Could i please receive some criticism (preferable constructive) on these photos?

[hitnrun7]

The title says it all.

I was just out taking a few shots, im only going to post two as im still post-processing some others.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hitnrun7/3532686694/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hitnrun7/3532687868/sizes/l/

I should note that the first pic really reminds me of a wallpaper or picture i have seen before, if anyone knows what im thinking of please tell me.

Taken with a D60

Thanks

 

[craigsharp]

The first is pretty cool, but the second seems a little lack luster... I'm not sure what kinds of filters, maybe a circular polarized filter or something of the sort, and maybe if you aren't already using one, you should get a lens hood.

 

[dsnort]

Both are very nicely done.

The first is very similar to a DeskTop in OSX, look in "Nature". Or maybe "Plants".

The second is crisp clean, but in an earth tone, mildly depressed way. Reminds me of a rainy day.

 

[Flynnstone]

The first one looks noisy. I'm not sure if its the jpeg compression or not. What ISO was it shot with? I have a Panasonic that I have to shot at about 80 ISO or I think the picture has too much noise.

The second would look better with a blue blue sky.

I'm not a professional, so value of advice is probably what you paid

 

[miles01110]

#1: Not terrible, but blades of grass (and plants in general) are kind of beginner's crutches that seem to be photographed "just because they're there." It does look like a desktop background, but I'm not sure that's what you really want to achieve with your photographs. Plus we all know what blades of grass look like- with plant photography the challenge is showing us something we haven't seen before and making the familiar unfamiliar.

#2: What is the subject of this picture? If it's the barn then the rule of thirds is not correctly applied in either the vertical or horizontal direction (it's too close to the bottom and almost square in the middle along the horizontal direction). If it's the cliff face then that's also a fairly pedestrian way of photographing it. All in all, this picture looks very flat and dull to me. My eye doesn't lock onto anything in particular, which makes it boring.

 

[Styxie]

I'm just started out with photography, so I don't really know what I'm talking 'bout (yet):

1: Looks very nice, I have the OSX wallpaper version on all the time, it's my favourite =). Anyway, maybe you could put a bit less blue in it, and perhaps a bit more green.

2: Looks cool also, but I think this would have more impact on a sunny day with a clear blue sky and the sunlight lighting up the grass.

 

[hitnrun7]

miles01110, thanks for the advice, aswell as everyone else that contributed.

Flynnstone, it was shot in ISO400. So there might have been some noise caused there.

As for the second picture, it was shot in the middle of April in Ontario, Canada... so the weather was still complete crap. The grass picture was taken today, although it isn't actually a picture of grass, rather another plant of which i don't know the name.

Would a polarizing filter be recommended (in general)?

 

[svndmvn]

IMO, the post processing is one of the less important things when learning.
Get a tripod if you don't have one, as it usually helps if the lens is not awesome.
What time of the day were the pictures taken? Play with shadows and interesting light, have plenty of patience and try different angles etc.

 

[compuwar]

The title says it all.

I was just out taking a few shots, im only going to post two as im still post-processing some others.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hitnrun7/3532686694/sizes/l/

Technically, ther's nothing wrong with this shot, but aesthetically it's lacking. Mostly the large dark areas are in the front and not towards the back to give the image more depth. I'm not sure that having a higher perspective to show the tops of he wider blades also wouldn't help a lot. Finally, something to focus on, like a nice bright red ladybug would help immeasurably in giving the eye somewhere to go.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hitnrun7/3532687868/sizes/l/

I should note that the first pic really reminds me of a wallpaper or picture i have seen before, if anyone knows what im thinking of please tell me.

Taken with a D60

Thanks

The empty foreground doesn't really help this picture because too much of the building is obscured, and it'd balance much better further to the right. The featureless sky detracts and with the empty foreground pretty-much kills the image. I'd try up closer to the building to make it an overpowering subject, maybe in portrait mode to get the cliff in the background.

 

[t0mat0]

Linked

 

[dextertangocci]

The first one is really cool, second one is nothing special.

 

[vicious1]

agreed

I agree with the previous posters...
1. well executed, ISO a little bit high, but technically well executed... lighting is a bit off but that could be fixed in photoshop..

2. no subject.. missing the point really.. while it is nice and sharp, it has no interest at all...

good going though keep at it.

//V

 

[jammiefreerider]

I like the first one because you have a very subtle (possibly accidental) focus on the slightly shorter blades of grass in the middle. I think to improve it use Photoshops burn tool to darken the shadows much heavier around the edges of the picture and gradually ease the darker shadows to the middle few blades just to accent what your looking at. It will inspire thoughts maybe of youth/growth/potential rather than just a pretty picture of grass that goes on your desktop.

As for the second photo, you are probably starting to realise that there is no way in the world that any camera can capture the awesomeness we can see with our eyes.

I recommend keep your shots super simple eg. the yellow colour of the leaves. Take your time. Predict where the sun will be at various times of day and how that is going to affect your shot. Could you get a picture of a yellow leaf falling in front of an orange sky? That would be pretty amazing.

I found a web site yesterday which had this good photography article on Fact, Moment and Light It helps me so I hope it will help you too.

 

[hitnrun7]

My apologies for not responding for a long period of time, i was quite busy...

To all those who contributed more advice and comments, thank you very much for taking the time to do so, it is greatly appreciated.

While i was gone i ended up with a few more pictures, if you have the time could you please C&C them? At the moment only one is up.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hitnrun7/3544530106/sizes/l/

Sorry i don't know how to embed the images into the post (I think its also against the flickr TOS...)

 

[jrm27]

I actually prefer the second one. To me it is more interesting to look at. Cool texture and color!

 

[147798]

Everyone here has pretty much summed it up. But, don't be discouraged. We all made those shots when we started, and we all still make those shots from time to time, we're just experienced enough to know not to post them!

I won't repeat the good advice here, but I'll add -- go to your local library and check out books of photographer' works. Just big format books of pictures. Also, try a couple of books on composition -- and don't worry about older books like you find in your library. Rules of composition haven't changed.

Finally research the rule of thirds. It is a good place to start. Start off by religiously obeying the rule of thirds. Once you understand it, you can then learn how to break it.

 

[MacSociology]

Try to use as low ISO as possible. For lanscapes you could use a smaller aperture (f11-16).

It seems like the others has pretty much covered most of what there is to say, but I can recommend to buy the book: "Understanding exposure" by Bryan Peterson. If you could buy only one book about exposure, this would be the one.

Edit: I would also recommend to read National Geographic. You'll find a lot of great photos there.

 

[niuniu]

I'm a complete D40 novice so I can't add much except maybe the second picture could have worked better with a different lens? It feels a bit boxy, like shots you take with the standard lens you get when you buy a DSLR. Other than that, I like

I love the first pic - I'ma sucker for vibrant colours and closeups

 

[krissears]

nice pics camera

wow nice pictures i love the first one.. very nostalgic...

the second i guess needs a little improvement maybe with the light its a bit dark and and the positioning... or the film itself lacks tint.. i dunno.. but very nice pics all in all.. keep it up

 

[pyth]

The first one is pretty cool, it does remind me of an Apple pre-done background.

The second one is not as...vivid? It seems to be missing something. It's one of those pictures where you take it and see it on the little LCD and go "wow! This is going to be really cool!" and then is rather disappointing when you actually upload it.
I'd suggest, along with applying the rule of thirds next time, that you might want to try putting it in photoshop and leveling the green RGB channel lighter so the trees on the cliff aren't as black and then leveling it as a whole to be a bit darker. Also, add a photo filter, probably one of the red or orange ones, according to your tastes. Usually when you make a picture darker, the colors come out more vividly. I think the problem might be the two different feels you get from the cliff (ominous, depressing) and the barn and field (warm, sunny). You've just got to get the two tones in sync and then it'll be great.

 

[hitnrun7]

Thanks to everyone that posted advice or comments, it is greatly appreciated.

As for the barn picture, that was taken going about 80Km\h, so i didn't have much time. However, when I'm not busy i will go back there (once i find it...) and retake the picture properly. That picture was also taken the day i got my D60, so being in mid April the weather was poor as were the colours of nature.

Once again, thank you.

 

[ftaok]

As for the barn picture, that was taken going about 80Km\h, so i didn't have much time. However, when I'm not busy i will go back there (once i find it...) and retake the picture properly. That picture was also taken the day i got my D60, so being in mid April the weather was poor as were the colours of nature.

Personally, I don't think you need to re-shoot #2. A different crop and boosting the contrast would do it for me.

Maybe like this ...



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