Hi, new here. C&C needed

[desdewd]

Hi I just got back into photography as a hobby after a class on it I took while studying abroad. I'm really starting to get into it and was hoping to get some feedback on my style and techniques and where I can add some conceptual depth. Especially welcome are technical advice and areas where I can improve the craft side of my work. I like to focus on nighttime cityscapes and the people in them. I love playing with lights (maybe a little too much). Anyways here are some photos that I think best represent my style and interests. Thanks and advance for the critique. And obviosusly new to the site so if theres any etiquette I messed up, profound apologies. Oh, and the photos are from Netherlands btw.

 

[WesternGuy]

Well desdewd, welcome to the forum. First impressions: the first two photos are out of focus - need I say more, and the last two are simple snap shots and do absolutely nothing for me. Also, I would suggest that you might want to number your images when you post them. This makes it a lot easier for a reviewer to refer to them - they don't have to keep flipping back and forth to make sure that they are commenting on the right one.

If you are just starting out, you probably should do a bit of reading on things like composition and exposure. I would refer you to Bryan Peterson's books, specifically his one on "Seeing Creatively" - Amazon.com: Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography (Updated Edition) (9780817441814): Bryan Peterson: Books and his one on " Understanding Exposure" - Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera (9780817439392): Bryan Peterson: Books. There are also a number of sites around that deal with composition. One of the better places to start that I would recommend is Ron Bigelow's site - http://ronbigelow.com/articles/adv_comp/adv_comp.html This is the first of three sites on composition - the links to the second and third sites can be found at the end of the first and second sites respectively. A source of references can be found here - Photography Composition Articles Library . These will give you some places to start. You can find more on composition by simply searching for "photography composition" and/or "photography composition techniques" and othe combinations used with words like "tips", "rules", etc. Hope this helps.

WesternGuy