Please help with this photo

[Kay Jay]

Hi, I am needing some advice please about this photo for my photography club. Our theme for the month is 'windows' and I snapped this shot while on holiday and would like to use it. This is my first time showing a photo and I am a bit nervous. Could anyone offer any opinions on what I can do to make it better? I need to crop it but I'm not sure where. Also I can't decide if I like the exposure or not. Please keep in mind I can only change the existing photo (I have photoshop elements) I can't re-shoot it. Any advice or criticism will be appreciated, I promise I won't get offended! Even if you think I should ditch this photo and try something else please let me know. I'm new to photography and need all the help i can get please.

Thanks, K

[NJMurphy]

I would crop it so that the horizontal bar of the window is truly horizontal. Doing this will eliminate the annoying bit of furniture in the lower right corner.

This image is WAY overexposed; if you have the RAW file though, you may be able to recover some of the lost highlights. If you can't (and I wouldn't be surprised) you should forget it, and use something else.

Object lesson for the next time: Always shoot RAW, always shoot multiple frames with differing exposure values. This is an interesting composition, and looks like something that you had time to work with. If the opportunity presents itself again, try to: 1) Keep distracting elements out of the frame 2) Bracket your exposures 3) Make sure your entire subject is in the frame (this note is in regard to the girl's missing right foot and left heel).

[WRon]

Good advice, Murph, 'cause I agree with all you said. I'd like to add, however, that I definitely think it's worth reshooting it while heeding your advice. Very interesting composition and subject. You really ought to try again if you can. If not, then doing what Murph said will definitely help.

[RABaker]

Kay,

I agree with the comments about using the raw file if there is one. Much more control can be exerted and more recovery of the highlights could be accomplished with the raw file. I hope you don't mind, but I downloaded your image and did a quick crop and tried to tone down the highlights a bit. If I were to use this image, here is how I would probably crop it:

If you object to my having used your image, let me know and I will remove it immediately.

Because the highlights are so far gone in the JPEG file, I think you will really need a raw file to recover anything meaningful. If you don't have a raw file to work from, you would probably be better off to select a different image.

Good luck,
Richard Baker

[peirceman]

I like Richard's crop alot. Although the highlights are blown, I don't think it makes this shot unusable. The subjects face is recognisable, and the exposure out the window is good. I think you could use this.

Scott

[Kay Jay]

Thank you all so much for your help. Unfortunately I can't re shoot this exact shot as I was on holidays at the time, but I am thinking maybe I could try to recreate something similar here and see how it goes. Richard, I really like what you did with my picture thank you for going through the trouble to do that for me. I like this a lot better than the original and will try to emulate it with my computer. I do have the raw file and have tried to recover the highlights but it didn't completely fix it. This could just be me I am even more of a novice photoshopper than I am photographer :-). I am learning my lesson to take my photos more carefully and to be more aware of what is in the photo. I keep going home and bringing images up on my computer and thinking 'If only I'd..." So I am going to try to slow down a bit and think more. Thanks again for taking the time to look at this. Much appreciated.

[RABaker]

"I do have the raw file and have tried to recover the highlights but it didn't completely fix it. This could just be me I am even more of a novice photoshopper than I am photographer :-)."

Don't assume it is just you. Although the raw file will have more information in it than a JPEG, once an area's pixels are fully saturated ("blown out") there is no image information left in them to be able to recover. In Photoshop's raw tools you can try to decrease the overall exposure somewhat and increase highlight recovery, but if there is no information left there will be no way those particular areas can be recovered. Try some experimenting with the file to see if you can come up with something you like. If you don't like anything that you come up with, it may be necessary to find or create another image.

If you have questions about how to use a specific tool, let us know and hopefully somebody will be familiar enough with it to help.

Good luck,
Richard Baker

[moltogordo]

K, I don't think you need to crop it. As a matter of fact, I prefer the uncropped version substantially. But you do need to do a curves adjustment to counteract the harsh, contrasty lighting here. It could be used as is, as Scott says. Alternately, you could do a graphic interpretation of it, if your club rules allow. I do this a lot with "almost images" that I'd otherwise file in the circular.

I've done an example of the curve version and a graphic for examples, and will take them down immediately if you don't wish them here. They're quick and sloppy, but show some possibilities if you are inclined to go in that direction.