critique my comp.. on these photos plz :)

Devananda · Mar 25, 2007

ok I have had my cameia now for three weeks and would like some advice on comp.
my thinking is learn that first then work on other stuff like ISO etc. etc.
anyway letz here some feedback:
feel free to edit them if you fell so inclined. the only thing that has been done is the auto enhance with the Nikon soft ware.

Devananda · Mar 25, 2007

Devananda · Mar 25, 2007

here is the info #4:

Lens: 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5 G
Focal Length: 56mm
Digital Vari-Program: Landscape
Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern
1/320 sec - F/10
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV

Efergoh · Mar 25, 2007

I think your composition is just fine for the first two and the last. The kitty w/ the ears cut off has some issues. Sometimes you can get too close. There are other issues such as focus, but I'm sure you're aware of that. Auto Enhance features are usually pretty untrustworthy. I've no experience with Nikkon, so I can't speak to that software, but 9 times out of 10 Roxio will crap all over your pictures if you use their "photo doctor."

The last one seems a tad too blue to me.

Devananda · Mar 25, 2007

yea the Nikon software sucks....just not good at anything and I am new to this...
the last one was taken on a frozen lake in teton nat. park , it was a nice day with no clods and the sun was a shinning and of course it was in the middle of the day..... it was around 60 out so if I want to re shoot that shot i'll have to want till next year. don't feel to comfy walking out on that with all my gear any more..LOL

gmarquez · Mar 25, 2007

On the mountians, I don't like the amount of blank sky you have in the photo. I might have zoomed in to one of the mountains, or included more of the foreground elements...it can be a tricky balancing act. That's why I like at least some clouds in the sky, they tend to add an element of drama, and they 'give the sky something to do' instead of just sitting there looking blue (or grey).

Also, on the second one, it feels like the left arm of the left mountain is chopped off...I might have tried to include a little more of it on the shot by either zooming out, or not worrying so much about the valley and mountian on the right.

I've found that a good composition exercise is to take shots at a location with various fields of view and various center subjects. Then go home, and use the crop tool with the goal of making your pictures feel "right". After some time doing this, you should be able to do this on site with your viewfinder, instead of doing it later on the computer.

Again, take my comments with a grain of salt, I'm just a beginner!