A crab with problems

[dmoss 0]

Took this in Bonaire a few weeks ago. Like many of my shots, I liked this one at first but the more I look at it, the out of focus sand in the foreground seems to stand out as just wrong.

1/80...f9....100iso on a night dive. Cropped and hit with unsharp mask.

 

Fire away....what would help this, other than moving the sand out from in front before I shot it.

[acroporas 0]

well a little less sharpening would help...

 

Maby you if would have backed off some to include more of the setting, the sand in the forground would not be as distracting.

[CeeDave 0]

Well, besides the oversharpening noted above...I'd back up to "how it was shot" rather than "what now". If the composition was rotated about 45 degrees clockwise, the eyes would lie on the other diagonal and there'd be hardly any distracting ground, especially if you move in a little closer. SO, with due respect to William (and much is due), I'd move in, not out. I think that most of us are too tied to the portrait/landscape formats ... there is NO reason that many UW shots can't be composed at arbitrary angles to give the best view (comments from others?).

[mattdiver 0]

Good advice from Chris there., but short of going back to take this shot again, you can simply burn in a bit the foreground and background to help your subject stand out a little more, and make the rest less distracting.

 

Not perfect, but a bit better...

[MikeVeitch 0]

Oooo thank god for that....i thought he said he had a problem with crabs!!

 

I would agree, good advice from the rest of the guys

[Elli and Ted 0]

Hi

I think with an unsharp fore and background the crab stands out better, makes you focus on its eyes, which look super. I dont understand what you mean with "oversharpening", on my screen it looks fine!.

 

By the way who`s got crabs!!

 

cheers

Ted

[dmoss 0]

Thanks for the input folks. I did lean a little heavy on the unsharp slider in an attempt to bring more of the shot in focus, with a result of making the crab look too digital. I'll experiment with rotating the shot to get a different angle. I'm trying to concentrate on composition before I hit the shutter. The never ending learning process is what makes photography so addictive.

 

And Mike...don't tell anyone about the 'crabs' thing...hopefully my doctor can help with that Monday

[acroporas 0]

It is not the crab that screams too much sharpening, it is the shell.

[dmoss 0]

Thanks William---I see what you mean. I was thinking the hair on the legs was what looked oversharpened. Less cropping seems to make the out of focus areas not so obvious. Backed off on the sharpening.

[acroporas 0]

I like this one much better.

 

Is that still a crop? If possible, try back out even more and crop so that the crab is not in the dead center of the frame.

[Photobeat 0]

It is a great subject good composition just a little too far away, but this is a pic worthy of some editing - all of the guys were right on above especailly CeeDave and Matt.

 

This is a fast edit but see if you like it. I burned the forground then cloned it (a little sloppy you can put more time in it but you get the idea) from the sharper left side to make it less blurred. Blurred the top part. Sharpened the hell out of the eyes only, then a little sharpen overall. Finally dab the sponge tool on the crab to get more pop on the color.

[Elli and Ted 0]

There ye go, thats luvly!.

[CeeDave 0]

Unusually good image improvement thread!!

[dmoss 0]

Thanks for everyone's help on my little crab. I learned a few things. Everyone has their own preference for composition. In the end, it boils down to what the shooter is pleased with. Personally...I like the entire shell in the shot, but that's just me.

Eric should rename this form topic to 'Learning Curve Reduction Center'.

[Photobeat 0]

Just to add a little more to the learning curve, the shot of any crab with the shell on makes for a great pic, the problem was the area he was in, the background and forground and shell blended to well. Cropped or non cropped it kind of looks like he is tucked in a coral ledge, that is why I like the cropped shot, put the focus on him, It is hard to kind of separate the shell from the rest of the area. But hey now you have two good pics instead of one. Close up and enviornment, two for the stock library.

[dmoss 0]

Working with some of the suggestions, I came up with two versions of Mr. Crab...one cropped, one not. I like them both. I feel they are definitely better than the original. Thanks again everyone. Wetpixel Rocks !