Hi,i I hope Ive been improving....I've been trying very hard. c&c please?

new photographer · Mar 15, 2011

By the way I read Understanding Exposure By Bryan Peterson.
Amazing.
So I bought it.
Really opens your eyes that book!

Maybe you will now understand I am truly here to learn and on my first thread I was just being ignorant, but criticism really is the best thing in this business.
So I apologise to any of those I offended by being cocky and unwilling.

P.s : My new camera comes today which I can manually change the controls, I'm very excited!!!!!

RauschPhotography · Mar 15, 2011

From your past reputations on the board, I find it really hard to take you seriously at the slightest--That's my honest opinion. What's the change of heart? Why are you now willing to take advice seriously, without acting ignorant? I'm just wondering, because I know a lot of people will be curious about this, as well. Good luck.

new photographer · Mar 15, 2011

RauschPhotography said:
From your past reputations on the board, I find it really hard to take you seriously at the slightest.

In all truth I really just want criticism, I don't want conversations about anything that isn't about photography. So please, Do you have any criticisms?

Stradawhovious · Mar 15, 2011

Oh, Hai! Welcome back!

Good luck this time! :sexywink:

HikinMike · Mar 15, 2011

I'll bite...

I would suggest cropping the empty, cloudless sky away (remove it). That would help this composition a lot.

You still have a WB issue on the last image.

Hope this helps.

Davor · Mar 15, 2011

if you want specific C&C post either relevant pictures or one at a time in their appropriate forums.

rlemert · Mar 15, 2011

#1 I like, even with all the sky.

#2 I don't like that half his face is hidden, his eyes are almost fully closed, the pose seems a little awkward, and that bra strap needs to be hidden or removed (maybe cloned out)

#3 the color needs fixed, and you've just barely cut off the knee and the left side of the toy. Swing your camera just a little more to your left. I'd personally also go for a little deeper DOF, but at least you got the focus where it needs to be.

New Hampshire · Mar 15, 2011

Ok, I will bite too.....lets see what this gets us.

1) Rule of thirds, Rule of thirds, Rule of thirds. Try placing your horizon more up around the lower third of the frame instead of so far down low into about the bottom 1/4 of the frame. It would also have cut out all the dead and empty blue sky above.

2) Black and White isn't really working for me. It also feels too much like a snapshot. And I will agree with the rest of what rlemert said.

3) You have motion blur. You may want to think of geting a tripod. Color balance has issues. Plus the crease in the cushion going at an odd angle is a bit of a distraction. And thank you for no more of the selective coloring....it really wasn't working on anything.

Brian

pgriz · Mar 15, 2011

Think of each image as a arena for the eye to play in. When we first seen an image, we tend (as humans) to zero in on faces and especially eye, first. We also tend to look at the brightest parts of the image. Once our eye lands on that spot, we need a path to follow to explore the rest of the image. When you place an object on interest on the 1/3 line, you leave space for the eye to then sweep across from your initial landing zone. Look at a bunch of photographs that you really like and try to pay attention to what you saw first, where your gaze went next, etc., until your eye leaves the picture. This will tell you a lot about how the photographer constructed the image so that your eye can go and explore the image in flowing way. When you put something dead center, you don't give the eye any clues as to where it should look next.

Each picture should also tell some kind of story. You've head that a picture is worth a thousand words. So... what thousand-word story can you construct looking at any image? Good images allow you to imagine all kinds of storylines. Bad pictures usually leave you speechless (and not in a good way). So the art of good photography is to tell a compelling story to a stranger that knows nothing of the context of your picture - but you give them enough visual clues that they can construct a story. It doesn't even have to be the story you intended.

In the following post, I suggested an approach to making a photograph…
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/.../227575-deliberate-act-taking-photograph.html
You might find it useful.

reznap · Mar 15, 2011

**** **** **** **** **** **** ****

Derrel · Mar 15, 2011

I think the infant photo is actually the strongest image, although some cropping away of the unneeded,empty space on the right hand side of the frame would improve it. What makes it good is that it has an actively playing infant, who is focused on his or her toys--with a visible sight line showing us the involvement. If the child were say, turned away from the lens, this shot would indeed be a throwaway, but since the baby is looking right at the toys with a focused gaze, the shot's got a small amount of human interest for most viewers. The blurring of the baby's body and limbs, but the stillness of the head, is a plus,actually. I would crop it right down to a square by eliminating the right hand side of the frame, and only the right hand side of the frame. Leave the other borders just as they are.

Robin Usagani · Mar 15, 2011

What is the new camera and what did you have before?

Stephen.C · Mar 15, 2011

Flame Bait Part II.
Stay tuned folks, coming to an internet forum near youuuuu!

RockstarPhotography · Mar 15, 2011

Derrel said:
I think the infant photo is actually the strongest image, although some cropping away of the unneeded,empty space on the right hand side of the frame would improve it. What makes it good is that it has an actively playing infant, who is focused on his or her toys--with a visible sight line showing us the involvement. If the child were say, turned away from the lens, this shot would indeed be a throwaway, but since the baby is looking right at the toys with a focused gaze, the shot's got a small amount of human interest for most viewers. The blurring of the baby's body and limbs, but the stillness of the head, is a plus,actually. I would crop it right down to a square by eliminating the right hand side of the frame, and only the right hand side of the frame. Leave the other borders just as they are.

And fix the white balance.......

480sparky · Mar 15, 2011

#1: Composition. (Rule of Thirds has been mentioned). Not a really exciting subject, either. Looks like it was a, "Quick grab the camera and shoot NOW" image.

#2: Heads are turned WAY to far away from camera. Her eyes look shifty being turned so much. He looks like a Cyclops. The arms crossing is overpowering.

#3: Color balance is off the map. No DOF. Motion blur. Subject looking at toy, not the viewer, so it's not engaging. The right half of the image is a waste of pixels.

(Schwettylens, they were taken with an Olympus T110,X37)