Dear Senior Critics, my name is Luca. i took a photo back in June 2023 and wanted to share it with the world. The photo is of a bird sculpture from a restaurant, i am hoping to learn where i can improve in all areas of photography, as i know little about it. i know that high ISO is recommended when not having enough light and low ISO when there is enough, i know that shutter speed needs to be high in order to capture things that are moving at high speeds well but it also needs a higher ISO or f number (i think its called. My apologies, English is not my first language.) And i know that i need a low f number in order to create Bokeh.

i am also hoping to learn if my editing skills are good. i know they're not the greatest, as i just started using Photoshop recently, but... if you have any advice, i would highly appreciate it.

i only have a 50mm lens and a Nikon D7500 as thats basically what my budget allows me. Here is the metadata of the photo: Lens model: AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G. Device model: NIKON D7500. Exposure time: 1/200. focal length: 50 mm. ISO speed: 100. F number: f/3,5.

Now that i think about it, maybe i overdid the vigniette (i think its called that at least...)

What would you do to make it better, i wonder?

If you are interested, here's the story behind this photo: me and my family were once at a restaurant near a hill with a forest, and i saw this cute bird! i took a few pictures of it and forgot about it, that is, until now. The meaning of this photo is an angelic bird who is happy, at least, that was my intention.

i would also like to hear what you have to say about the story

Best regards, Luca.

Luca,

Welcome to Critique Forum and thank you for posting the photo here. 

From what you wrote it seems you've got a good understanding of the basics.  It can be confusing.  I still remember struggling with the idea of a smaller  f-stop number being a larger aperture.  Learning this craft is a lifelong journey. 

An important lesson is to think about what it is you are about to photograph.  Ask yourself what it is about the subject that you want to show with the photo.  Then consider how to say that in the strongest way in the visual language - with composition, depth of field, colour and tones, and so on.   It's easy to miss that first step and just see the subject and click.   

You wrote that you saw an 'angelic bird who is happy'.   It is a cute little bird, and I can understand how you felt about it.  In my opinion the brick sidewalk or wall behind the subject doesn't contribue to an angelic feeling.  A background of clouds and sky might suggest that the bird is yearning to fly free. 

The technical details are good.  Your Nikon D7500 and 50mm lens make a good outfit. Good photographs can be made with any camera.  Take it with you everywhere you go.

What we do here in Critique Forum is take a screenshot and edit to show some ideas you might try.  There is no formula for making a good photograph, and it's best if the photographer make the editing decisions with the mood and theme of the image in mind. 

I removed the vignette (light corners) with Photoshop's Gradient tool and with the Burn brush.  I lightened the bird's face a little with the Dodge brush.  I thought of cropping closer but decided to leave in the top corners for the suggestion that the bird my fly off towards the light.  

. . . . Steven, senior critic

Steven T CREW 

Luca,

 

Welcome to Critique Forum and thank you for posting the photo here. 

 

From what you wrote it seems you've got a good understanding of the basics.  It can be confusing.  I still remember struggling with the idea of a smaller  f-stop number being a larger aperture.  Learning this craft is a lifelong journey. 

 

An important lesson is to think about what it is you are about to photograph.  Ask yourself what it is about the subject that you want to show with the photo.  Then consider how to say that in the strongest way in the visual language - with composition, depth of field, colour and tones, and so on.   It's easy to miss that first step and just see the subject and click.   

 

You wrote that you saw an 'angelic bird who is happy'.   It is a cute little bird, and I can understand how you felt about it.  In my opinion the brick sidewalk or wall behind the subject doesn't contribue to an angelic feeling.  A background of clouds and sky might suggest that the bird is yearning to fly free. 

 

The technical details are good.  Your Nikon D7500 and 50mm lens make a good outfit. Good photographs can be made with any camera.  Take it with you everywhere you go.

 

What we do here in Critique Forum is take a screenshot and edit to show some ideas you might try.  There is no formula for making a good photograph, and it's best if the photographer make the editing decisions with the mood and theme of the image in mind. 

 

I removed the vignette (light corners) with Photoshop's Gradient tool and with the Burn brush.  I lightened the bird's face a little with the Dodge brush.  I thought of cropping closer but decided to leave in the top corners for the suggestion that the bird my fly off towards the light.  

 

. . . . Steven, senior critic

 

 

Dear Steven. Thank you for the time you put in this deep and comprehensive review. i greatly appreciate it! Back when i took the photo, i just wanted to make a good looking photo, a great memory. The idea of the angelic bird came after i edited it.

To be honest, i dont know much about composition, and color and tones.

i know about the Rule-of-Thirds and the like, thats why its slightly off-center.

Indeed, the brick sidewalk doesn't really make for a good background... if it was a garden or a sky, it would have been a different story altogether.

i don't know much about 1x either. All i know is that its where professionals gather, and i want to be a professional.

I have added a new background i had found in one of my SD cards. I would like to know what you think about it, if possible, that is.

Once again, thank you so much for your time, Steven and the Senior Critics!

Best regards, Luca.

Luca,

Good job on the background replacement.  Did you use Photoshop's 'Select>Subject' and then 'Select>Inverse'? 

I've circled two small areas you may want to retouch. 

You asked if it's worthy for 1X.  The Curation process here will give you an idea if  members like the photo.   I suggest not taking the results too seriously.  Many good photos are rejected.    A rejection means only that an unknown number of anonymous voters didn't like it on the day they happened to see it.  If you like the picture and feel you've done a good job creating it, then it's a success. 

. . . . Steven

Steven T CREW 

Luca,

 

Good job on the background replacement.  Did you use Photoshop's 'Select>Subject' and then 'Select>Inverse'? 

 

I've circled two small areas you may want to retouch. 

 

You asked if it's worthy for 1X.  The Curation process here will give you an idea if  members like the photo.   I suggest not taking the results too seriously.  Many good photos are rejected.    A rejection means only that an unknown number of anonymous voters didn't like it on the day they happened to see it.  If you like the picture and feel you've done a good job creating it, then it's a success. 

 

. . . . Steven

 

 

Dear Steven, thank you for replying, i greatly appreciate the praise.

I used Adobe Lightroom to make the background a tad bit more yellow, to give it a sunset feel, and i used Photoshop's "Window>Contextual Task Bar" to remove the background. it had a "Remove background" button.

I see what the Remove Background button missed. I'll try my very best to fix those issues.

Once again, thank you so much for your time, Steven!

Best regards, Luca.

Luca, 

Thank you!   I did not know about the Contextual Task Bar and the Remove Background button.  We learn together in this section of 1X.  That feature must have come in with an update when I wasn't paying attention. 

. . . . Steven

Dear Steven, thank you for replying.

Yes, the feature came in more recent versions of Photoshop, most likely 1 or 2 years ago (Correct me if I'm wrong), so it is fairly recent. You should be able to get it if you have an active Adobe Photoshop subscription.

And it did indeed come in handy, It worked like a charm!

I have fixed the issues you pointed out.