The Fish That Got Away

[arne saknussen]

This is an older photo that I may want to give as a gift. This is my brother-in-law and niece in a moment of bonding. She had snagged a fish (with that pink toy rod, believe it or not) and became upset when she couldn't quite reel it in.
I would appreciate any c/c to improve the shot.
My biggest complaint is that I used a low resolution at this time (I didn't know better).

[armando_m]

other than the IQ , the photo is great

[n8]

Is that orange thing the fish or a cracker? I think this is one of those shots that will certainly mean something for those that were there, but lends to much otherwise.

[GB1]

Ha.. nice shot, great title. Too bad one can't see the fellow's face too well, but it's still quite a story teller. Maybe a little more contrast and running it through noise reduction software.

G

[llewpics]

Two suggestions ...since there is a lot of noise / grain in the photo. First, consider getting some software like Noise Ninja - it's not too expensive, and it can work very well with these ...also, you may want to take advantage of the grain and attempt turning it into a BW image ...what makes this one count to me, is that I can see the story ...and that is the stuff great photos are made of, anyway ... :-)

[arne saknussen]

Thanks again for the cc. That is a cracker, I believe, and I should clone it out since she seems to throw focus on it. B/W might be a good answer for this shot. This is a low res shot, will noise reduction help that?

[gahspidy]

It is a good moment and we can certainly feel the story from it. i also think converting to b&w and then adding/emphasizing grain will be the right approach.
i agree about wanting to see the faces a bit more, but still works.

[arne saknussen]

OK, I converted to BW, added noise (too much or not enough?) and cloned out the cracker.



Look better?

[llewpics]

I would not add any more noise then what was there already. Try cloning the house in the upper right as well ...big brush and then just dab over the house with the trees on the left a few times ...also, if converting to BW - try the Channel Mixer (if you have not already) and tweak down the red channel - increasing Blue and Green - that may give you a different feel - also, perhaps a little more definition of white and black through levels --- it may give it more tonality.

[gahspidy]

This really works in b&w. I agree the noise is a bit much. how did you add it?
In LR 3 there is a grain filter that adds some very realistic looking film grainas opposed to digital noise. A fine grain as opposed to a blotchy dig noise would be preferable.

[arne saknussen]

I merely added more noise in PS.

Here, I used the color bars and I think its a bit warmer. I also did not add noise to this one.

[ksbryan0]

This picture captures one of those real sweet moments in life. After coming back to this image multiple times, I think it is a good candidate to run through one or more of the artistic filters in PS. I've played around with some similar low res family photos with either the palette knife and cross hatch brush strokes with pretty good results. You can mask the lack of resolution and create a more artsy image in this manner. Just my 2 cents worth.

[BlueGal]

Personally, I would keep it as it is and just put it in a nice frame since you want to give it as a gift. I assume that you want them to be reminded of this bonding moment so you would want to stay as original as possible.

Your brother-in-law's smile is also more noticeable on the original picture.