1st Picture Posts, structured criticism welcome :)

[macpro88]

Took a two vacation to Germany over the summer, where we hit up Amsterdam, Prague, Karlovy Vary, Berlin, Dresden, Hanover, Meißen, Leipsig, and some other small cities and nation parks along the way.

Here are just a few of the close to 3,000 pics I took

Enjoy, and please give any advice you have

Photos took with Canon T2i DSLR (lenses nothing special, standard kit lenses)


First up, Prague, taken off a side street in old Prague.

Next, Frauenkirche cathedral, Dresden, Germany. (Weather was a little blah that day...)

I have many more that I will post once I get the time to select the ones I want and re-size them for the forum. Also, none of the pics have been edited in Photoshop, but suggestions on what to do are welcome as well

 

[ndb0407]

Like the building do not like the way the bottom right corner is cut off.

 

[macpro88]

Like the building do not like the way the bottom right corner is cut off.

Yeah.... same here, that's the best pic I have of that building with out having people in it... and I did not have much more room to backup either. I need me a wide angle lens lol.

And I think I was avoiding the bulletin board they had posted up on the right, I have a full facing pic of this church, but a tacky bulletin board is there...

 

[robb01]

Wish the sky wasn't blown out in the 2nd and the right hand side of the building cut off....

 

[KenC]

The perspective on both is a little dizzying. You can correct this to some extent using the various transforms in PS. The lighting in the first is very harsh, with some deep shadow areas.

Sometimes photos of details are more interesting than those which attempt to get the whole building in the frame, but this is obviously pretty subjective.

 

[macpro88]

The perspective on both is a little dizzying. You can correct this to some extent using the various transforms in PS. The lighting in the first is very harsh, with some deep shadow areas.

Sometimes photos of details are more interesting than those which attempt to get the whole building in the frame, but this is obviously pretty subjective.

Could you elaborate a little more? Still a newb with PS as well. On the first pic, should I darken it a git more and lighten up the shadows some?

Thanks guys!

 

[KmH]

One way is to use the crop tool, which has a 'Perspective' box you can check there in tool options panel. A grid appears so you can try and staighten up the keystoning caused by tilting the camera up and perspective distortion caused by the lens.

In your profile you don't allow edits to your photos, so no one can show you what is possible.

 

[macpro88]

One way is to use the crop tool, which has a 'Perspective' box you can check there in tool options panel. A grid appears so you can try and staighten up the keystoning caused by tilting the camera up and perspective distortion caused by the lens.

In your profile you don't allow edits to your photos, so no one can show you what is possible.

Hmm, ok, I'll take a look at that, and didn't really get the purpose of allowing others to edit? I'll turn it on see if it helps me more.

 

[The_Traveler]

Sorry, posted at same time re editing.

Lew

 

[The_Traveler]

IMO, the second shot won't ever be much more than the same, 'look-up-at this-really-old-building' shot.

The second however has much more potential.
The sky at the top is empty and very bright thus drawing the viewer's eye away from the interesting street - and for no reason.
The street is so dark - and the buildings bright - that all the impact is lost.
By cropping most of the sky away, darkening the buildings and lightening the street, the viewer's eye is drawn naturally down the street and the composition comes into its own.

Since the OP has indicated he's changing his profile, I am going ahead and posting this.
If he changes his mind and does allow, I'll remove it.

 

[macpro88]

Awesome, thank you, that does look a lot better. I'll try my hand and post my result, see how it turns out.

 

[The_Traveler]

The trick is not to bang on a picture with PS but to look at it and try to understand what keeps it from being the picture you had in your mind when you took it.
What pulls your eye?
What can't you see?
What do you see that you don't want to?