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Photo Critique (February)
- Thread starter fett
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That looks great! I like to simplify, whenever possible: one subject, one mood, restricted range of colours, etc. And you've just focused down to what's essential... which is what I'm trying to do every time I click the shutter.
It's a learning curve, for sure. I don't want to 'unlearn' the stuff about light, 'cos that's my motivation in photography. But I'm amazed at what's possible in PP. I'll be upgrading my Aperture 1.5 to 2.0, and hope to become a little more computer-savvy (still prefer to be outdoors, though...).
Fett - your PS editing does the trick. Looks good and clean.
Doylem - I also liked the original, and for the life of me, I didn't see horsecrap when I looked at it.. It was clear that the object(s,) while on the same plane, were on a different line than the horse. I can see the depth in the photo well enough so my eye doesn't trick me into thinking that the horse deposited that object.. and finally, those suspicious objects much more closely resemble things that would originate in cows than horses (speaking from my own personal scatalogical experience, of course.)
Doylem - I also liked the original, and for the life of me, I didn't see horsecrap when I looked at it.. It was clear that the object(s,) while on the same plane, were on a different line than the horse. I can see the depth in the photo well enough so my eye doesn't trick me into thinking that the horse deposited that object.. and finally, those suspicious objects much more closely resemble things that would originate in cows than horses (speaking from my own personal scatalogical experience, of course.
)I think this looks good although the rocks scattered in the background didn't really bother me much. If I were to redo this, I'd maybe crop a bit more off the right side. The horse being dead center horizontally really bugs me. I know the person on the right helps to off center it a bit but it's not enough. If the person were leading the horse and the person in the center, then this crop would work ok. Just my thoughts...
On the first edit I only removed the rock directly behind the horse but then thought if we are going to be editing why not remove all the rocks so there is nothing left to compete for the attention of the viewer.
I don't mind the horse in the middle, I think there is enough room to the left so it doesn't appear to be walking off frame.
I don't mind the horse in the middle, I think there is enough room to the left so it doesn't appear to be walking off frame.
she clearly doesnt like this camera picture nonsense
messing around with some post process.
d80,18-135
white umbrella with sb-600 to camera left.
messing around with some post process.
d80,18-135
white umbrella with sb-600 to camera left.
alecmcmahon-
I really like this picture. I think her expression is great and really evokes emotion. I do, however have to suggestions / questions:
1) Is it possible to sharpen her hair a little bit? I think her bangs look great, but they would really pop if they were a little more well defined (although I know thats not the focus of your photo).
2) What is that line of light thats running down the edge of her jaw? Im not sure if it was intentional, but I think it distracts from her face. Perhaps you can remove it?
I have posted on of my pictures for critique. Let me know what you think!!
I really like this picture. I think her expression is great and really evokes emotion. I do, however have to suggestions / questions:
1) Is it possible to sharpen her hair a little bit? I think her bangs look great, but they would really pop if they were a little more well defined (although I know thats not the focus of your photo).
2) What is that line of light thats running down the edge of her jaw? Im not sure if it was intentional, but I think it distracts from her face. Perhaps you can remove it?
I have posted on of my pictures for critique. Let me know what you think!!
Attachments
thanks for the comments man.
i think i can go back and do some layering and put more detail in the hair... & the line on the jaw is just from being heavly over processed, didnt notice it @ time of export.
thanks again
Maybe try this again at a different time of day, with some golden light entering the tunnel from late afternoon sun, or after sunset with light still in the sky. Try it with and without kids.. just experiment some more...
Thanks for the feedback! That's the one thing I didn't enjoy about it as well... I have a couple other attempts at it.. or maybe I can go into photoshop and work with it to make it even better. Something realistic... Thanks again!
Experimenting in the rain late one night outside my house.
Nikon D40
Shutter 5 seconds
f/5.0
ISO 400
38mm
I really just love the color combination. The blue really makes the Red pop and vice versa. Then the blue in the hair really unifies the whole picture? Was that a reflection or is their really blue in her hair? Even though the colors are really striking I can't keep from looking at her eyes. They are very captivating and seem to tell a story. The one thing I'm not fond of is the necklace showing... once I noticed it, I kept looking at the reflection off it....I give it 4/5
I'm guessing this is a picture on an escalator? It has nice bokeh, but my opinion is that there's nothing really to focus on. I suppose that woman is in "focus" but my eyes are distracted by all the other heads and bodies in the picture. My eyes hunt for lines to follow.
When you're in a mass of people and you want to convey that mass you should go WA or UWA. There are a number of heads and bodies but not enough for the effect you are going for. I was at the NY Giants' parade and it was crowded from ground level, but when you took pictures it didn't seem *that* crowded. But when you have people taking pictures from the 10th floor of the WaMu building across from City Hall, it looks like a whole heck of a lot more people. It's all about perspective.
I'm going to go on a whim and say you were going for kinda the stairway to heaven feel? If you want to go telephoto to isolate, I think a more powerful way would be to have only one subject rather than a bunch cluttering the frame. Otherwise, I'd go WA and find some lines so our attention is "drawn in" toward the light.
Thanks for the constructive criticism Whorehay! Ya, now that I look at it with your critique, I see what you mean. I was trying to make her sand out (and her bag) from the crowd by blurring everyone else as much as I could. In fact, I used the widest aperture (f1.8). I agree, WA would have been much better but unfortunately I only owned a Canon 85mm lens at the time. My question now is, in a crowd of people, using wide angle, how do you selectively make one person stick out from the crowd? Is it possible to take a candid where one person is obviously the focus even though he / she is surrounded by others?
Thanks again for the critique!!
BOOSTD
Nice photo qtpie36963. I like how the light comes from the left.
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Took it from my room last day.
Nikon D40x
Nikkor 80-200mm
Roco, I like this picture, but unfortunately the out of focus limb and leaf (bottom right and bottom left, respectively) are somewhat distracting.
Aside from that, I think its a fairly good photo!
happy shooting!
BOOSTD
(Trying to contribute to the thread as best I can)
Fett, I REALLY like this picture. I think the silhouette is great and the lake bed, snow, field (idk what it is exactly) makes for a very interesting background. However, I think the sky leaves something to be desired. If you cut out the bottom half with the guy and the horse and just look at the sky, you see... well, gray. Perhaps a shorter crop would minimize this dead space and keep the focus on the guy and his horse.
BOOSTD
End of an era (from the film archives...)
A couple of long-time neighborhood regulars at an old downtown Portland bar which would soon be closing its doors for good to make way for a fast food joint. I shot it from the far corner of the bar with a bit of fill flash, converted to grayscale.
Canon Eos 630
ISO 100
Canon 100-300
Kodak Gold 100
A couple of long-time neighborhood regulars at an old downtown Portland bar which would soon be closing its doors for good to make way for a fast food joint. I shot it from the far corner of the bar with a bit of fill flash, converted to grayscale.
Canon Eos 630
ISO 100
Canon 100-300
Kodak Gold 100
If you really want to have selective focus, WA is probably not the way to go. You'd have to get pretty close to your subject and use a wide aperture which those pesky WA lenses don't often come in unless you are willing to pay. It can happen if you're close enough though. Go and experiment if you have one.
It's hard to say on an escalator since I've never tried something like that with art in mind. Just work with what you have and try and find some lines we can follow (the rails on the escalator?).
You did good! I love the colors, composition and overall smooth tonal qualities/textures. It would make a great desktop background.
Thanks pdxflint! I was happy with the way the bokeh rendered the water in front and behind the bubble, I actually thought "desktop background" when I saw the first few on the LCD
SLC
SLC
Maybe we can start a discussion with this one. These two shots were taken a number of years ago in Portland, OR when leaders of the Pacific Rim countries were attending an economic conference at Portland State. As the conference wound down, President Clinton emerged and addressed a large crowd that had been waiting for several hours in the South Park Blocks on campus. Lots of speech shots were taken, but one of the president's favorite things to do after these kinds of events was to walk the rope line pressing the flesh with the crowd. That's obviously the activity in both of these pictures, which were shot from the exact spot on the podium where minutes earlier Clinton had delivered his speech. These photos were both under consideration for the front page of the university daily paper, and ultimately it became my job to decide which to use. Think about which one you'd choose, and why? Have fun!
Note: both are scans from old work prints...
No. 1
No. 2
In the first photo the subject larger than life and the expression on his face is priceless! It really makes you feel that he is enjoying himself and the crowd is to. I have to say at first glance I thought this photo would be a sure winner for a front page story, however..
The second photo shows the subject with the people and you really get to see the crowds reaction.
It would be a tough call, but I would of chose the first solely because you see his face and how the image brings the eye right to your main subject. In the second photo I'm looking at the crowd more then I'm looking at the subject.
So yes, the first photo.. my amateur decision at it's best!?!
These really are two great shots, you must of been proud of these little monsters.
the dog walking the human
Hello cruel world of critiquing!
I offer up one of mine for your thoughts and opinion's. I'm just starting to get back into photography after dabbling with it in high school/college. I decided to bring my 35mm Canon FT QL (yes she's an old beauty!) to the dog park one Sunday. The subject matter was quick and fierce and those little buggers sure did give me and my little pooch a run around. After several attempts to get my little girl to stand still I had little time to focus snapped this one quickly! Please let me know your thoughts!
Hello cruel world of critiquing!
I offer up one of mine for your thoughts and opinion's. I'm just starting to get back into photography after dabbling with it in high school/college. I decided to bring my 35mm Canon FT QL (yes she's an old beauty!) to the dog park one Sunday. The subject matter was quick and fierce and those little buggers sure did give me and my little pooch a run around. After several attempts to get my little girl to stand still I had little time to focus snapped this one quickly! Please let me know your thoughts!
Ha. I like that. Really catches the attitude very well. The bone (?) is a bit of a distracting element but otherwise I like the way the limited DoF brings out the dog.