Original Image above
Edited image
The composition is very problematic for me. What exactly is the subject? You have distracting slivers of things such as the thin vertical line of siding on the left, the truncated doorway on the right, the sliver of a round window on the top, and the slight angle to everything due to perspective. The lighting is awkward too. Half the facade is bleached by the sun, washing out portions of the yellow door frame. It might have been a little better if the woman was walking the other direction, which would put some light on her face rather than her backside.
ME: Thank You B for your comments on composition. I was drawn to this because I saw the two people in the store framed by window with the walking woman between them. I was also drawn to the contrast between the light and shadow on the street. I can see now that the image is fussy and distracting. I appreciate you educating me on this, thank you.
Has a Edward Hopper quality to it. You would well to expand and improve on this thematic. More please!
ME: Stoked you saw the Hopper in it John - so did I when at the location. Just wish I hadn't screwed it up!
If it were my image and the highlights are not blown out, I’d dim the highlights a little bit. Dayhawks? Smile!
ME: Thanks for the advice John I will give it a go!
Make sure you know your camera’s auto focus options and use the right one for your purpose. Usually single point focus using a single or narrow group of focus points is best vs continuous focus that constantly adjusts to a moving target. For examples: Single point for still or slow moving objects. Continuous focus mode for sports or bird photography. Learning to use your focus points and modes correctly is key. I almost always use single point mode and the center focus point unless I’m shooting sports or fast moving wildlife. Using the center point you can reframe easily to meet your “rules of photography”. Learning to shoot in manual makes a huge difference. Switching from kit lens can make a huge difference but only if you know what you’re doing in the first place. Lenses get more expensive the higher the f stop goes but definitely worth it. For a reasonably priced long zoom lens I’d look for something with a fixed 4.0 vs a variable that goes down from there. It’s worth the cost in my opinion. For close pictures, just upgrading to a 50mm 1.8 will do wonders and is very affordable! Often it is the best option for a first time upgrade to practice with.
ME: Thank You Mandy for taking the trouble to give this advice. I have struggled with the focus areas and modes as I get to grips with the a6000, which I have not had long. I am prioritising this right now. I will be investing in better lenses but do not want to buy until I know the camera better. A 70-300 mm Sony is on my saving up for list! I have a Sigma 30mm 1.4 which does not seem to focus properly, very stiff focus ring so I will persevere with that. I like the idea of having a 50 mm as some point. Thanks once again for your good advice.
The most abundant "issue" which seems to get in the way of progression towards a tack sharp image seems to be the noise.
Whether the noise is a result of the image itself or how you've edited it, I don't know.
But, all of your dark image parts have a lot of colour noise. Fix that, and all of a sudden you might notice your images feel sharper.
Unfortunately, a "de-noise" slider is rarely the fix for this.
I wish I could be more helpful, but I can't be there with you picking your brain and playing with your file.
ME: I think it is the post editing that creates the noise- I over did it. Thanks for your feedback Connor!
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