My very first set of pictures.

DoshKel

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This is my very first set of pictures that came out somewhat nice. I would love to have thoughts on the pictures. The weird borders are because my scanner is messing up... sorry about that heh. Thank you :).

1.
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2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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Heya DoshKel, welcome to ThePhotoForum.

I quickly went into your post and edited in some spaces between each of your pics (so they don't run into each other) and some numbers. Makes commenting easier if we can quickly say "I like Photo x because...", see?

I take it the first shows a detail of your front garden?
Well, if you can go re-shoot that one, I suggest you chose a slightly different point of view (here often referred to as POV) so the street does not come into view, for it quite much distracts from the ornament in the garden. It is brighter, and our eyes are invariably drawn to the bright parts, you see? So next time you go out, move further right until you no longer get an as distracting detail into your background as that street. You might also think about kneeling down?

The next four photos show a very common compositional aspect in newcomers-to-the-hobby photos: very centred subjects. If you look closely, you will find that the tip of the flower, the dangling rear-mirror ornament (I think it is? - no: hang on: porch!) and your mom's (?) eye are in the very, very centre of your frame.

It has shown over the centuries that an off-centre composition of any image is more pleasing to the eye. Somehow with that kind of shifted balance (is it "balance" that shifts? I don't even know, but...) an image becomes more interesting.

Sometimes, when you find it easier to initially frame your photos like this, you can still do something about it later (best if you do digital photography, which - as I take from your remark on your scanner - you don't?). You can crop your pics and thus move the subject off centre.

But: with the flower photo I would suggest you don't go for the bright sky as your background. You almost lose all the detail on the flower and would (for this kind of POV) need to bring out the flash to lighten the flower from the front against this bright background. Or you change your POV and get some darker background against with the flower can show brightly. With a flower this shape you might then also think about a vertical framing?

The backlit ornament as such is nice, again I would re-think composition, though, not only because it is so centred, but also because of the empty black space on the left. Climb on a chair? Try to get even closer? Just two ideas I am having right now...

Lighting was not very flattering on your mom (?), though I do appreciate the fact that you chose not to use your on-camera flash. But there are those ceiling-beamers in your kitchen, I assume? And she was standing right below one with the light falling onto her head? That gives her "racoon-eyes" - you see the shadows from her eye-brows darkening her eyes?

I do like your chosen DOF (depth of field) in that last one, though, but it would have needed some light from the front (or an angle) to lighten her eyes...

I hope this helps?
 
Wow thanks so much. That helps me immensely.

That is one thing that bothered me about the first photo. The street. I will be sure and get it at a better angle today. Maybe shoot it from the left and kneeling down like you said, so I can just get the bushes behind it.

Thanks for the tip on centering the subject :). Since I am a beginner, I often feel like I can't focus right if my subject is off center heh. I will try harder. I am using film right now, as buying a digital body is a little too much money for me right now haha. Down the road for sure.

Yea the black roof above the ornament is very distracting. Thanks for the tip... I didn't really notice before, but since you brought it up, I don't much care for it. Will retake this.

The light in our kitchen is horrid, very yellow-green. I seem to be very interested in taking non-staged photos of people, and I guess this is very hard for me as a beginner. I was so excited to have the picture not come out completely out of focus, that I forgot to pay attention to the whole picture hehe. I was hoping to make her look sort of sad, or in some kind of angst. I see what you mean about her eyes looking very black. I shall try to change this.

Thank you again. :)
 
I like #'s 4 and 5. These photos are raw. Keep it up!
 
Thank you Weaving Wax :). I really, really like your photos on your Flickr as well. I'm very much attracted to photos that are not touched up after processed.
 

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