2 Pics for CC

[rsebastyan]

Hi everybody,

I am new to photography and would love some CC. Here are 2 pictures I took over the weekend.

Cranberry Splash. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I was going for a nice splash which I think I got, as well as a distinct red color. I used my D90 with SB600 and 2 hard lights to get the final result. The shutter was at 1/4000 and the ISO was 200. Anything you would have done differently?

Smoking a Cigar. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

For the above image I was going for a Godfather type look, very high contrast and B&W. I think the smoke turned out nice but not exactly what i was going for, I wish it would have looked more like a smooth silk, does anybody know a good way to achieve that?

Feel free to look around at the rest of my images, I am always up for hearing CC those are just 2 that I have recently taken.

Thanks!

 

[caitlinmscott]

I think the cranberry splash is a great photo - nicely captured.

 

[JenLavazza]

I like both of them. #1 could be a bit crisper, but still a nice shot. I really like #2! I like how he blends into the background, but you can still see the buttons on his cuff. Very nice mood...:thumbup:

 

[Nikkor]

I love the cranberry splash.

 

[rsebastyan]

Thank you guys, I appreciate the comments, but am looking for CC on how to make the images better if I were to take them again. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[vinniemac3]

i like them both, but like the splash better. now my question is how long will it take me to be able to take photos like this lol

 

[Derrel]

Cranberry spash is neat, but it looks orange-red to me, not red-red. Perhaps adjust the reds in selective color, to get a redder red tone on the splashing juice??? I'm not a fan of the vignetted backdrop either--this type of photo is a somewhat "scientific", stop-motion shot, and the obvious vignetting of the edges takes away from the stark,simple composiiton you have. Mayb an even-toned white, with less of a gray shadow on the bottom of the background, and using two black, subratractive reflectors very close to the edge of the glass, to darken the edges of the glass by creating a subtle black line on the edges of the glassware.

I LIKE the cigar-smoking shot, but think the composition is poorly balanced; it needs more space to the right hand side of the frame, and it could easily be created by adding a bit of background on a larger canvas. That would be a very easy quick fix. I looked at the smoke, and at the small size, it is hard to see much of a problem with the smoke--it's not smooth, but it looks "real". I also like the high contrast effect, but the burned out patches of skin detract from that look--I think the high contrast look has been taken just a bit too far. But the pose, the smoke positioning, pretty darned good!

 

[Imposter.Cow.]

i like the splash most, i always thought pics like that were awesome

 

[ben_ja_min]

Thank you guys, I appreciate the comments, but am looking for CC on how to make the images better if I were to take them again. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'll start by stating that I have not seriously critiqued a photograph in many many years. I'm slowly getting back into shutterbug mode. =) I Think both shots are very well composed and I hope I can achieve your level of technical ability one day.

Critique for #1:
Great color! I only have a few thoughts for this shot. First, I think it's too tightly cropped. The energy from the splash needs some place to go. Second (and this is really minor and possibly very silly), I'd try using a square ice cube. The ice that's in the shot looks like it's been dropped into this glass too many times. It also looks like something that came out of my freezer rather than from the ice chest of a high end bar. I think the depth of field and/or the focusing needs a little work. The most of the visible edges on the glass are blurred and it would be nicer if more of the splash was sharper.
I really like the way the glass stem fades away at the bottom. Nice touch.

Critique for #2:
The highlights from the left light source have overexposed sections of the subject's nose, brow ear and cuff. The loss of detail is distracting. I would also consider changing the position of that light source. The shadow cast across the top of the subject's head along with the subjects flat haircut reminds me a bit too much of Frankenstein's Monster. (Flat head and straight black hair).
I think the dark grey detail from the subject's shirt doesn't lend much to the photograph and I would consider darkening most of it.
I think you've nailed the back highlight perfectly. The outline of the left side of the subject's face and fingertips is quite nice. I also like the way the button detail draws the eye up to the smoke.

Great stuff!

benjamin