Ghost The Cat..

[urahara]

Hi all

I am new to this forum and newbe in photography as well. I try to keep studing :study: and practicing but anyhow it'd be a good thing for me to get some comments and critique layball: from more experienced photographers so I can improve myself :scratch:.

Feel free to comment, critisize, even edit the photos and provide you advice.

I have uploaded a few of my recent photos on flickr of my white cat: Ghost. These photos where taken late hours in a room lightened just with a small table lamp.

1.

Me and my mirror.. by jckars, on Flickr

2.

Going higher.. by jckars, on Flickr

3.

Let me out.. by jckars, on Flickr




I'll be happy to read you

 

[masquerad101]

Weel first off Hello and welcome to the forum. I am new here aswell. I am sure you will find an abundance of info from the experts (not me im still learning) on here

 

[urahara]

Thnx masquerad
I'd love your opinion as well (even if you say you're not an expert)

 

[masquerad101]

Ok well here goes, number 1 and 3 are a little out of focus/or wrongly focused on the props rather than the cat and they are also either under-exposed or have to much contrast or both. dont take no offence from this as I can see potential in your work! It has an arty feel to them, kind of like the photos you would see in fashion photos or fragrence photos. Trust me when I tell you that when I first started out in photography about 7 years ago the critiqe was harsh and at times I wanted to give up but dont, keep trying! You need to learn about the rule of thirds and composition. then start to think about you editing. what software do you use?

The rule of thirds is in a nutshell, there needs to be something of interst in every third of the space in your view-finder. I know that is a little vauge but google it and you will get a better understanding!
Composition is basically how you arange your shot! Where you put your props. where you put your subject and how they all look together in the whole shot.
By the way The rulre of thirds and composition kind of go hand in hand.

Someone else may be able to explain better than me.
Please dont be disheartened by this as I know how easy it is to loose faith so to speak. Google what I mentioned above and have a think about what you find then play around with various things and practice.
Just dont give up and I promise you will get better. If I was to show you my very first photos and my latest photos you would be shocked. Thats not me being big headed thats just what comes from practice and help. If you need any help feel free to PM me

 

[urahara]

Thank you for your comments. Truth to be told I increased the contrast in lightroom to avoid flatness. Maybe it was too much... hmmm

It is always a puzzle for me when looking at the raw photo and trying to figure out what and how much editing the photo wants. It is like having a word in your mouth and you can't get it out..having a feeling and yet you can't well describe.. that is sort what I feel at that moment. I hope with practice I'll learn "the words"..

Regarding the rule of thirds and composition wise I have read and keep reading but at this point everything seems to go very fast at the time of the shot. My main goal is not to miss the moment,hence the shot itself.
Trying to make a better composition at this point increases the risk of misfocus when I work with large apertures and it is an inside battle to balance everything. I know.... practice...


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[masquerad101]

Maybe you should use a tripod and drop the aperture a little the and lower the ISO! Also sont forget to use your flash if the light is bad. If you set your camera to continuous burst then focus and shoot away. dont just take 1 shot as Ghost is moving around. take lots in one shutter press. I guarentee you will be suprised with the outcome.

I to am guilty of over-processing and I suspect all photographers have done it at some stage. The simplest way to put this is :- when playing with the sliders E.G. contrast subtle adjustments are an absolute must. If you want to achieve a good B&W contrasty shot then you should try the burn tool!

I will do a detailed technique tutorial for you during the week and you can try it yourself and see what results you come up with.

 

[urahara]

Isn't focus in burst a bit of luck in an unpredictable moving subject? Anyway, I'll hold these thoughts for a more appropriate thread.

Thnx for your advices and I would love to see your tutorial

 

[amolitor]

Focus looks fine in #1, to me. It's on the paw in #2 rather than the eyes, but I think that works. #3 is definitely very soft. You might well hear the opinion expressed that softness destroys the picture, but you won't hear that from me, because it's simply wrong. It often ruins a picture, but not always. I am on the fence about #3 here.

But so what? I love these. #1 in particular is really quite excellent as a picture, and the other two are decent. All three nail some essence of cat, which is very nice.