Open invitation! Max Bloom included!

Moe Sizlack · May 9, 2007

I am inviting everyone to take a look at my gallery. I would love to hear any thoughts, comments, criticisms, or suggestions you might have for any of my work.

I have probably 1000+ views and not a single comment. So I make this challenge take a look through my gallery find something you don't like and tell me about it. I would really appreciate some honest criticism, blast away!

I'll even make it easy, Here's a link:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=194

Mike_E · May 9, 2007

I skipped around, they all seem to be well crafted photos.

Do me a favor. I have an off the wall thought and I would like for you to think about it for a bit and then tell me what you think.

The rule of thirds is only important in that it approximates the human form or at least the parts of a human form that are used to communicate body language. To convey a mood with a photo of non-human things you must position the main subjects in the photo in such a manor that they correspond to the posture of a person in the mood you wish to convey.

Anyway, give it some thought if you would and let me know.

mike

Moe Sizlack · May 9, 2007

First I would like to say thank you for taking the time to help me learn!

As I have been browsing through other galleries I have started to wonder if my shots have placed to much emphasis on the rule of thirds. I think I need to start thinking outside the box a little more as far as perspective goes. Here is a great example I found, they took what would have been a good shot with a flat horizon and made it really unique!

http://thephotoforum.com/gallery/files/4626-k4.jpg

I think I have a vague understanding of what you are saying but I am a visual learner. If you get a chance is there anyway you could pick a shot and explain how it could be composed to better convey a mood.

Mike_E · May 9, 2007

I'll go you one better. Go to a full length mirror, close your eyes and think of something that makes you feel inviting. Really feel that way and open up to whomever might be in front of you (use your imagination). Now open your eyes and look at your posture. Where your hands are and how you are holding them. The stance your feet and legs are in. The position of your head.

Memorize this and then go out and look for things that will approximate it and take the shot. After a little while you will be able to recognize it just walking around and will be able to find such a shot most places you go.

After that move on to other feelings and learn to visualize them as well.

You might want to do some reading on body language too.

As to the photo you pointed out, notice that the sun is where a right hand would be (about) and the beams of light follow the direction the hand would go if it were to throw something up and across the body. This leads you to wonder will it or won't it, what's going to happen? Instant drama.

Good luck

mike

mysteryscribe · May 9, 2007

Okay im going to hop in here. Most of what I saw I thought was right. The thing that kept cropping up in my mind was the crops were all wrong. I understand that I'm pretty old fashioned but A lot of stuff in a picture doesn't necessarily make it better. Try some different corps. I took your first one the birds down to my computer and recropped it. So try this crop the top down the the first dirty wave. use it as the frame for the top of your image. See it that isnt a little more dramatic.

But remember I have no idea what Im doing

newrmdmike · May 9, 2007

i havn't seen the original of the above crop, but i dislike that crop because of the about of space between the two birds, i think it needs more space to the left and right and less to the top and bottom (particularly that thing at the top)

. . . off to look at the gallery now

newrmdmike · May 9, 2007

ooh, now that i saw the originall i see why mystery cropped it that way, but i don't think it really improves it significantly, and definatly doesn't save the shot.

but thats a better crop

newrmdmike · May 9, 2007

i think some of the borders are cheesy.

Moe Sizlack · May 9, 2007

I'm working on the borders as we speak! Thanks for the heads up.

Moe Sizlack · May 9, 2007

Borders are done, went with a much simpler, less obnoxious style.

mysteryscribe · May 10, 2007

Well that made all the difference

Moe Sizlack · May 10, 2007

mysteryscribe said:
Okay im going to hop in here. Most of what I saw I thought was right. The thing that kept cropping up in my mind was the crops were all wrong. I understand that I'm pretty old fashioned but A lot of stuff in a picture doesn't necessarily make it better. Try some different corps. I took your first one the birds down to my computer and recropped it. So try this crop the top down the the first dirty wave. use it as the frame for the top of your image. See it that isnt a little more dramatic.

But remember I have no idea what Im doing

That one bugged me a little too, the spacing felt a little tight on the sides. That definitely is a more dramatic crop.

Moe Sizlack · May 10, 2007

How about this crop for the golden gate shot?

mysteryscribe · May 10, 2007

My point of view, which is probably not much good to you, you see the image in your head before you put your camera to you eye. If I saw this shot in my head i would have moved. In my opinion the angle on the bridge is not steep enough.

If you were going for a leading line the fact that the bridge is almost a straight line doesn't work. You can't crop your way out of this one.

There are several optical illusions that really help a photograph with the illusion of the depth. you have length and width you just dont have depth in the shot it is flat. This is not the perfect example but it is the last shot I posted in the alternate forum. note the creek leads your eye into the shot because the angle fools you into thinking there is depth in a two demensional object.

Again not the perfect demo picture but its what was handy that I knew i wouldnt get fussed at for using.

Don't take all this on face value think about it just to see if you can use any of it.