Second set of photos..please crit!

[dsmhero]

Hey guys, I just went into my backyard and took some random pictures. I would really like to hear your thoughts on these and what I can change. I have Lightroom but I haven't messed with it much. Thank you!

 

[DChesler]

The piece of wood in the foreground of 1 and 2 is distracting and blown out, the cat doesn't do anything for me, I like how the DOF leads your eye into the picture of the nails, great color and saturation in that one, nice textures.

 

[epp_b]

I think the picture of the nails is the best shot. The last shot is mostly well-composed except for whatever it is in the bottom-left. It could do with a bit more PP to brighten up the trees a bit and create moodier sky.

 

[dsmhero]

Thank you all for your critiques. Is there anyway I can get rid of the blown out wood?

Is this picture an improvement?

 

[crashcart]

I like the nails. The rust provides a nice counter-balance to the blue sky. Well done.

 

[tirediron]

In addition to those points already mentioned, all of which with I agree, I'll add:

2. This would be a much better image with a tight crop just on the wood louse to exclude the foreground and lighter coloured wood above.

3. This would be a better image with a less distracting background. You've made good use of selective focus, however there's still enough definition in the background to see the chair, deck railing, etc, all of which are fighting for the eye's attention. Plain, homogenous backgrounds, softly focused are the best for this sort of image.

4. Animals and people are always more interesting from the fron than the back, try and capture them coming toward you. As well, always remember to straighten/level your images in post.

5. Your edit of this is definitely an improvement.

Just my $00.02 worth - your milage may vary.

~John