Opinions Please

slumped · Oct 6, 2006

Hi

New to this forum but posting elsewhere.

Would like to get independent comments on my gallery. I'm only taking photos now for about 18 months and it is very part time.

http://slumped.deviantart.com

Thanks

S

kkart · Oct 6, 2006

slumped said:
Hi

New to this forum but posting elsewhere.

Would like to get independent comments on my gallery. I'm only taking photos now for about 18 months and it is very part time.

http://slumped.deviantart.com

Thanks

S

This shot here "Sunrise at Carton House" http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/31136984/ stood out. But because you in the critique forum I will be really honest with you. Why did you post such a HUGE picture? Resize that down to nothing bigger than 850px at it's longest side. We don't need to see full sized shots and all it does it cause us to scroll on DA...no fun at all. Also, clean it up! That shots, while nice is also quite a mess. Run it thorough Neat Image (google it, it's free) it will kill the noise in the photo and clone out those dust spots! Don't get lax on your work, make it the best you can and this shot with some simple cleaning up would be an all-star photo! I do like it, so ya know, but at the same time it can also be a LOT better with very little work.

slumped · Oct 6, 2006

kkart said:
This shot here "Sunrise at Carton House" http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/31136984/ stood out. But because you in the critique forum I will be really honest with you. Why did you post such a HUGE picture? Resize that down to nothing bigger than 850px at it's longest side. We don't need to see full sized shots and all it does it cause us to scroll on DA...no fun at all. Also, clean it up! That shots, while nice is also quite a mess. Run it thorough Neat Image (google it, it's free) it will kill the noise in the photo and clone out those dust spots! Don't get lax on your work, make it the best you can and this shot with some simple cleaning up would be an all-star photo! I do like it, so ya know, but at the same time it can also be a LOT better with very little work.

Thanks for the advice. Will google that program now.

Cheers

S

LaFoto · Oct 6, 2006

Hi Slumped, since this is the Photo Critique forum and there are guidelines telling that you present ONE photo (or a series of the SAME with different aspects), I posted the ONE photo that is already getting some critique here by kkart into your first thread.

Otherwise we have the Personal and Professional Website Forum for members who want to present their entire new site (and I moved your same thread as this one here over there from the General Gallery ... why did you post TWO threads of the same kind, anyway?).

And please read a PM on your signature.

Don Simon · Oct 6, 2006

kkart said:
Run it thorough Neat Image (google it, it's free)

While you're not wrong - there is a free version of Neatimage - the freely downloadable version AFAIK only saves as jpegs suitable for web use and has some other limitations; the various full versions of the program cost money.

mysteryscribe · Oct 6, 2006

After all that, is it the picture of the lake or the flower you are seeking critique on.

slumped · Oct 6, 2006

OK = I'm a newbie. Go easy on me. I can't remember all the rules at once. I will learn.

The critique is on the lake.

Ta
S

mysteryscribe · Oct 6, 2006

I'm not much on rules myself ... just wanted to know which one before I wrote it. Assuming you still one critique let me begin:

It shows good composition. The sandbar on the lower right helps with some depth which is good. The reflection of the trees in the lake are good mirror image or repeating lines those are always good. You might have cloned out the sun's reflection since it doesnt mirror the sun in shape but thats very minor.

i'm not in love with the treeline just left of the sun but it probably can't be improved. Sometimes you just have to take what the shot is willing to give.

In summery, I like the composition a lot... the digital inhancement I can't really speak to.

kkart · Oct 7, 2006

ZaphodB said:
While you're not wrong - there is a free version of Neatimage - the freely downloadable version AFAIK only saves as jpegs suitable for web use and has some other limitations; the various full versions of the program cost money.

heheheh suitable for web? I have gone 36x40 with prints and it looks fine lol I have used the free version for a LONG time and never without a hitch. In fact, here is what I personally do with it:
When I run a shot thru it, I will go ahead and save that shot, open it up in PS and hit ctrl+v to paste it as a new layer on the original capture. Areas that seem very soft I use KO with the eraser tool. Sort of blending the 2 images together. FYI-this keeps yer EXIF intact also. Also I have all the profiles for my downloaded and I use them often for NI.

Don Simon · Oct 7, 2006

Cool, I'm always a bit wary of trying to print large from small jpegs (NI saves mine around 800KB) - I tend to print from tiff just out of habit, plus I don't like doing further processing after it's saved as jpeg - but it sounds like it works for you so I'll have a go. The layering sounds interesting too, I'll try that. Thanks!

W.Smith · Oct 17, 2006

kkart said:
[...] Why did you post such a HUGE picture? [...]

Well, you can download it at full res. Reproduce it at full res. Claim copyright at full res. Sell copyright at full res....

I cleaned it up slightly and it's now in my collection of rotating desktop pictures.
Thanks, slumped!

jamespetts · Oct 24, 2006

slumped said:
Hi

New to this forum but posting elsewhere.

Would like to get independent comments on my gallery. I'm only taking photos now for about 18 months and it is very part time.

http://slumped.deviantart.com

Thanks

S

I really rather like that - the lighting and mood (and delightful low-contrast mistiness) is rather wonderful. The composition is well-balanced, too. Two small criticisms: firstly, the image is a little noisy: it looks like digital noise, rather than film grain, so you could have considered using a lower ISO setting, or, after the fact, considered noise-removal software. The other thing is that the horizon is not level: that is a mistake that I used to make all the time until I bought a cheap spirit-level that fit in the accessory shoe of the camera. Perhaps both problems (having to use a high ISO, and not getting your horizon straight) spring from not using a tripod: using a tripod can help more than is immediately apparent with photography of all sorts of subjects, enabling lower shutter speeds and more accurate composition of especially staitc subjects.