Newbie with two photos for critique

[antirem]

I just started photography about a month or so ago and hoping for some critiques on two black and whites I've made.

--we are watching---

--cagged ennui--

any feedback would be appreciated!

 

[Iron Flatline]

Well, photography is a visual medium, so the image is as important as the way you present it. In this case, they're simply too big to have good impact. It's hard to really "see" it, esp. when they're this close together while filling the frame.


I like the subject matter, esp. the first of the washers and dryers. I like the B&W, the contrast, the rich tones... did you shoot film? Digital? If digital, then how did you convert?

The camera is ok, I'd crop it a little tighter, take it out of center... it would give more emphasis to the smoke.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Stan (AG)]

^^ Very true. Probably the most decipherable ones are the first and last. And I'm not even sure about the last one being B&W. The thing people should stay away from is shooting in color and converting to B&W, unless the composition is first seen in B&W.

 

[Harmony]

yes, i can only offer suggestions on the last one. the ones in between are too busy to see...

the last photo is not in focus, and the flourescent lights along the top do not add to the photo, they just sort of creat a white out..... (if that made any sense =P )

 

[antirem]

Iron: The photos were not intended to be that large but, I was not able to size them down before posting them here. I havnt printed anything out or post them on a site that dosnt auto size them so i just kept them at composite site while working with them.

I am shooting digitally..
The first (the camera) was converted in PS:2 by...
*a gradient map adjustment layer (AL) from black to white
*a hue/saturation AL with very low saturation
*then a channel mixer AL... i played around that for a while to make a high contrast.
*there was some use of the burn tool (made the circle in the camera and other cords stick out)
*I probably had levels and curve AL's on there but I cant check on this computer since there is no PS:2

It was my first time using that method to make a high contrast B&W... The method doesn’t work with most of my photos but since the subject was so minimalist it lent it self well to that method.
(Those are clouds in the background and not smoke.. i kind of like that they look like smoke, i guess the dark photo creates the sense that it it smoke)

I am thinking about shaving off 1/4th or so of the picture on the right side and flipping it horizontally. I like the way the camera is facing but don’t want to take the clouds out that are on the left side to save the way the camera is looking.

The second photo was converted to B&W.. i dont remember what i did for that one. Probably levels, curves, gradient map... maybe some color AL's to define it...?

Stan: I am shooting with a SLR (cannon powershot S2) and I am not too fond of its digitally built in B&W filter. I find that shooting color allows me to go in and define the picture more during the conversion process in PS when it is color rather then the B&W filter... I want to start using lens filters but I won’t be able until I get a DSLR.... thoughts?

 

[Anita]

I am shooting with a SLR (cannon powershot S2)

This is NOT an SLR camera. SLR stands for single-lens reflex; you can remove and attach the lens. The Canon Powershot S2 does not have this capability.