Galway Buskers C+C Please

PopeBuckfastXVI

Hi All,

So this is the first proper scan from my new scanner. This is it out of the scanner, size reduced and sharpened with unsharp mask in photoshop.

I haven't played with the colours at all because I wasn't sure how to improve it - I like the contrast and colours as is.

Bronica ETRS, 75mm, f/8, Portra 160

Would appreciate peoples comments and critique on how it could be better processed.

ScumLord

It looks like there's a lot of contrast already. The whites and blacks look like they're blown. I would say that it's too bright but if that's the original you probably won't have the data there to bring the white down, same goes for the darker parts of the image.

Farmlife

For me I'm drawn into the bright Kilkenny sign and your shadow which throws me off it, maybe if you just had a shot of the guy playing the banjo on the pole it would throw a bit of mystery to it

Gehad_JoyRider

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Hi All,

So this is the first proper scan from my new scanner. This is it out of the scanner, size reduced and sharpened with unsharp mask in photoshop.

I haven't played with the colours at all because I wasn't sure how to improve it - I like the contrast and colours as is.

Bronica ETRS, 75mm, f/8, Portra 160

Would appreciate peoples comments and critique on how it could be better processed.

flip it to black and white its very distorted in the center which personaly I'd be inclined to fix. Other wise all i see is a two guys standing precariously on a bollard. Its doesn't really say much. If they were standing and laughing or showing some emotion it might tell a better story.

PopeBuckfastXVI

Thanks for the feedback all. I think you're right that it's too contrasty, I think I had some setting where the black and whites were getting crunched, so going to try again with a less contrasty scan.

dnme

Not sure whats going on here H, did you take the shot with some old film camera and then scan the negative?

As for the shot, honestly, I'd start again. Horrible light, the eye is fighting between dark shadows and bright highlights. Poor composition, I cannot see any face or eyes, they are either in shadows, or under caps / hair. Distracting edges - flower boxes etc. The eye is thrown (nay flung) into the brightest thing which is a big Kilkenny sign. You know what yer at with a camera, you dont need me telling you all this. Sorry to be so negative.

PopeBuckfastXVI

dnme wrote: »

Not sure whats going on here H, did you take the shot with some old film camera and then scan the negative?

As for the shot, honestly, I'd start again. Horrible light, the eye is fighting between dark shadows and bright highlights. Poor composition, I cannot see any face or eyes, they are either in shadows, or under caps / hair. Distracting edges - flower boxes etc. The eye is thrown (nay flung) into the brightest thing which is a big Kilkenny sign. You know what yer at with a camera, you dont need me telling you all this. Sorry to be so negative.

That's quite alright - yep it's a scanned negative. I know the composition isn't great, I'm using it to figure out the scanner and what settings I should use to capture the negative tone fully. I've definitely overdone the contrast during the scan so I need to address that first anyway, then go back to photoshop to see what needs to be done with tones.