First Critique Thread

[knoxvilleD50]

So i have been taking picture for a little while ive always been interested in it. i got a D40 for graduation and thats what i have been shootin with for a while now. These are some shots from a trip i took yesterday up to Bryan College tell me what you think.
1

2

3

4

5

6

 

[Son Dean]

Pretty nice shots, good focus and use of lighting. Number 6 is a tough shot, but you managed it quite well, with the exception of the sky getting lost due to the exposure (a UV filter would have done the trick). Still good none the less. Now that first shot, which is my favorite, looks perfect to me.

 

[knoxvilleD50]

haha yeah there are like 5 different takes of #6 i was actually sitting indian style leaning back at a 30 degree angle into the street. I actually had a UV filter on with that shot but the sun was directly above out of frame so it did wash out a little more than i had hoped. im struggling with wash outs lately. thanks for quick response and your thoughts!

 

[Montana]

I don't see how a UV filter would have helped the stair shot. A circular polarizer perhaps, but a grad ND would have fixed it. You could also have exposed for the sky and taken the shot. It may have made the stairs to dark though.

Derrick

 

[knoxvilleD50]

Actually Derrick that would have been a perfect idea. wish i had thought of that then. if i exposed for the sky the stairs wouldn't have changed much because the sun was pretty much straight up. thank for the idea.

 

[manaheim]

I like #4 a lot, but the rest didn't do too much for me, personally. Composition seemed kinda "meh".

hmmm... This is post 1000 for me. I should do something spectacular.

:smileys:

There... I feel better.

 

[knoxvilleD50]

Well thanks for your comments mana.
woot for 1000

 

[K_Pugh]

not bad at all! other than what's already been said one thing i noticed was that your subjects were a bit close to the edge of the frame (particularly the left edge).. just something to watch out for?.. look forward to seeing more.

 

[knoxvilleD50]

Ha Thanks K_Pugh i hadn't noticed the subjects favoring the left but i definitely see it now. good catch thanks!

 

[K_Pugh]

no probs, i've been known to do it myself lol. I leave a little extra around the edges to be sure now as it leaves room to straighten (if need be) and crop and still have the whole subject in the frame.

 

[knoxvilleD50]

Pretty good idea. might have to start doin that

 

[rasheemo]

i'm no expert, but ill give you my opinions.

the first shot is nicely exposed and everything, only peeve is that the main subject (which appears to be the church) is kinda skewed. the sides of the building aren't vertical, which kinda stands out.

second shot is ok, there isn't anything spectacular going on but i assume your just shooting away to get a feel. i have a feeling the picture would benefit from some curve and level adjustments in photoshop. i took your picture and adjusted it slightly as an example:

3 and 4 are nice, 5 is ok composition-wise. no real criticism, i mean you have exposure down for the most part it just doesnt stand out like the others.

the last one i would have used a polarizer or grad ND as others have said. nice angle and well composed.

good job =]

EDIT: i noticed that your photos are NOT OK to edit. so sorry about that =[

 

[knoxvilleD50]

rasheemo its cool you edited it for a valid example ha youre good. i really like your comment about the first one. that stuff usually drives me bonkers and i missed that so thank you. and yeah i just was trigger happy with the 2nd one and it look alright so i threw it up there. thanks for the critique!

 

[Son Dean]

I thought a UV lens would have fixed the washout, but I admit I am a noob when it comes to this stuff. I have only had my camera for about 2-3 months now and still struggle with the right terms, so sorry if I misled the OP. Thanks for the correction though. I learned something knew.

Next time I'll just stick with what I am sure of. ;-)

 

[Resin42]

Hi knoxville, nice set of images, very colourful. I'd agree with most of the points made already but a couple of points that occurred to me and I thought I'd chip in.

As rasheemo said 1 is slightly skewed, about 1.2 degrees going by the right hand side of the church front, (yeah I checked ), unfortunately with the frame being so tight on the subject there's no real room to correct it without cutting off more of the subject. Always leave a little bit of room for error, you can always crop it later.

4 I really like the detail on but again the crop is a little tight, I'd rather have the full gable in view and the perspective maybe going slightly to the right (depending what's down there of course).Try to remember the to make use of leading lines and the rule of thirds in your composition. I also think it could benefit from more contrast. Rasheemo got away with it so I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty.

Before

After

This may well be a matter of taste but I've come to believe that high contrast is the way to go with B+W 99% of the time. I also took the burn brush over the gravel path which was looking a little washed out. It's a slightly patchy, rushed job but you get the idea. Again I hope you don't mind me having a go.

5. I really like BTW, a colourful, fun pic and the light splash at the top of the mirror is really cool.

Keep posting