Critique on turtle pic

Hi, I thought that I would post this turtle photo and get a critique on it. I am still relatively new to underwater photography, and am trying to get a sense of composition, particularly with respect to getting the best angle on subjects. Here is the photo.

Also, I am curious about what your thoughts are on the post-processing. I used a gaussian blur on the background to get rid of any noticeable backscatter, except for the bubbles on the lower right. I also darkened the background a bit to have the turtle "pop out" a little more.

Of course, comments on all aspects are welcome, but I was curious as to peoples' thoughts on those two, in particular.

I used a Nikon D200 in a Subal ND20 housing, a Nikkor 60mm lens, and 2 Ikelite strobes. I cropped the photo a bit.

Thanks.

OK, only because you are asking and want opinions.

I find a couple of things in the image distracting.

The fact that the turtle is cut off takes away from the image and then the bubbles at the rear also seem to draw your eye. I agree that getting rid of the backscatter is a good thing as it can pull the viewers eye from the key aspects of the image that you are focusing on.

In this case the correction of the backscatter seems to be noticable still. I am not the best as PS work in terms of correcting things like removing or replacing flaws so my results may have been similar to yours. I prefer to try and find a better image when this happens or analyze this image and chalk up the flaws to learning for my next opportunity. You have great focus on the subject and a nice blue water background.

I have found I have learned the most when I have gotten independent critiques as sometimes I thought I had a great image but failed to notice some areas for improvement. I think you are definitely on the right track even with the above comments.

All IMHO

Cheers

Todd

Hey Todd,

No problem with the criticisms. In fact, thanks. Your comments are clear and very constructive. That is why I posted it on this forum specifically. I appreciated your comments on the bubbles, too. I waver on whether I like them or not, so that is one more vote in the "no" column.

I still like the image. I appreciate the advice on how to make the next one better. (Actually, I might play with the backscatter on this one a bit more to see how it might be modified.)

Cheers,

Erwin

Hi Irwin. I agree with Todd regarding the framing of the image. As it is cut off just at the back legs, on first sight it looks to me like a missed shot. I might suggest cropping in even more so it appears more as a study of the Turtles head and front fins. It is a well focused shot with great color. The darker background does indeed make the subject pop, and I think your blurring worked. Have you tried the dust and scratch removal filter? It is a bit less destructive if used lightly and takes the smaller backscatter out of the image. Large particles still have to be removed with the healing brush though. The blurred bubbles are rather interesting and do not bother me.

Hi Irwin. I agree with Todd regarding the framing of the image. As it is cut off just at the back legs, on first sight it looks to me like a missed shot. I might suggest cropping in even more so it appears more as a study of the Turtles head and front fins. It is a well focused shot with great color. The darker background does indeed make the subject pop, and I think your blurring worked. Have you tried the dust and scratch removal filter? It is a bit less destructive if used lightly and takes the smaller backscatter out of the image. Large particles still have to be removed with the healing brush though. The blurred bubbles are rather interesting and do not bother me.

Hey Matthew. Interesting idea about cropping it further. ("It's not a bug, it's a feature.") I gave it a quick try, and here is what I came up with.

Then I tried more blur on the background, with this result.

I also tried darkening the background some more. Here is the result from that (accidentally cropped a little more, too).

I think that these variations are improvements. I agree that it would have been better if the original capture included the whole turtle, but these me some ideas about how to work with the image that I have. I will play around with it some more. To answer your question, I have not used the dust and scratch removal filter. I am not working with Photoshop yet; I will work my way up to that soon. I am using Paint Shop Pro to manipulate the jpegs.

Thanks again for the comments.

Hey Matthew. Interesting idea about cropping it further. ("It's not a bug, it's a feature.") I gave it a quick try, and here is what I came up with.

 

Then I tried more blur on the background, with this result.

I also tried darkening the background some more. Here is the result from that (accidentally cropped a little more, too).

 

I think that these variations are improvements. I agree that it would have been better if the original capture included the whole turtle, but these me some ideas about how to work with the image that I have. I will play around with it some more. To answer your question, I have not used the dust and scratch removal filter. I am not working with Photoshop yet; I will work my way up to that soon. I am using Paint Shop Pro to manipulate the jpegs.

 

Thanks again for the comments.

Unfortunately the 60mm was not the ideal lens for this size animal, so unless one can get the whole animal I think it works better as a portrait. There is no reason the crop has to be a rectangle, I think a square works better so that you do not crop the right flipper. I would like a little more space above and in front of the turtle as well.

Absolutely keep the fins. I like the original blue though, wouldn't go much darker because it is a nice balance with the tonal range of the subject.

Thanks for the feedback. It is a great help.

Erwin