Beginner Critique please - is this too much?

mark.roper

mark.roper

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Name
Mark
Edit My Images
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Hello

I'm fairly new to photography and post-processing and took some pictures last weekend that I really wanted to do something with. I've ended up with something I quite like, but not sure if I've gone a bit mad in Lightroom and could've achieved a better result if I actually knew what I was doing! This is my son's UK Oval Track Legend race car, prepped and ready for the start of the 2018 season.

Here's the original photo:-

legend114-wallpaper-original by mark roper, on Flickr

Then edited in Lightroom:-

legend114-wallpaper-lightroom by mark roper, on Flickr

Then taken into Photoshop to remove an inconveniently positioned post, and made the background black & white to really bring out the car:-

legend114-wallpaper-photoshop by mark roper, on Flickr

Too much? I think it looks obviously over-processed, but I wanted to create something a bit punchy, just wondering what I could've done better, different?
 
Somewhere between the original and the lightroom version would be my preference
 
Take the Lightroom version. Cut out all the clutter behind the car and extend the sky to fill in. Then decide how strong you want the sky to be. That's very much down to personal choice and what you will be doing with the finished image.
 
Probably the second one for me. I love the editing. Great blues to the car and manipulation of the clouds. All a personal choice but I think it all adds to the mood of the image.

But, I do agree with the clutter which does draw your eye a bit too much
 
Yeah, I think that's it, I've made the background B&W to compensate for the clutter, rather than fix the clutter properly (by removing it). Oh well, back to Photoshop we go!
 
Don't' forget to remove the clutter showing through the windows!!!
 
Hmm, spent all afternoon trying to take out the clutter, but it's been a bit of a disaster, I end up with a false horizon and an obviously fake image (cutting out the bits through the windows is easier said than done, there's a wire mess grill for a front window and it's sticks out like a sore thumb trying to remove that). I'm not going to post the result but it was horrible, at least the background as it currently stands in the above images is authentic if a little distracting, I guess I need to make it less distracting rather than not there at all.
 
Are you able to re shoot it and go for a cleaner background?
 
Possibly, the season doesn't start for another month, and we've got at least one more practice day booked (which is what we were doing when I took these photos).
 
To be honest, I didn't read your post properly. Scrolled down to the first image and thought 'that's not too bad, not the way over done image I was expecting'

Then I scrolled down and saw the others and it was 'oh dear'

Mickledore has the right idea, though the execution leaves a lot to be desired, in fairness he said it was quick.

Personally I'd go back to your original and just apply some basic post process, then do something similar to Mickledore idea. Or even better go out and reshoot in a setting that is like that in the first place.
 
mickeldore, thank you very much for taking the trouble, but does that not look obviously fake, where does the ground go, is the car on top of a cliff, I think it needs something to join the ground and the sky, and at the moment the existing background clutter does. Also, how the hell did you get the background out from behind the front grill, I couldn't work that out (my post-processing noob-ness shining through no doubt!)
 
•



May I suggest…


legend114p.jpg
 
Kodiak, I like that, thank you, the car's cleaner and shinier without being over the top like mine, and you've got rid of a few of the background distractions, nice. I guess I need a clearer idea of what I'm trying to achieve rather than "here's a load of photos, what can I do with them". Next practice session, I'll make sure to position the car more favourably and take more care about what's also in the frame besides the car.
 
mark.roper said:
where does the ground go, is the car on top of a cliff, I think it needs something to join the ground and the sky,
Click to expand...
Yes. I agree. But if you are just doing a shot for the purposes of just showing off the car then it does that. The casual observer/driver or owner/spectator at these events is unlikely to notice that. It's only us pedantic togs who see such things. As I said before....if depends what the ultimate use of the photo is going to be.

I agree that the execution leaves a lot to be desired, but it only took me less than 15 minutes. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!!!

mark.roper said:
Also, how the hell did you get the background out from behind the front grill, I couldn't work that out
Click to expand...

I didn't. I filled in the window either side of the roll bar with clouds. Then I drew back in the grill. It's not the original, but you hadn't noticed that:p
 
I would use a wider aperture as well (smaller number) to isolate the car from any distracting background.

For some reason, I really, REALLY want one of these but converted to road use!
 
mickledore said:
I filled in the window either side of the roll bar with clouds. Then I drew back in the grill. It's not the original, but you hadn't noticed that:p
Click to expand...

I didn't! Was scratching my head trying to figure that out, neat trick :)

Nod said:
I would use a wider aperture as well (smaller number) to isolate the car from any distracting background.
Click to expand...

I have a 35mm f1.8, and a 18-200mm f3.5/f5.6, I used the 18-200 (at 18mm) because I wanted a wider angle to make the car more dramatic, the 35mm (on my crop-sensor camera) is a bit flat I think for this kind of shot.

Kodiak Qc said:
That's called tonal taming, Mark! :cool:
Click to expand...

Thank you anyway, all these cool sliders, I got carried away!
 
Nod said:
I really, REALLY want one of these but converted to road use!
Click to expand...


The closest I ever got to having such thing
is on an album cover of ZZ Tops! :D:D:D
 
You have to like your own edits. They are a little over the top for most people taste but so is my editing as you can see so I cant say much.

car.jpg
talk-25.jpg
 
Had a go at replacing the background, don't like it :(

affinity.jpg

Keep coming back to my first effort (3rd pic in OP), like the wise man above says, perhaps I should like my own edits more, just one of those cases where something troubles me but I can't quite put my finger on what!
 
The background clutter can be blurred a little by using the brush and lowering the sharpening and clarity in Lightroom.

I quite like your edit. I'm torn on whether I prefer the B&W background. The cone does jump out a bit in colour.

You're going to have a lot of fun getting more shots with this as your subject :)
 
Thanks to everyone who's replied btw, and especially those who took time to do an edit for me, I think I've simply made the school boy error of not paying attention to what else is in the frame besides the subject, I will make sure to pay more attention next time! :)
 
Regarding 'too much'. I would say that if YOU like it that's all that matters. Other peoples views are only ever going to be subjective anyway. There is no right or wrong. I'd say carry on in a way that you find aesthetically pleasing. To answer your question, I don't find your processing too much at all.
 
Go find a hanger or garage door, industrial estate and park it next to that and reshoot. It'll be much easier/quicker in the long term :D
 
I had a similar issue with a car I took in a paddock not so long ago, I ended up editing it all in lightroom using spot removal tool to remove a few things and the adjustment brush with the clarity and sharpness reduced then passed it over the background a few times. This is a sub 10 minute edit of yours, but to be honest you would be better off taking it again with a better crop and background to start with.


39808054574_8f392179db_k-2 by Martin Billard, on Flickr
 
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mark.roper said:
Oo, Pinnacle, I really like that! :)
Click to expand...
Thanks it is a bit rough round the edges but the adjustment brush has many other uses, I don't use PS and only rarely use Elements to remove anything, lightroom does a reasonable job of blurring stuff just get rid of the red bits or darken them with spot removal or adj brush, darkens the white bits and blur a bit at a time. Enjoy.
 
The background is still very sharp looking through the front window:coat:
 
Well, without bragging too much, have a look at post#10. Background behind the mesh has been "tweaked" and the mesh is still in place. Relatively easy to do.
 
mickledore said:
Well, without bragging too much, have a look at post#10. Background behind the mesh has been "tweaked" and the mesh is still in place. Relatively easy to do.
Click to expand...

That is a good job. I would't know where to start with doing that though but shows what can be done. I guess that is PS which I really do not know much about. Could you tweak this then?
39808054574_8f392179db_k-3.jpg
 
PINNACLE said:
That is a good job. I would't know where to start with doing that though but shows what can be done. I guess that is PS which I really do not know much about. Could you tweak this then?
View attachment 121348
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I'll have a try in half an hour or so. The mesh should be easy but it's getting what's behind it the same as the rest that will be hard.
How did you blur the background?
 
mickledore said:
I'll have a try in half an hour or so. The mesh should be easy but it's getting what's behind it the same as the rest that will be hard.
How did you blur the background?
Click to expand...
I used the adjustment brush in LR with clarity and sharpness lowered to about -50 then passed the brush over a few times to get it how I wanted so layered it up from the bottom up if that makes sense
 
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