The back end of the car should not cut off.

Apply a little bit of extra sharpening on the car, especially the front.

Remove some of the dirt and rocks from the ground.

The background is kind of distracting.

Great shot!

Hows that for c/c?

Ariel
ScrattyPhotography Blog #4339802

yes not perfect.... however it was real... and what are non real edits?

it is like another person making a few edits to a photo... changing the dress color because he did not think she should wear that color... photo shop overload... at the end the client would pick the orig. she liked her dress. #4340549

Your picture is not bad. It is fine. But the camera can not perfectly capture the lighting, color, and clarity, and these edits should be done.

By non-real edits, I mean edits that make the picture less like the actual situation and more like ideal, even nicer than reality. Sure, lots of people think that it is lying to change the picture in this way, but I'm not one of them. I think of photography more of an art: using a real situation to make a beautiful thing to look at. In many situations, this isn't the best approach, and your approach of photography being something to show exactly what happened would be best. #4340596

Thank you again for taking the time, you are right PS has been controversial to say the least...

however camera have come a very long way... and lenses wow...if we used our cameras to the fullest ability (correct) we can learn to capture the lighting, color and clarity... perhaps I just do not see things the same way LOL it would not be the first time and I am sure it will not be the last. #4340746

I mean, look at it this way, and don't take it as me trying to change your mind, I just want to say it:
You find a pretty sunflower one day, get the best lens and equipment, and take a nice picture. It is sharp, well lit, with nice composition and POV, all-in-all a great shot. However, you look at it later, and realize an old, dirty spider-web between two petals and a hole going through a third petal. Furthermore, the flower doesn't seem to stand out as much as you'd like it, and the background is just a little grainy.

Here's where Photoshop comes in. You can get rid of that annoying spider web, patch up that hole in the petal, and add a touch of sharpness to the flower. Can you say that this is lying? I wouldn't say so, it is just making it better with the tools available.

Now, which one do you think would win a contest or sell in the market? I think you'd agree that the retouched photo would stand a better chance.

Again, I'm not trying to get you to change your opinion, but maybe you will see what I'm saying a little more clearly. #4340832

Gio #4342915

I do understand the way people see this…. And yes the 2nd is better, however with the patients and understanding of the camera you could have obtained a better shot yet….. This point has been also proven… Then we can also add the large format film camera’s that sell more photo’s then most.

I think the bottom line is this, any body looking at a photo may see, and prefer many different things…. I have done PS for race car owners that want the back ground removed (I do it) I have had drivers and car owners that want all the stuff there.. and then we have the people that want the color enhanced however the picture then does not match the car….. It comes down to who is looking to buy, an old photographer once told me this

“Talk to the people in charge of the event, talk to the pilots, drivers, handlers see what it is that makes their world go round, now shoot for what they want, They will buy the prints if you get what gets them excited”

I shoot with this in mind, balloon pilots it is all about the flame; it has nothing to do with the vibrant color of the balloon, With race cars they could careless what the car looks like going down the track it is all about showing the power of the car in a photo……

LOL then there is the whole sitting still thing, it is just not in my vocabulary or inside of by being. I am working on this, and perhaps I will be able to get more into the PS thing.
#4343078

The camera, just like a paintbrush, chisel, lathe, etc., is simply a tool used by photographers. And if you think about it, all photography is manipulation. The photographer chooses the lens with its dynamics, the depth of focus, exposure, time of day, lighting, film or ISO speed, white balance (for digital) and all the other choices made on the camera to capture the image. And the camera has an in-built limitation/manipulation right off the bat; it’s called the frame. Photoshop and other digital imaging software is just another tool, though it is perhaps better used for the fine art photographer. A photojournalist using too much of this ‘manipulation” software would probably get into trouble (or even have to give up their Pulitzer). Though I doubt a new bride, for instance, would be greatly bothered if the photographer removed an ill-timed pimple on her face. Look at your own pictures. I see in your pictures on this site, Tami and Gio, that you have used selective focus, macro lens, framing of one area and not another, cropping, fast shutter speed to stop a bird in flight, etc., etc. Is that not “manipulation”? So when people get into this debate and bring up the idea of “real”, it makes me laugh and think that they are missing the point of photography: to isolate a subject and bring it to attention.
#4343423

I like it, but agree that the entire car should be in the frame. I would also shoot it with a shallower DOF to blur the background and emphasize the car. But, as you’ve said before, the client may want the background. Another vote for Photoshop since you could blur the background in post-processing, if wanted. It could also use some sharpening on the car; again to make it pop. All IMO.
#4343531

The one thing here is clear that I was shooting at 8 pm, the car was fast (10 sec. ¼ mile) I did cut some of the car off I do agree shame on me….. if I had the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 lens or even 1.8 (keep watering that money tree out back) I would have clarity and light…. With out PS

oh no!!! new camera $$$$$, couple of kit lens $$$, 2 weeks later a new lens $$$$$$$$, telling the husband it is to get a great shot of his race car priceless
#4344144