contrast boost
-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the ball

-healed out the crack in the pavement

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## Murphy O'Hoolihan

Thanks for taking a look


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## Sirene

This thread is so much fun, thanks so much Dwayne, I will see what I want to post


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## Sirene

Don't know what to do with this one, especially with the background.


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## Dwayne Oakes

Murphy O'Hoolihan said:


> Thanks for taking a look


 
good

-great off center comp and sky to 1/3 rule
-great light
-exposure is good
-nice waves
-good DOF

nit

-WB (white balance) is a tad on the cool side (blue color cast) personal
choice
-photo is flat (lacks contrast)
-photo is soft
-dark band in the upper right corner is a bit of a distraction

tweak

-set the WB (white balance) to a warmer setting to remove the 
blue color cast (personal choice)

-moved the blackpoint slider and midtone slider in (levels) to the right a tad
to darken the photo, this will give the photo a little dynamic range boost

-darkened (burn) the sky on the right to create more drama

-lightened (dodge) the water spray coming off the waves under the pier
-lightened (dodge) the one pier light that is lit
-lightened (dodge) the some of the water in the FG 

-added a tad of global contrast boost
-added a tad of global color saturation
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening)

-healed out the dark ban in the top right corner 

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## southfreo

Wow, this thread is inspirational, learning the craft and would appreciate your critique


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## Yemme

SouthFreo... that's hot!


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## Dominantly

A friend and I enjoying a hike yesterday.


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## Dwayne Oakes

Sirene said:


> Don't know what to do with this one, especially with the background.


 
good

-beautiful capture
-great pose
-great highlight control (no clipping)
-exposure is right on
-good DOF
-great colors and contrast

nit

-to much clutter
-photo has a tilt to the left when placed on a grid
-photo is a tad noisy at 100% crop (walls)

tweak 

-straightened the photo 
-cropped the photo tighter to get rid of the clutter

-used gaussian blur (soft-focus) tool around the edges of the photo 
-put the photo through NR software

-healed out the shirt of the chair on the left
-healed out the door knob and string on the right
-healed out the door hinge on the right
-healed out the blue object on the top self in the center

-put a frame around the photo from a plug-in from Ulead PhotoImpact 12
software.

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## eric-holmes

Great thread. I downloaded Photoshop and found it to be completely overwhelming. Here is what I consider to be my best photo so far.


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## Dwayne Oakes

southfreo said:


> Wow, this thread is inspirational, learning the craft and would appreciate your critique


 
Thank you very much for the comments !

good

-cool 8mm angle
-great color and contrast
-very good detail
-exposure is right on 
-good DOF
-low noise

nit

-street light on the left is a bit of a distraction
-dark spot in the bottom left corner could be cropped out
-photo has a slight tilt to the left 
-unqual space on the sides (comp)

tweak 

-straightened the photo

-cropped the photo so there is equal space on both sides of the photo this
will also got rid of the dark spot in the bottom left corner

-added a tad of selective color saturation to the teal color light in one of the
arches on the right

-added tad of global contrast boost
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening)

-healed out the street lamp on the left

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## southfreo

Thanks Dwayne, great comments and advice.


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## Dwayne Oakes

Dominantly said:


> A friend and I enjoying a hike yesterday.


 
good

-great place
-very good comp
-no sensor dust (sky)
-great DOF

nit

-exposure is about right but some clipping in the FG 
-colors and contrast are a tad flat (typical due to the harsh light)

tweak

-cropped out the black border not because it does not look 
nice but because it will get in the way of the healing out FG step

-darkened (burn) the sky a tad to improve its color saturation

-added a tad of selective contrast boost to just the green mountain range
in the MG to cut through some of the haze

-added selective color saturation to just the orange color in the two
mountain peaks on the right

-added a tad of selective color saturation to the red stripe on the shoe

-healed out the hotspots (clipped) areas in the FG
-darkened (burn) the FG to tone it down a tad

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the mountain range

-healed out the white spot on the mountain range on the right

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## Dominantly

THANK YOU.... Those mountains are full of Iron, so hence that color, and you helped really bring it out. Those selective enhancements really come out nice.

Initially I had trouble with the shot because the foreground is actually a glacier.. a bit dirty, but still had clean parts that REALLY shine in the bright sun. I like the way you made it even and not eye intrusive.

Thanks again!


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## mikie2084

Not really landscape, but what do you think about this and what can you do? I know its centered, i cant get away from that.


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## JIP

I don't know if we are full yet buy hows about this one....






I have a few similar ones that I have messed with in CS4 but I thought I would give you a go.


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## Dwayne Oakes

eric-holmes said:


> Great thread. I downloaded Photoshop and found it to be completely overwhelming. Here is what I consider to be my best photo so far.


 
good

-great butterfly (black swallowtail)
-great light to dark backdrop
-exposure is right on 
-very good detail
-good DOF

nit

-a bit to much negative space (backgraound)
-colors are a tad over (personal choice)
-stray grass blade on the left is a bit of a distraction
-photo is a tad soft

tweak

-cropped the photo a tad tighter to get rid of some of the negative space
this also got rid of the stray grass blade on the left

-desaturated the colors (personal choice)
 -added a tad of global contrast boost

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the butterfly and 
the flower's center to get over the AA filter

-healed out the black band along the side of the photo on the right
-healed out the white stem mark below the flower

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## eric-holmes

Thanks man, It looks great!


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## Dwayne Oakes

ZachH said:


> I was wondering how i could make the subject in this picture pop out more.


 
Oops, I missed one, very sorry.

good

-great freeze action
-very good off center comp
-good contrast and colors
-good detail
-no sensor dust (sky)

nit

-subject is to dark (fill flash will help with this)

-stray evergreen on the left and stray dark branches in the top
right are a bit of a distraction

-photo is a tad noisy in the shadows

tweak

-put the photo through NR software

-lightened (dodge) the subject and skateboard
-lightened (dodge) the ramp

-added a tad of selective color saturation to just the skateboard

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the subject 

-healed out the stray branches

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## Dwayne Oakes

mikie2084 said:


> Not really landscape, but what do you think about this and what can you do? I know its centered, i cant get away from that.


 
good

-great light

-great center comp (every now and then a photo comes along and the 
center comp works better than the 1/3 rule comp and this is one of them

-great classic silhouette

nit

-photo is a tad underexposed (it is ok to clip the sun's hotspot to improve overall exposure)

-colors and contrast could use a bit of a boost

tweak 

-moved the white point slider in (levels) to the left to improve overall
exposure

-lightened (dodge) the sun's hot spot to create more light drama

-added a tad of global contrast boost
-added a tad of global color saturation

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## mikie2084

Thanks for the c&c Dwanye! I really appreciate the good words from you!

Mike


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## Sfacs

Hi !





Thanks to C&C


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## Dwayne Oakes

JIP said:


> I don't know if we are full yet buy hows about this one....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have a few similar ones that I have messed with in CS4 but I thought I would give you a go.


 
good

-great place
-very good comp 
-very good DOF
-good placement of the flowers in the FG (adds depth)
-good color and contrast

nit

-sky is a tad dark
-photo is a tad soft
-stray branches in the bottom left are a bit of a distraction

tweak

-lightened (dodge) the sky

-added a tad of global contrast boost
-added a tad of global USM (sharpening) to get over the AA filter

-healed out the stray branches in the bottom left

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## Agoraphobic

A cloudy day at Crater Lake, I did some PP myself but nothing I do seems to do the lake justice


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## Dwayne Oakes

Sfacs said:


> Hi !
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks to C&C


 
good

-good comp
-good contrast and detail
-good DOF
-exposure is right on 

nit

-the red shirt is a tad overpowering
-unequal space on the shoulders (sides of the photo)
-shirt logos are a bit of a distraction

tweak

-cropped the photo so shoulders have equal spacing

-switched the photo to black and white so the red shirt is
not getting all of the attention (personal choice)

-darkened (burn) around the subject so the sax stands out more

-lightened (dodge) the sax
-lightened (dodge) the eyes
-lightened (dodge) the shadow on the left side of the face

-added a tad of selective contrast boost to just the sax

-put the photo through NR software (not for noise but for 
a soft-focus effect)

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the eyes and sax

-healed out any blemishes on the subjects face
-healed out the logos on the shirt
-healed out the window latch on the right

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## Reece Man

You're pretty busy, got time for another?

This is one of my favorite shots I've taken






edit: Photobucket vignetted it and added a little more contrast...


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## Dwayne Oakes

Agoraphobic said:


> A cloudy day at Crater Lake, I did some PP myself but nothing I do seems to do the lake justice


 
good

-classic place
-good comp 
-good FG placement (adds depth)
-exposure is right on 
-good detail in the FG

nit

-photo is a tad flat (lacks contrast)
-colors could use a boost
-photo is tad soft in the BG (from DOF and haze)
-photo has a tilt to the left (could be natural from the curve in the crater)

tweak

SKY

-lightened (dodge) some areas
-darkened (burn) some areas

BG

-lightened (dodge) some areas of the rim
-added selective contrast boost to the rim to cut through the haze
-added selective USM (sharpening) to just the rim

MG

-added selective color saturation to just the blue areas in the water
-lightened (dodge) the natural glow coming off the water in the top right
-darkened (burn) some areas of the water

FG

-darkened (burn) the main rock
-lightened (dodge) the tree on the left and little trees on the right
-lightened (dodge) the back of the jacket
-added selective USM (sharpening) to the main rock, trees and water
-healed out the stray stick on the main rock and white spot on the 
jacket

Global

-straightened the photo 
-added a tad of contrast boost

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## Sirene

Dwayne Oakes said:


> Sirene said:
> 
> 
> 
> Don't know what to do with this one, especially with the background.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -beautiful capture
> -great pose
> -great highlight control (no clipping)
> -exposure is right on
> -good DOF
> -great colors and contrast
> 
> nit
> 
> -to much clutter
> -photo has a tilt to the left when placed on a grid
> -photo is a tad noisy at 100% crop (walls)
> 
> tweak
> 
> -straightened the photo
> -cropped the photo tighter to get rid of the clutter
> 
> -used gaussian blur (soft-focus) tool around the edges of the photo
> -put the photo through NR software
> 
> -healed out the shirt of the chair on the left
> -healed out the door knob and string on the right
> -healed out the door hinge on the right
> -healed out the blue object on the top self in the center
> 
> -put a frame around the photo from a plug-in from Ulead PhotoImpact 12
> software.
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...

 

Thank you so much, your touch is gorgeous I'm very grateful.
Thanks for everything you do for everybody !!!!


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## Dwayne Oakes

Sirene said:


> Dwayne Oakes said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sirene said:
> 
> 
> 
> Don't know what to do with this one, especially with the background.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -beautiful capture
> -great pose
> -great highlight control (no clipping)
> -exposure is right on
> -good DOF
> -great colors and contrast
> 
> nit
> 
> -to much clutter
> -photo has a tilt to the left when placed on a grid
> -photo is a tad noisy at 100% crop (walls)
> 
> tweak
> 
> -straightened the photo
> -cropped the photo tighter to get rid of the clutter
> 
> -used gaussian blur (soft-focus) tool around the edges of the photo
> -put the photo through NR software
> 
> -healed out the shirt of the chair on the left
> -healed out the door knob and string on the right
> -healed out the door hinge on the right
> -healed out the blue object on the top self in the center
> 
> -put a frame around the photo from a plug-in from Ulead PhotoImpact 12
> software.
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Dwayne Oakes
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you so much, your touch is gorgeous I'm very grateful.
> Thanks for everything you do for everybody !!!!
Click to expand...

 

No problem at all, I am glad I can help.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## k0ncept

Just simply great photos!

 Dwayne, you are a GREAT Teacher! 

 I was lurking here for a while and just took the plunge back into Photography, and having people like you around to watch and learn from is just simply incrediable.

I just wanted to say Thank You!


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## Dwayne Oakes

Reece Man said:


> You're pretty busy, got time for another?
> 
> This is one of my favorite shots I've taken
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> edit: Photobucket vignetted it and added a little more contrast...


 
good

-good comp (land vs sky)
-great clouds
-very good detail in the FG
-exposure is right on 
-good DOF

nit

-colors are oversaturated, the blue channel is clipped in the histogram
(personal choice)

-the vignette is a good idea but is a tad dark which makes it a bit
of a distraction (personal choice)

-the contrast is a tad over
(personal choice)

tweak

-cropped the photo a tad tighter to get rid of some of the vignette
-desaturated the colors and toned down the contrast

-lightened (dodge) the vignette
-lightened (dodge) the clouds
-lightened (dodge) the lake
-lightened (dodge) the hills
-lightened (dodge) some of the grass on the left in the FG

-added selective color saturation to just the teal colored lake
-put the photo through NR software not for noise but to soften the light

-healed out the stray cloud in the top left
-no USM (sharpening) needed

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## Dwayne Oakes

k0ncept said:


> Just simply great photos!
> 
> Dwayne, you are a GREAT Teacher!
> 
> I was lurking here for a while and just took the plunge back into Photography, and having people like you around to watch and learn from is just simply incrediable.
> 
> I just wanted to say Thank You!


 
Well thank you very much for the kind words ! I appreciate it ! We are
all at different levels in the craft and I think it is important for the 
photographers that are along in the craft to give back and help the
new photographers that are just getting into the "art of seeing" craft.

Like I said in my last c&c thread it is kind of a yoda thing.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## dtzitko

Still at it here? Take a shot at this one please?


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## Agoraphobic

Dwayne Oakes said:


> Agoraphobic said:
> 
> 
> 
> A cloudy day at Crater Lake, I did some PP myself but nothing I do seems to do the lake justice
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> good
> 
> -classic place
> -good comp
> -good FG placement (adds depth)
> -exposure is right on
> -good detail in the FG
> 
> nit
> 
> -photo is a tad flat (lacks contrast)
> -colors could use a boost
> -photo is tad soft in the BG (from DOF and haze)
> -photo has a tilt to the left (could be natural from the curve in the crater)
> 
> tweak
> 
> SKY
> 
> -lightened (dodge) some areas
> -darkened (burn) some areas
> 
> BG
> 
> -lightened (dodge) some areas of the rim
> -added selective contrast boost to the rim to cut through the haze
> -added selective USM (sharpening) to just the rim
> 
> MG
> 
> -added selective color saturation to just the blue areas in the water
> -lightened (dodge) the natural glow coming off the water in the top right
> -darkened (burn) some areas of the water
> 
> FG
> 
> -darkened (burn) the main rock
> -lightened (dodge) the tree on the left and little trees on the right
> -lightened (dodge) the back of the jacket
> -added selective USM (sharpening) to the main rock, trees and water
> -healed out the stray stick on the main rock and white spot on the
> jacket
> 
> Global
> 
> -straightened the photo
> -added a tad of contrast boost
> 
> Hope this helps and thanks for posting.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Dwayne Oakes
Click to expand...


Hey, thanks a lot. I like what you did and I'll keep these in mind for pictures I take in the future. A lot of thought goes into this stuff.


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## Dwayne Oakes

Last rough count shows 28 c&c finished. 7 spots left if anyone is interested.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## dtzitko

I just noticed the image above doesn't work. Here it is. Any help/pointers would be great!


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## Dwayne Oakes

dtzitko said:


> I just noticed the image above doesn't work. Here it is. Any help/pointers would be great!


 
good

-good product shot
-the comp works here
-the shallow DOF works here
-cool reflections coming off the frame on the right

nit

-the background is a bit to bright
-the top vegnette is a bit of a distraction

tweak

-darkened (burn) the background a tad to tone it down
-lightened (dodge) the top vegnette to blend them in

-lightened (dodge) the frame reflections
-added a tad of selective contrast boost to the frame reflections
-added a tad of selective color saturation to the frame reflections

-added a magenta tint to the photo to give it a more commercial look
(personal choice)

-put the photo through NR software not for noise but to smooth out
the photo

-added a tad of selective USM (sharpening) to just the frame parts and
logo that are in focused

-healed out the dark line on the table bottom left 

Hope this helps and thanks for posting.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## Dwayne Oakes

This thread is now closed. Thank you very much to allow me to tweak
your photos it was an honor and alot of fun. Also note the tweaked photos
will be deleted to free up (up load) space on my Zenfolio site, thanks.

Take care,

Dwayne Oakes


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## Yemme

Thank you Mr. Oakes...  You are the best at what you do.  Can't wait until you have more free time....


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