C+C Please.

[mcleish]

Hey guys. Im more of a floater of the forum rather than a participator... More because i don't feel I have much to contribute (as you may see). Im always looking to learn though. So I'm looking at trying to improve my focusing, composition and exposure. I may as well post up and see what the damage is.

1.

DSC_4146 by mcleishlad, on Flickr

2.

DSC_4201 by mcleishlad, on Flickr

3.

DSC_4182 by mcleishlad, on Flickr

I find my focusing on all of these are off. Maybe i should be looking more into hyperfocal focusing? Im using my kit lens (18-55) right now so I'm not sure if that plays a factor also?
Anyhow, thanks for looking and let rip.

 

[Bios.]

Some clouds would be nice!

Generally they look good. I like #1 how there is almost a triangle structure of the boats leading you to the skyscrapers.

Nice colours in #2, would also look cool with a longer exposure to blur the water.

#3 I find a little boring but I think this would be massively improved by an epic sky.

Yes learn about hyperfocal focusing, it's not difficult, however at wide focal lengths with a small aperture (eg. f/11) focusing is barely an issue as everything from a couple of metres in front to infinity should be sharp.

Not necessarily the "right way" but what I try to do is to shoot as wide and low as possible to get lots of foreground, this usually ends up with me using portrait orientation which I feel just gives far more depth and usually composing so the sky is in the top third, which would also help with uninteresting skies.

Hope this helps.

 

[mcleish]

Totally agree about using a longer exposure to create the silky form sea look.

Thanks for your tip on composing a shot when theres a boring sky. Melbourne doesn't really do too much with the sky right now - its either blue with no clouds or grey boring cloud. I guess its all about getting out there and looking for it. Ill give it a go when i next get a chance. Thanks again Bios.

 

[Joel_W]

Pic #1 without any clouds, the sky becomes lack luster and kind of boring, and yet it's 2/3 of your picture. try reversing it, and make it just 1/3. That will also bring more emphasis on the boats, which is the main subject to start with.

Pic #2 is just a plain Jane sunset. Cloudless sky, and a basically boring foreground. Other then the colors of the setting sun, there is nothing that stands out. Perhaps moving behind those people on the beach and using them as your foreground would have helped.

Pic #3 again suffers from a cloudless sky that occupies 2/3 of your picture. Why? A lower angle, using a wide angle lens to emphasize those rocks would have made your picture POP. Unfortunately, right now it doesn't.

All 3 pictures suffer from lack of planning and execution. Study the best of the best here, then apply what you've seen. You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish. And post those results.

 

[mcleish]

Fair play, Joel_W, thank you. That's definitely the sort of critique I'm looking for and appreciate.
Its amazing how you can look back at a photo and think 'why did you do that?!'. The sky is sooo boring! And it fills 2/3s of my images! I also wish I used a longer exposure for the sea too... Oh well.
Thanks again.

 

[Joel_W]

Fair play, Joel_W, thank you. That's definitely the sort of critique I'm looking for and appreciate.
Its amazing how you can look back at a photo and think 'why did you do that?!'. The sky is sooo boring! And it fills 2/3s of my images! I also wish I used a longer exposure for the sea too... Oh well.
Thanks again.

Glad you took my CC as positive, because that's what it was. We've all made those mistakes, and at times I still do. I've forced myself to work slow, real slow when it comes to florals, macro nature/florals, and scenics. I try to carefully look at the whole image in the viewfinder before I take the picture. I do at times even look at the picture on the LCD to see if it's what I was trying to achieve. Many times I've had to re-shoot to get the effect I was after. Exposure and DOF does require me to frequently bracket to make sure I've nailed those basics.

 

[mcleish]

Of course. It's the only way to get better. Positive criticism, however harsh, is far better than praise, IMO, for a person at my level.
I feel my theory side of photography is a lot better than my practical side. I think slowing down and really thinking about what I want to capture and how to capture it will help.

 

[Joel_W]

Of course. It's the only way to get better. Positive criticism, however harsh, is far better than praise, IMO, for a person at my level.
I feel my theory side of photography is a lot better than my practical side. I think slowing down and really thinking about what I want to capture and how to capture it will help.

Slowing down lets you think and visualize. As long as there is no action where things are moving, time is one of your best allies. As you read various threads, one common point that comes up is that they didn't see it, didn't realize it, and was focused on something else. If your camera has live view, use it to see the before, and then the LCD after. Look for what's wrong, not what's right. You'll be amazed at how fast you'll improve, and build your confidence. One thing I've learned is that what looks good to your eye, doesn't always translate into a rock solid photograph. It's up to us to make that transition either with the camera or in Post Production. Knowing what is needed is the key.

 

[dandaluzphotography]

Your shots remind me of what my landscapes shots looked like when I started. I'd go to the beach, take a photo and then wonder why the sky was so bright while the sand was ok or why the sky was perfect but the sand was dark. Then I started to learn to manipulate the different points in the "exposure triangle" to get better effects like smoothing water or showing motion in the sky and then about graduated filters to help even out exposures. Once I kind of got the hang of that, I began to really research what makes a shot like what you've posted interesting. Cloudy, dramatic skies, showing just the right amount of motion in water, pleasing comps, stuff like that. Then I was able to begin to use the knowledge about exposure settings to get those effects (motion in water, etc...).

I guess it takes time to learn to begin to get good results, but you've got some nice shots that will only get better as you learn that the things I mentioned before. Like Joel said, cloudless skies are boring and if you've got a nice scene but no real sky to speak of, change your comp so more of the land part is in the frame. If you have a great sky, then the reverse.

Good luck!

Danny

 

[mcleish]

Thanks for your time and words Danny. I'll keep going and see what I come up with. One step at a time, although I feel I've learnt a bit with these photos. Thanks again.