Critique please?

nmasters · Dec 23, 2011

Can I please get a critique on my most recent photos? I am a beginner. Please be as harsh as you need to be. I want to learn! :thumbup:
All shots taken with Canon EOS Rebel G (35mm film).

#1

#2

#3

Used Aperture on my Mac to convert to b&w (blue filter).

#4

#5 taken with my friend's Nikon D80

One of my favorites.

The rest...

Flickr: nico418's Photostream

500px / Nicholas Masters

Thanks!

zcar21 · Dec 24, 2011

the first two are interesting, what is it? I like the texture, but seems to be missing something.
Film looks like a lot a fun, I can't wait to get my canon 620.

nmasters · Dec 24, 2011

Thanks for your opinion! The first two are of an old abandoned tug boat I found on a river. One of the major advantages of film is that it requires you to be more picky about your shots.

naptime · Dec 24, 2011

i really like #1.

i like # 3 also, but would prefer to see it off to one side of the photo. but i'm new too, so maybe that wouldn't be the best way to shoot it.

nice to see another fellow film newbie. :thumbup:

naptime · Dec 24, 2011

nmasters said:
One of the major advantages of film is that it requires you to be more picky about your shots.

tell me about it.. that's the biggest reason i chose for my daughter and i to start with film...

and now it's backfiring. we have performance anxiety and are scared to take ANY picture.

9 hours. and i still haven't clicked the shutter button

bazooka · Dec 24, 2011

naptime said:
nmasters said:

One of the major advantages of film is that it requires you to be more picky about your shots.

Click to expand...

tell me about it.. that's the biggest reason i chose for my daughter and i to start with film...

and now it's backfiring. we have performance anxiety and are scared to take ANY picture.

9 hours. and i still haven't clicked the shutter button

LOL. Well, when you do, I'm sure it will be a winner!

bazooka · Dec 24, 2011

C&C as requested:

#1 I can understand your interest with this...old equipment is cool. I see a small portion of the image that is much more pleasing than the whole I think. I don't really want to see the seat cushion. I don't need to see the green water in the background (I thought it was grass until I read your follow-up post). What is interesting about this shot to me is 1: the light coming through the hazed glass... and 2: the round shapes of the dials juxtaposed with the round shapes of the knobs on the handles. What if you cropped to show us only those two sets of shapes arranged in an interesting way? I think it would be a more engaging photograph.

#2 You did get closer in on the detail inside the cabin, but I think you could have come up with a way to more creatively arrange those strong shapes. As it is, it looks like you looked down and took a shot. Take your time!

#3 I don't understand this one. I see the top of what I assume to be a fairly short conifer and a dark larger tree in the background out of focus. I'm not making any connection.

#4 It's a strong form no doubt. I wonder if it would work better as a portrait crop and in B&W. The color really isn't adding anything to the image so I would remove it completely.

#5 I like what you saw here. You literally saw the light and this is great. It's a simple composition... a light "angel" surrounded by dark, almost menacing figures. You did well not to overexpose the highlights (I'm not experienced with film but I understand that is less of a concern), but it looks like you have a motion blur issue. Also, her head is almost perfectly centered. For whatever reason (I have a theory but haven't worked it out completely), it is usually unnatural to have person's head in the center of the image unless you are really close to them. It's more natural to have more room under someone's head than over it. If you could have gotten lower with the camera, you might have been able to reframe without cropping too much of the other peoples' heads off... or who knows... maybe the image would be stronger if the other people were decaptiated. Or you could have shot a bit wider and included more of their bodies toward the bottom of the frame without changing composition.

I can see why it is your favorite of the bunch... it is mine as well, even with the camera shake.

zcar21 · Dec 24, 2011

bazooka is right. #1 is not missing anything it has too much, cutting the sit and the water and the picture would be a lot better. This is a common mistakes we, newbies do a lot, include too much. It is recommded to compose pictures as simple as possible, and when we have a good grip on composition we can move on to more complex.

nmasters · Dec 24, 2011

naptime said:
i really like #1.

i like # 3 also, but would prefer to see it off to one side of the photo. but i'm new too, so maybe that wouldn't be the best way to shoot it.

nice to see another fellow film newbie. :thumbup:

Thanks for your insight! Film newbies unite! haha :lol:

nmasters · Dec 24, 2011

Thank you for your detailed critique bazooka!
For #1 I agree with you. Next time I go (with my DSLR I'm getting for Christmas

I will get up close and personal with the controls, and I shall post the results here.
#2 was actually shot inside of #4. It was very cramped in there, but I do think I could find some more creative angles.
#3 is one of my favorites, because of the meaning. I like photographs that symbolize something. That dark tree in the background is actually the remains of a burned pine. I thought it was a great because it showed the aftermath of destruction in the background with the "reconstruction" (little pine tree) in the foreground. However, I do think my composition could have been better. I just have trouble holding the camera still. I will try again soon!
#5 This one was shot with my friends DSLR that I borrowed. Now that you mentioned the vertical position of her head, I realize that kneeling down a little could have produced a better image. I usually only pay attention to the horizontal position of my subject, and now I know to pay attention to the vertical position.

Thanks again :thumbup:

o hey tyler · Dec 24, 2011

naptime said:
nmasters said:

One of the major advantages of film is that it requires you to be more picky about your shots.

Click to expand...

tell me about it.. that's the biggest reason i chose for my daughter and i to start with film...

and now it's backfiring. we have performance anxiety and are scared to take ANY picture.

9 hours. and i still haven't clicked the shutter button

I thought 'performance anxiety' was a thing that middle aged adults experienced in the bedroom... Well I guess it can apply to photography as well.

nmasters · Dec 24, 2011

:lmao:Hahahaha looks like we got a jokester in the house

GreatPhotoRace · Dec 24, 2011

I actually think you shot the first one the right way. The seat is important to me for the overall context of the image. The colors images are my favorite out of all of them. This is great work for being a beginner! Keep it up!

nmasters · Dec 24, 2011

Thank you for your opinion GreatPhotoRace!
I will definitely keep it up

bazooka · Dec 24, 2011

nmasters said:
Thank you for your detailed critique bazooka!
For #1 I agree with you. Next time I go (with my DSLR I'm getting for Christmas I will get up close and personal with the controls, and I shall post the results here.
#2 was actually shot inside of #4. It was very cramped in there, but I do think I could find some more creative angles.
#3 is one of my favorites, because of the meaning. I like photographs that symbolize something. That dark tree in the background is actually the remains of a burned pine. I thought it was a great because it showed the aftermath of destruction in the background with the "reconstruction" (little pine tree) in the foreground. However, I do think my composition could have been better. I just have trouble holding the camera still. I will try again soon!
#5 This one was shot with my friends DSLR that I borrowed. Now that you mentioned the vertical position of her head, I realize that kneeling down a little could have produced a better image. I usually only pay attention to the horizontal position of my subject, and now I know to pay attention to the vertical position.

Thanks again :thumbup:

I suspected that was a burned tree in the background but wasn't sure. In that case, you were trying to communicate something which is great. To make it clearer, you could stop down your lens so the burned tree is more identifiable as such. (Smaller aperture = more is in focus) You may also try a very wide angle. I would really like to see where the new and old trees meet the ground. (Certainly not the only way to do it, but that's where I would start)

Also keep in mind, light direction (compass direction and angle above horizon) may play a large part in whether or not this image will be great or just "ok". As it is, it looks fairly flat and lifeless. If there is any way to get some direct sun on the little guy, I think that would support your message of new life. OR, if you get an off-camera flash setup with your dslr, you could create an AWSOME image of this juxtaposition.