Beginner here...Be gentle ;)

[brad7817]

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

 

[honoryourlife]

The kid and the dog do not look impressed.

 

[chaosrealm93]

i didnt like the first two for some reason, im not sure if it was the framing, setting or just the picture itself. the third one was the best of them, but that too, i felt was framed a bit awkwardly

 

[redessa]

Just say no to selective coloring. And is that dog pink or is it just my monitor?

I think the one of the boy is good. His face is well lit, he's in focus and the shallow DOF is nice. He could definately have used a better expression though.

 

[brad7817]

LOL She has pink in her ears but she is white

 

[pthrift]

looks to me like you need to find a subject that may actually *want* to be photographed, lol. hat over eyes, and uninterested kid/dog...

 

[Stradawhovious]

Just my personal opinion (which I'm sure I have stolen from somewhere around here.... )

Selective color is never the answer.

Also, the dog looks to be a bit OOF. And pink.

The kid looks really bored, and like he is just about to punch you in the junk. Also a bit under exposed.

They all look worlds better than my first posts here.

Worlds better.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

#1 Nice angle, poor post processing. Selective coloring is rarely well received around here.

#2 Underexposed, try learning to use the flash, even if its the on-camera flash dialed way down just for a touch of fill light. Also, find a more enthused subject, or learn to coach people into being more lively.

#3 Looks soft to me as well as underexposed. There may be a tinge of pink to the dog, but I think it may just be that its a short hair dog and we are seeing its pink-ish skin through the coat.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Just say no to selective coloring.

oh piss off.

portrait is perfect execution. but the mood is questionable. Dog pic is out of focus. Selective desaturation does not bring much to number one but i wouldnt say never do it.

 

[joealcantar]

Who hit the dog and gave it a black eye? Looks like most have covered the critique side.
-
Shoot well, Joe

 

[Neiby]

Just say no to selective coloring.

oh piss off.

portrait is perfect execution. but the mood is questionable. Dog pic is out of focus. Selective desaturation does not bring much to number one but i wouldnt say never do it.

i'm with redessa on this one, to a degree. I rarely see selective coloring done that doesn't make a photo worse. But you're right, it's not that it should never be done, it just needs to be done thoughtfully and with subtlety. In my opinion, of course.

 

[redessa]

Just say no to selective coloring.

oh piss off.

Wow. I don't expect everyone to agree with me but that was uncalled for.

 

[bennielou]

I'm gonna differ here, and say I see some very good potential.

1. While I'm not a fan of selective color either, I like the composition of the photo. I don't know why exactly, because it's pretty straight forward, but I like it.

2. Yes, the boy looks bored and it's slightly green and a bit underexposed, but it's clear and sharp and has some really good bokah here.

3. The third one is not as sharp as the other two, but again the comp and colors are good. It's slightly overexposed, but ever so slightly. You might use layers on this one to expose the dog and the gravel without changing the rest of the photo.
Here's how:

a. Open the photo in Photoshop.
b. Open your layer's palet.
c. Make a dupe image (control J on a PC)
d. Hit the buttom at the bottom of the layers palet that looks like a yin/yang sign or a black and white cookie. This will open up your udjustment layers. Choose Curves.
e. Go to the center of the curves line, select it, and drag it DOWN. (If you want to bring the expose up on something, you will do just the opposite.) Look ONLY at the part of the image that you want to lighten or darken, until it looks right.
f. Press CTR and Delete at the same time. The photo will go back to exactly as it was before you did the curves layer.

Now you have this layer called "curves" in your layers box. There will be a little box next to the thing that says "curves". The box might be white or it might be black. If it's black, choose a white paintbrush (If it's white, choose a black paitbrush) and simply paint in your exposure.

Hope that helps!

 

[nickzou]

Just for today, after seeing some of the worst photos ever in another thread, I'm inclined to say that these are great for a beginner. Especially the second photo. I like the colours, the bokeh is used well, composition wise it isn't the most interesting but it isn't bad.

Just for today, anything that isn't bad is great in my books.

 

[kundalini]

I think the expression of the kid could be wonderful given the right context. You would need to include some of the environment and some indication of what has pissed him/her off. If he/she is family or friend and you have easy access, I would try working more with him/her.