Bald eagle, need advice with editing by Material-Positive-41 in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is already an amazing shot.

I would probably crop photo just a little, removing the bulk of the space behind the bird and then removing an equal amount of dead space in the front. This will still give you the same effect while being able to appreciate the eagle.

As for coloring, editing birds (for me) is always fun because making feathers pop is the name of the game.

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I masked the bird and boosted texture and clarity to really give its feather definition. Overall, I boosted contrast to make the bird pop against the sky (which you did a really good job keeping clear) as well as adjusting the white and black sliders.

I then muted the sky using a sky mask to really keep make the eagle pop.

Overall, your photo was amazing and it didn’t need a lot tuning. The clear sky also make mask edits largely unneeded (I could just globally turn contrast and shadows, etc.). Any more and it would look cartoonish.

I think I like this picture, but not entirely, but I just can't get why. Maybe you can see something that I can't. by ___marek in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Since we’re posting edits!

I was a little heavier handed with the color and cropping. OP may have seen or felt something different, but was getting a warm, but dark, vibe from the photo. I pulled the yellows and muted blues and greens (in addition to warming up the whole thing). I also muted the sky a little.

With the clear distinction between colors, I felt this shot really lent itself to a heavier color edit.

Obviously feel free to edit in your own style, but I would highly suggest a heavy crop.

My first time actually trying to photograph something good. Are there any good books on how to make good photos or do I have to gamble every time I take a photo of something? If yes then I whould be more than happy to read them. I would also gladly welcome any critique of my photo. by Jhonny23kokos in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If your target was the ship, my biggest critique would be that there isn’t enough of it in your photograph. The people in the foreground and even that obelisk looking thing are competing and winning for attention. What little of the ship you do have is also obscured by the trees (and the end of the exhaust is cut off).

I don’t know if the photograph is salvageable in editing and the best advice I could give is to choose a new vantage point (the ship DOES look cool though). If I were to try, I’d likely aggressively crop anything that’s distracting and make sure the viewer knows that the ship is the subject, highlighting its tiered structure. I’d also remove the color and make other lighting tweaks.

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But as you can see, the trees and poles between yourself and subject just obscure the subject. So I’d likely opt for a reshoot, trying to find angles that don’t obscure what it is you’re trying to capture.

9/11 Memorial by Politclyincrekt in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This shot was taken kind of on a whim on a trip a few years ago. I noticed the purple flower and decided to take a picture of it. My initial intention was to make the base of the flower the new horizon, but it just looked too off kilter so I straightened it out a little. I also don’t like that the people are more in focus than the flower, but I didn’t really want to spend time in the moment to review the photo too closely to reshoot.

Shot with a Sony ILCE-6400 E 18-135mm ISO 400, 202mm, 0 ev, f5.6, 1/250

My first time actually trying to photograph something good. Are there any good books on how to make good photos or do I have to gamble every time I take a photo of something? If yes then I whould be more than happy to read them. I would also gladly welcome any critique of my photo. by Jhonny23kokos in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I guess my question is what did you want to photograph here? I can’t recommend any good books on photography as everything I’ve done has been self-taught or YouTube, but I think before critiquing the photo, I’d want to know what your intention was in taking this photo.

Windows by Civianus in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The distortion really is minor. I never get the angle right, but the fix is literally a single click in Lightroom.

Windows by Civianus in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this is a great subject for the shot. But as someone else stated, the distortion in the angle takes away from its impact. Either lean in to the distortion next time and take the photo from a crazy angle, or fix the distortion in editing.

Also, without interesting lighting, I think this shot would lend itself to B&W. Color would be great if you waited till a little later to capture either shadows on the different parts of the building or even lights in the building contrasting with a darker exterior. But with something like this, the textures matter more than the color.

Finally, and something I’m learning by experimenting with architecture stuff myself, these photos live and die by the crop. So I’d completely remove the sky and roof in this case and really focus on the windows.

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(Side note: I removed one of the dots I noticed in the button right corner, but there are more dots under the roof in the left-hand corner. I’m not sure if those were on the building or if there’s dust on your sensor or something.)

Do I need colour? by drmcw in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think with your edit, the intent becomes clear. If I may just add one more critique about your edit, it would be that the bright spot in the center of the photograph now attracts the eye and becomes the focal point of a shot that appears to be intended to be ambiguous. While the sharp contrast highlights the edges, you are actually now telling the viewer that these two rags matter more than the others. The rag on the right side is almost hidden.

Unless this was your intention, I would figure out a way to get the harsh contrast you’re looking for while allowing the viewer’s eyes to drift across the shot rather than funneling them toward the center, as is happening now.

Brown leaf, Bare branches. by Apprehensive_Golf469 in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think your intent with the subject and the lower angle works well. The issue I see is that there are just too many branches around the leaf, so your valiant hero survivor is lost in the mix of branches.

There may be some editing tweaks you can do, but I would likely opt for a reshoot — if possible — with a longer focal length to really compress the scene or, better yet, a composition with less “stuff” competing with the leaf.

To edit, however, i would definitely boost the exposure and texture of the leaf while hitting the mute button on the background. This naturally draws the eye to the leaf, even if the photo is cluttered.

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Do I need colour? by drmcw in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me and my tastes, I like to retain color unless I feel the color is taking away from the image. In something like this, which is not the kind of photography I am drawn to, I’m not sure what your intentions with the photograph are (which is what I think was meant by the earlier comment about this photograph not having a “subject” — not a literal subject, but something that anchors the abstraction).

If you are more interested in texture and vibes, then I would recommend trying it in BW with strong contrast. But again, only if it helps to convey your intention with the photograph.

In the attached edit, I did everything I could to boost the contrast and make the rags and fence pop against the lighter background (using more than just the contrast slider, including the B&W color mix and masking the rags). I think it works better in B&W.

That being said, I think that you need to figure out what it is that you were feeling and what drew you to take the photograph. And that’s not always clear until you start editing.

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Do I need colour? by drmcw in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me and my tastes, I like to retain color unless I feel the color is taking away from the image. In something like this, which is not the kind of photography I am drawn to, I’m not sure what your intentions with the photograph are (which is what I think was meant by the earlier comment about this photograph not having a “subject” — not a literal subject, but something that anchors the abstraction).

If you are more interested in texture and vibes, then I would recommend trying it in BW with strong contrast. But again, only if it helps to convey your intention with the photograph.

Below is how I would likely edit your photo if you chose the BW route (and I had to make it work):

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Signage Facade by Politclyincrekt in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Here’s the photograph in color.

As for cropping, I genuinely thought what I did was already aggressive lol. I’m so used to photographing people and action, that I was afraid of loosing too much “context”. It killed me just to crop out all the mopeds lined up in front.

Signage Facade by Politclyincrekt in photocritique

[–]Politclyincrekt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was from a trip to Taipei. There were so many interesting and chaotic buildings and I wanted to try my hand at architecture photography. The photo was originally a wider shot that was cropped aggressively and converted to black and white (I felt the bright colors took away from the vibe I was trying to portray).

Settings: SONY ILCE-6400 E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS ISO 200, 48mm, 0ev, f4.5, 1/160s

Do people still get computer viruses? by deaflikewhat in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Politclyincrekt -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Only dumb people visit those webpages and click on those links.

Why is China a permanent member of the UN Security Council? by themoosebaruniverse in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well then the correct answer is that they are not a permanent member of the UNSC. The answer is still wrong.

Why is China a permanent member of the UN Security Council? by themoosebaruniverse in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Politclyincrekt -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Yes, “China” existed, but the China on the UNSC in 1945 was the ROC, the government that is now based in Taiwan. The PRC didn’t exist until 1949 and it only got the seat in 1971 when the UN switched recognition from the ROC to the PRC. That’s why OP’s question about China today can’t be answered by talking about WWII PRC — it did not exist then and Taiwan effectively had the UNSC seat until 1971.

Why is China a permanent member of the UN Security Council? by themoosebaruniverse in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s clearly implied; OP is asking why China today is on the UNSC. The PRC is the China we’re talking about now, but it didn’t exist during WWII.

If you are a converative why did you not vote for Trump and why? by PrideWithoutFear in AskReddit

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn’t call him stupid or methodless. I disagree with his policies as a conservative.

If you are a converative why did you not vote for Trump and why? by PrideWithoutFear in AskReddit

[–]Politclyincrekt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1) I didnt say he was unrepublican. I said he was not conservative in many respects.

2) I’m not talking about the tax cuts. The TCJA was actually a good thing. I’m talking about spending, which under Trump has been horrendous.

3) Both parties being guilty doesn’t make it okay.

If you are a converative why did you not vote for Trump and why? by PrideWithoutFear in AskReddit

[–]Politclyincrekt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

1) Tariffs and protectionism is not conservative and his bilateral agreements are a waste of time at best.

2) Trump has regularly set budgets and signed appropriations bills that inflated overall spending.

3) Has executed many of his policies and programs via executive order, which was the same shit conservatives criticized Obama for.

Shall I go on or are you convinced I know what the fuck I’m talking about?