Christopher Harkins - Editing Advice

[Chrishark]

I am new to Jetphotos and new to photography in general, I wanted to ask questions about 3 photos I have uploaded recently that got rejected:

https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7254824
https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7254812
https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7254851

I don't know what much to ask for the third photo if it was rejected due to "bad quality" so I will ask about the first two. The first two photos were rejected due to lighting and contrast reasons. Is there any way I can tell whether the lighting and contrast are within "acceptable" ranges? again, Im not familiar with how the histogram works or any software I can use to fix this so my question is, what settings on my camera could I have changed to improve the photos that got rejected?

EDIT: I didn't realize that jetphotos was this strict when it came to accepting or rejecting photos.
EDIT2: Im not on my computer at the moment so I am unable to upload the raw JPEG photos from my memory card and only able to provide links.

[dlowwa]

I am new to Jetphotos and new to photography in general, I wanted to ask questions about 3 photos I have uploaded recently that got rejected:

https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7254824
https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7254812
https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7254851

I don't know what much to ask for the third photo if it was rejected due to "bad quality" so I will ask about the first two. The first two photos were rejected due to lighting and contrast reasons. Is there any way I can tell whether the lighting and contrast are within "acceptable" ranges? again, Im not familiar with how the histogram works or any software I can use to fix this so my question is, what settings on my camera could I have changed to improve the photos that got rejected?

EDIT: I didn't realize that jetphotos was this strict when it came to accepting or rejecting photos.
EDIT2: Im not on my computer at the moment so I am unable to upload the raw JPEG photos from my memory card and only able to provide links.

Hi,

The first image has very poor contrast due to the overcast conditions. The second is backlit (quite soft as well). The third has all of those issues, and is extremely compressed as well, leading to the bad quality rejection. The takeaway for you should be that these are not issues that can be fixed with software, editing, or different camera settings. Instead you should choose better conditions to shoot in if you're hoping to get the images accepted here. Except in very specific circumstances, backlit images will never be acceptable. Take a look in the DB for already accepted images similar to what you hope to take, and aim to shoot in those sort of conditions.

[Chrishark]

Ok,

I am also taking a intro to digital photography at my local college, so I take that statement back about not knowing much about the histogram. However, the only thing I know about it is that there is a horizontal line on the graph, and if the graph goes over that line, then the image is over exposed. I learned this using adobe lightroom however, I don't plan on using it to manipulate my photos due to digital photo manipulation rules here. However, is this something you are looking for when you are reviewing images? because on both images, I can definitely see a steep mountain that definitely passed the "line" meaning it is overexposed (I think).

In terms of conditions, the first photo was taken around 11-12 local with some clouds obscuring the sky, but sunlight is shining through (as seen in the photo). The second photo was taken in the afternoon around 4-5pm local with clear skies. Since the sun was setting, the sun was hitting the other side of the aircraft thats not visible meaning that the visible side was the shadow or dark side. I decided to compensate my increasing the light stop by +1 in order to make up for the loss of light on the shadow side. When you say "better conditions" do you mean changing my location to fit time of day or choosing a different time of day to shoot these photos.? or is it something that I didn't list?

sorry for the long rant, im just curious to learn something new

[dlowwa]

sorry for the long rant, im just curious to learn something new

No worries, appreciate you being patient enough to work through a steep learning curve.

Keep in mind the advice given here is mostly the context of having images accepted to the DB. Something that might be a no-go here might be perfectly acceptable in different kinds of photography, and vice-versa. Backlighting is a good example. As I mentioned, in general, a backlit photo will have an extremely difficult time being accepted here. So yes, better to adjust your shooting position based on the angle of the sun at all times of the day. When I go to the airport to shoot (and when I shoot in general), I'm extremely conscious of where the sun will be in relation to my subject. I'm also just as cognizant of the quality of the light. While a high cloud layer might be better for portrait photography in creating more diffuse light, it would be almost the opposite in aviation photography where we generally prefer a strong contrast on the subject & background. For that reason, I generally worry just as much about how cloudy it is as where the sun will be.

As for the histogram, honestly, you don't need to look at the histogram to see the contrast is terrible on your three images. I'd focus first on the basics (position of the sun, cloudiness) before worrying about the more detailed things like this histogram, since as I alluded to above, if you get the basics wrong, then no amount of editing/changing of settings will be able to help.

[jvdl]

Hi. I am not part of the screening team.

I don't plan on using it to manipulate my photos due to digital photo manipulation rules here. However, is this something you are looking for when you are reviewing images? because on both images, I can definitely see a steep mountain that definitely passed the "line" meaning it is overexposed (I think).

You are allowed to compensate for over/under exposure and you can also sharpen, resize, add a bit of saturation to your images, among other functions. My understanding is that digital manipulation would include removing obstructions, editing plane registrations (that has happened), etc., and a distinction is drawn between enhancing and manipulating.

Since the sun was setting, the sun was hitting the other side of the aircraft thats not visible meaning that the visible side was the shadow or dark side.

That means it was backlit, which will probably never be accepted on JP.net.

When you say "better conditions" do you mean changing my location to fit time of day or choosing a different time of day to shoot these photos.?

Better conditions would include:
* Not overcast
* Planning for a time of day, or changing location, to have the planes fully illuminated with natural sunlight

[Chrishark]

Ok, so I have found 2 more images on my memory card that better fix the backlight situation, but still have questions about contrast. These will be the last 2 I post for today:





On the first Image, I noticed that the white on the plane is really bright from the sun hitting it from above. Both of these photos were taken around mid day 10-11am local. Side note, I know that the second image is tilted and dont plan on using that as a good example, just wanted to post it as an example of lighting. Is it possible that an image like the first one could be receiving too much light from the sun and if thats the case, does jetphotos allow software manipulation like adobe lightroom to fix these issues?

[dlowwa]

Ok, so I have found 2 more images on my memory card that better fix the backlight situation, but still have questions about contrast. These will be the last 2 I post for today:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24032[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24033[/ATTACH]

On the first Image, I noticed that the white on the plane is really bright from the sun hitting it from above. Both of these photos were taken around mid day 10-11am local. Side note, I know that the second image is tilted and dont plan on using that as a good example, just wanted to post it as an example of lighting. Is it possible that an image like the first one could be receiving too much light from the sun and if thats the case, does jetphotos allow software manipulation like adobe lightroom to fix these issues?

Lighting is workable for both of those images, though there are multiple other issues as you mentioned. General adjustments to brightness/contrast are not considered manipulation.

[Chrishark]

General adjustments to brightness/contrast are not considered manipulation.

Ok thanks, I know jvdi already mentioned that but I just wanted a confirmation from an actual team member.

[Chrishark]

Hi,

I would like to ask for a prescreening request, but also have questions regarding these three photos:



1. Original 2. Edited with Lightroom with a little more contrast 3. Edited photo what I think is ideal contrast (even more).

I previously uploaded a photo which got rejected due to contrast reasons here: https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7254824

back then, I wasn't aware of Jetphotos's strict guidelines when it came to the quality of photos and certain things they should/shouldn't have. Since then, Ive been really strict about my photos and also have been going back and forth playing with the slider in lightroom to determine the ideal contrast of the photo. I have also been looking at photos of the same exact aircraft and comparing them side by side with my photos. Im relatively new at photography so its possible that these three images I have uploaded here aren't good enough but wanted to ask about them anyway. In addition to asking about these three photos, if these photos aren't good enough due to contrast reasons, what good techniques can I use to help me better understand ideal contrast of any plane photo? is this something that just takes experience to get used to?

[dlowwa]

Hi,

I would like to ask for a prescreening request, but also have questions regarding these three photos:

1. Original [ATTACH=CONFIG]24102[/ATTACH] 2. Edited with Lightroom with a little more contrast [ATTACH=CONFIG]24103[/ATTACH] 3. Edited photo what I think is ideal contrast (even more). [ATTACH=CONFIG]24104[/ATTACH]

Second edit is better, although still a bit dark, and needing a little tighter crop on left.

I previously uploaded a photo which got rejected due to contrast reasons here: https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7254824
back then, I wasn't aware of Jetphotos's strict guidelines when it came to the quality of photos and certain things they should/shouldn't have. Since then, Ive been really strict about my photos and also have been going back and forth playing with the slider in lightroom to determine the ideal contrast of the photo. I have also been looking at photos of the same exact aircraft and comparing them side by side with my photos. Im relatively new at photography so its possible that these three images I have uploaded here aren't good enough but wanted to ask about them anyway. In addition to asking about these three photos, if these photos aren't good enough due to contrast reasons, what good techniques can I use to help me better understand ideal contrast of any plane photo? is this something that just takes experience to get used to?

You can use the histogram, although it is more reliable for exposure issues than contrast, as it provides data for the whole frame, and in aviation photography we're almost always concerned just with the subject (aircraft). Also, you'll need to seperate contrast issue into two categories for here: technical (lack of or excessive tonal range), and aesthetic. The latter is much more subjective and might take a little time to figure out.

[Chrishark]

I recently had a rejected photo and wanted to ask about it:

https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7285943

The comments say that the image is underexposed/too dark so I applied the necessary fixes but got this:



What the heck??? Both images look almost identical but I could have sworn that when I edited the image, It looked a lot better before I exported it from lightroom.

Im kind of stuck at a dead end at this point because I am unsure of what to do.

[dlowwa]

I recently had a rejected photo and wanted to ask about it:

https://www.jetphotos.com/viewqueued_b.php?id=7285943

The comments say that the image is underexposed/too dark so I applied the necessary fixes but got this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24456[/ATTACH]

What the heck??? Both images look almost identical but I could have sworn that when I edited the image, It looked a lot better before I exported it from lightroom.

Im kind of stuck at a dead end at this point because I am unsure of what to do.

Looks more like a contrast/white balance issue. There seems to have been high cloud or something else filtering the light. The fuselage should be white, but it's a dull greyish-yellow. Brightening it alone might not be enough to do the trick.

[Chrishark]

Ok I made some corrections, At this point, Im just asking for opinions because I am lost and dont know where to go.



As far as photo conditions, I could have sworn that it was a bright sunny day. Maybe a little bit of haze but I thought that enough light was shining down on that day to give acceptable photos.

[Chrishark]

At this point, Im beginning to realize that all of these photos look almost exactly the same and I have no clue what effect my changes in lightroom have on these photos.


EDIT: Im trying not to get frustrated at this point but its becoming more and more difficult. Im trying to do more research, but at this point, Im running out of time for the night.

[jvdl]

At this point, Im beginning to realize that all of these photos look almost exactly the same and I have no clue what effect my changes in lightroom have on these photos.


EDIT: Im trying not to get frustrated at this point but its becoming more and more difficult. Im trying to do more research, but at this point, Im running out of time for the night.

Hi Chris. To tackle the white balance issue that Dana mentioned: there is a tool in Photoshop (not sure about Lightroom) that looks like an eye-dropper, if I remember correctly. You click on an area that you know for a fact should be white, i.e., the fuselage in this case, and it will adjust the other colours appropriately.

Your last photo looks a little dark again, but I'm not a screener, so don't put too much stock into my opinion.