Beginner Advice/Critique

lukeS

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I just recently have gotten into photography, and my main interests are shooting city life and vehicles. I came across this Ducati while shooting one day. Advice and criticism is much appreciated as I know I have a lot to learn, and I need all the help I can get.

4kad10.jpg


viig4z.jpg
 
watch your edge. watch your background. i like the idea in #2, the composition is unconventional and daring, yet ruined by a poor frame.
 
Unpopular is right.
 
watch your edge. watch your background. i like the idea in #2, the composition is unconventional and daring, yet ruined by a poor frame.
Thanks for the advice! However, could you explain what you mean by this?
 
Assuming it's the same bike, is it yellow or is it bronze? There is a significant color difference between the two. If you were just showing one of them it would be fine however showing them together it's obvious that the color is off in one of them.
 
watch your edge. watch your background. i like the idea in #2, the composition is unconventional and daring, yet ruined by a poor frame.
Thanks for the advice! However, could you explain what you mean by this?

The Reader's Digest version is just: watch your viewfinder for objects that distract, pay close attention to the edges and background.

The full text:

Often times when we approach photography, we think in terms of what the "subject" is. Here, we have a high performance motorbike, with a name associated with high speeds, high fashion and high price tags. Certainly an object of admiration and envy - a good subject.

But a good subject does not make a good photograph. In the first image, you focus on the name brand of the bike, and provided enough context with the handle and break lever to imply what it is we're looking at. Unfortunately the upper left corner also has big mystery red blobs, a garish silver chrome part and a mess of other objects that are not easily recognized. The placement of the road below is a sliver of grey along the left edge, together making these objects appear unintentionally placed - and worse yet distracting.

Se second image is a little bit better, as I said, I like the idea. Here you're focussing on the styling of the bike that most typically defines it - it's front end. Here you made a lot of decisions that, intentionally or not, worked out fairly well. The placement of the model number is such that it's visible, but not dominant, and the center stripe adds a nice implied lead bringing the eye into the frame and the strut over the subject to finally onto the the axil, which is placed firmly at the lower horizontal fifth and left vertical third.

But even with this compositional orchestra, again the image doesn't work well. The wheel extends out of the frame like a chopped limb, interrupting the circular form that plays nicely with the triangular angles formed by the strut and center line, you loose the sense of elegance which the bike otherwise provides. The Bike is leaning relative to the camera, which takes away from it's "italian stalion" presence. And the not quite out of focus toyota/ford combination in the background adds nothing, while the "Bright Ideas" sign makes it impossible to look away. I find myself more interested in the mundane surroundings than the very interesting bike.

The source of this problem is common to new photographers, so don't feel discouraged. Many newbies approach photographing a scene by focussing on the subject. This is very much the wrong way to look at it. Rather than looking at a scene and thinking about it in terms of subject matter, think of the whole scene as the subject with individual the elements being arranged in a way that supports or represents your image. For this subject, every part of the image should be Bucati and what that means.
 
^^^ In addition to what he said, if you are going to include background items that contain horizontal or vertical lines then they need to be horizontal or vertical or lean for a specific reason and not look haphazard. Point in case: Look at the building corner in the background of the second shot.
 
watch your edge. watch your background. i like the idea in #2, the composition is unconventional and daring, yet ruined by a poor frame.
Thanks for the advice! However, could you explain what you mean by this?

The Reader's Digest version is just: watch your viewfinder for objects that distract, pay close attention to the edges and background.

The full text:

Often times when we approach photography, we think in terms of what the "subject" is. Here, we have a high performance motorbike, with a name associated with high speeds, high fashion and high price tags. Certainly an object of admiration and envy - a good subject.

But a good subject does not make a good photograph. In the first image, you focus on the name brand of the bike, and provided enough context with the handle and break lever to imply what it is we're looking at. Unfortunately the upper left corner also has big mystery red blobs, a garish silver chrome part and a mess of other objects that are not easily recognized. The placement of the road below is a sliver of grey along the left edge, together making these objects appear unintentionally placed - and worse yet distracting.

Se second image is a little bit better, as I said, I like the idea. Here you're focussing on the styling of the bike that most typically defines it - it's front end. Here you made a lot of decisions that, intentionally or not, worked out fairly well. The placement of the model number is such that it's visible, but not dominant, and the center stripe adds a nice implied lead bringing the eye into the frame and the strut over the subject to finally onto the the axil, which is placed firmly at the lower horizontal fifth and left vertical third.

But even with this compositional orchestra, again the image doesn't work well. The wheel extends out of the frame like a chopped limb, interrupting the circular form that plays nicely with the triangular angles formed by the strut and center line, you loose the sense of elegance which the bike otherwise provides. The Bike is leaning relative to the camera, which takes away from it's "italian stalion" presence. And the not quite out of focus toyota/ford combination in the background adds nothing, while the "Bright Ideas" sign makes it impossible to look away. I find myself more interested in the mundane surroundings than the very interesting bike.

The source of this problem is common to new photographers, so don't feel discouraged. Many newbies approach photographing a scene by focussing on the subject. This is very much the wrong way to look at it. Rather than looking at a scene and thinking about it in terms of subject matter, think of the whole scene as the subject with individual the elements being arranged in a way that supports or represents your image. For this subject, every part of the image should be Ducati and what that means.

Thank you so much! I completely understand what you are saying now and I really appreciate it!
 

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