A photo of me, 9/22/2015. Nikon D5300, 1/160, F6.3, ISO 400, 40mm. Taken in Coffee County, Georgia, USA. A huge limb had fallen from a big oak tree in my yard. I had my chainsaw and was cleaning up the mess. I remembered all those scary movies where the protagonist used a chain saw to wreak havoc. My daughter happened to be home and I asked her to take the photo.
Originally, taken in color and I used PhotoShop to convert to B/W. Then, I used unsharp to really bring out the "character" on my face. Finally, I applied HDR, to add even more dramatic effect.
Comments were stating that my original submission "needs work". I am not sure what that means. Other than changing the model, myself, I don't know what else can be done. So, I used a little AI. Personally, I did not feel that it is an improvement. But, here goes.
Yeesh! Where to begin? Okay, here goes...
First, the obvious: YOU are not the photographer here; your daughter is. You asked her to take a photo of you, which is very different from a "self portrait." (Key word meaning you composed it and set the camera up, but used something like a timer or a remote to trigger it)
Next, is the overuse of sharpening paired with the overuse of a blur tool. It looks so unnatural that the image of you looks like and overlay on top of a blurred background of a fire.
Add to that the godawful mixture between selective color and black & white. This is an amateur technique most people try out because they think it'll make their photo more interesting. Selective coloring is to photography what mimes are to acting. Basically, very few people actually like to see it, and only a select few can do it well enough to make it look good.
As far as composition goes; it's very compressed and the main subject (you) is pretty much centered. This makes for a very boring composition and eliminates the majority of the chainsaw. I couldn't even tell it was a chainsaw until I read the caption.
A better option would have been to move the subject to the right of the frame so the saw's blade could point to the backdrop, and then angle him in a way where the flames were behind his right shoulder. THAT would tell a story; unlike what you have here, which makes no sense at all for anyone who wasn't there.
So, what you have here is a 1 star snapshot that you tried to improve with techniques in post. We call that "Polishing a turd."
Hope that helps.
Original image is submitted also. In my introduction I said that "Comments were stating that my original submission "needs work". I am not sure what that means. Other than changing the model, myself, I don't know what else can be done. So, I used a little AI. Personally, I did not feel that it is an improvement. "
As to my daughter taking the photo, would it have been better to take a selfie? My idea for the staging. My idea for the facial expression. She pulled the trigger with my camera and gear using automatic adjustments. Other submissions are using paid models.
Your positioning idea is actually pretty good. I can see how that would make a big difference in the image. Thank you for the critique.
I never was a fan of selective coloring. Seems like when the idea first circulated, a common example was something like a small red rose where it, despite its relatively small size compared to the B/W portion of the image, became the main subject. Your eye immediately went to the red rose. In this case, you're still the obvious main subject, and the color elements aren't really much of a draw in my opinion. You're still the main attraction, but the flat black and white contrast and gray values make you look sort of plasticky.
The effect of HDR typically brings out greater mid-tone contrast, but I don't see evidence of that here. Personally, I'd prefer a total black and white version, cropped to just beyond your fingertips on the left, and slightly inside your shoulder on the right. The flames can go light or dark in black and white. I think brighter is better.
Yeah. There is a b/w in this contest. I put this one here hoping for at least a reaction, a comment. Success. As I stated in my comments: Comments were stating that my original submission "needs work". I am not sure what that means. Other than changing the model, myself, I don't know what else can be done. So, I used a little AI. Personally, I did not feel that it is an improvement. Thank you for the constructive comment.