Thanks! That confirms exactly what I’ve been thinking. Naturally, I would have liked to have something interesting to focus on, like a fish on a bicycle or a purple frog, but it just wasn’t there.
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Critics Corner
- Thread starter Alexander.Of.Oz
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mollyc
macrumors G3
you could just get in closer! your weeds weren't necessarily uninteresting, they were just too wispy in the second image.
I tried to keep it exactly as I saw it - on a dark hazy winter day.
I don’t like to alter colours. The water in the background is that slightly brownish colour because the sand here is like brown sugar.
Yes. I thought about cropping to make the weeds bigger, but I’d lose the sparkles and shading.
mollyc
macrumors G3
richardallan
macrumors 6502
It’s a 2013 Canon Rebel T5i with 75-300 4-5.6 USM. It was not a great lens with slow/inaccurate autofocus and fringing. (but I guess for under $200 for a telephoto lens it wasn’t bad)
richardallan
macrumors 6502
I think the last one is completely unprocessed. The other two (weed ones) were just sharpened a bit, but no colour enhancement. (maybe slight contrast on the first one)
richardallan
macrumors 6502
If these are Raw files I think with a bit of time in Photoshop you could get half decent images out of those first two but the exposure on each one isn't great and the compositions are poor.
NSH111
Suspended
These type of images are high value for graphic designers. Not trying to take away from the art of what you made. But when I worked for a design firm they would pay full price to license these types of backgrounds from various photographers.
Next question: cropping. What would you say is the best crop for something like this. Is it best to crop in to make the blue jay bigger and lose the sun/beach/bush shape - or leave it as is?
I wish somebody would pay me for it. 😉
mollyc
macrumors G3
So I'm a big believer of getting the composition roughly correct in camera. Admittedly, I shoot like a drunken sailor a lot of the time so I am fixing horizons, but I try to get the subject roughly where I want it while shooting and then finesse the crop in post.
Not having been standing next to you for this image, it's hard to say exactly what I would have done, but based on what I can see from your frame, I would have put the bird on the upper left rule of thirds line. Compositionally, you don't need all the trees on the left side cluttering up the image, and you've cut off the pretty sunset on the right. You have really lovely rim light going on around the tree limbs closest to the bird.
I do a lot of center compositions in my work due to some of the cameras I use, but this is not a scene crying out for a center comp. The bird gets lost too much in all the branches, and I do think if you'd rotated to get more of the lake behind you you'd have had more open space that would have highlighted the bird better.
This is a really crummy content aware fill recrop from Photoshop, but it shows how I would have composed it in camera, even if some of the elements ended up being wrong; I suspect you might have had a stronger tree trunk on the right where those branches are coming in top right, which may or may not have played into your decision while standing there, but this is just an extremely rough example.
Thanks. I totally agree with what you’re saying there. Part of the reason most of my shots are centred is that my camera’s autofocus is fairly terrible unless it’s centre focus - and the viewfinder is crap for manual focus. Also, if I went wide, I’d get a bit of roof overhang in the shot. (those are my excuses and I’m sticking with it 😀)
I need a better camera.
I need a better camera.
bunnspecial
macrumors G3
Okay, so I'll put this one up for critique...I have a specific question but am also open to general critique
As some background-I recently completed a class taught by a local pro/fine art photographer(in business for 50+ years at this point) that he bills as his "Advanced Composition" class. I've done other photo outings and such with this photographer, own some of his prints, and have also been a guest at weddings he's worked, so know him well.
Essentially the class involved classroom sessions learning 20 separate techniques that can be used to create stronger compositions, and then field shooting to apply what was taught in class. During the last session, we shared photos we'd taken, critiqued each others work, and such.
I took and edited this photo with two class principles in mind-"Limited color palette" and "Keeping it simple"(names are self explanatory). Others identified "patterns"(in the wallpaper), some subtle "leading lines"(corner leading to clock), and "foreground interest"(the chair). Overall, this photo was well received, but we had a bit of debate over the cropping
This was the example as presented
The teacher thought it too cluttered and suggested a cropping more like this
This sparked a lively debate, with most in the class thinking my crop as presented was a better choice with the doorknob offering some counterbalance to the clock dial and the chair back adding to the photo.
I'd appreciate thoughts as to either, or to an alternative presentation-here's the uncropped photo for reference
As well as general thoughts/critques for how this could have been improved
(for reference, this was in a tiny bedroom in an old house-there was little room to alter my position TOO much, although of course could have gone for a higher/lower perspective).
So, bring it on and tell me your worst. Overall I'm happy with the photo, but also may have a chance to retake it in the next month so will approach any feedback with that in mind.
As some background-I recently completed a class taught by a local pro/fine art photographer(in business for 50+ years at this point) that he bills as his "Advanced Composition" class. I've done other photo outings and such with this photographer, own some of his prints, and have also been a guest at weddings he's worked, so know him well.
Essentially the class involved classroom sessions learning 20 separate techniques that can be used to create stronger compositions, and then field shooting to apply what was taught in class. During the last session, we shared photos we'd taken, critiqued each others work, and such.
I took and edited this photo with two class principles in mind-"Limited color palette" and "Keeping it simple"(names are self explanatory). Others identified "patterns"(in the wallpaper), some subtle "leading lines"(corner leading to clock), and "foreground interest"(the chair). Overall, this photo was well received, but we had a bit of debate over the cropping
This was the example as presented
The teacher thought it too cluttered and suggested a cropping more like this
This sparked a lively debate, with most in the class thinking my crop as presented was a better choice with the doorknob offering some counterbalance to the clock dial and the chair back adding to the photo.
I'd appreciate thoughts as to either, or to an alternative presentation-here's the uncropped photo for reference
As well as general thoughts/critques for how this could have been improved
(for reference, this was in a tiny bedroom in an old house-there was little room to alter my position TOO much, although of course could have gone for a higher/lower perspective).
So, bring it on and tell me your worst. Overall I'm happy with the photo, but also may have a chance to retake it in the next month so will approach any feedback with that in mind.