Family Reflections (feedback required)

[jaydubbleya]

This is my first experiment with Photoshop.

The image (my son) was taken 2 years ago with my Nikon D200 (since sold).

Basically, I've given it the B&W treatment, and then restored the original colour of the image to the parts you can see.
(Thanks to Richard F - Fishric - for the tips & guidance).

I need your feedback.... do you think I should have retained the colour in just the glasses, or just the apple. Is the two splashes of colour overkill, or does it work like this.

Thanks
JW

 

[Orol]

As the tonality of both the scene reflected in the glasses and the apple is quite similar, it works fine for me this way. However, a bigger problem is the composition. The coloured parts are not balanced properly for me. The left and bottom border would be better not cut off.

Technically the join of BW and coloured parts is perfect. Only a small scratch of bright cyan is on the edge of the glasses near the nose that can easily be retouched however.

Orol

 

[jaydubbleya]

Thanks for the feedback Orol.

I agree that the composition could have been better. It was of those candid, quick grab, shots, and to be honest I only noticed the reflections when I downloaded the images of that day.
Appreciate you taking time to comment, and hope to receive more from those 'in the know'. I'm here to learn as well as share.

JW

 

[thelps]

Initially this was a tough decision for me, then I decided that the apple is the focus of the subjects attention so the apple could be highlighted in colour. While the detail in the glasses is clever and interesting it distracts from what I see as the purpose of the image, and that is the subjects interest in the apple - other viewers may have different ideas, and fair enough.

I think then the apple in colour the rest of the image in B/W.

Tim

 

[tommy]

I agree with Tim about the glasses in color being distracting. The reason I think it is distracting is there are so many details in the reflection, and highlighting this "picture in the picture" makes the whole picture confusing. On the other hand the glasses in color looks very cool, but then the apple should probably be B/W, because the two together are not balanced in the composition. Another idea could be to make the apple and spiderman in color.

 

[fishric]

I think the previous comments are valid, but sometimes the importance of the subject over-rides any thoughts of artistic merit. I'm sure that most people who see this shot will be amused by it, and friends and family will love it.
Young gentlemen of that age are not easy photograph and catching that ideal moment is more important than considerations of composition and framing.
As to the use of colour I have already commented in the "Street Art" thread.

 

[tommy]

Richard,
You are so right about not letting artistic merits spoil a good picture. Sometimes it seems to me like pictures that break all "rules" are the ones you either love or hate, while pictures that obey the "rules" are the pleasing ones you really don't care much for either way, unless one cares for artistic merits by their own. O yes, and I forgot, there are no rules!

JW,
I think I now understand better why I find the colored "picture in picture" glasses confusing. The two "pictures" are harmonizing, they are both of happy people at a picnic, but the color vs B/W puts them in unexplainable contrast to each other. It would have worked better for sad+B/W vs happy+color, or something similar.

 

[jaydubbleya]

Thanks for your feedback chaps.

Yes it was only a quick candid shot, and with regards to B&W and colour highlights, I just wanted to experiment with PhotoShop.
I think there are certain instances where highlighting some colour elements can really focus the viewers attention on certain areas of the image.

Having said that, generally I would go for either B&W OR colour.

My Photoshop trial has now expired, so I'll be saving for PS Elements, to continue my learning in the near future.

Cheers
JW