I never had anyone critique my photography what do you think

[amolitor]

Most of your pictures are visually flat, there's not a lot of contrast going on, they look like they were taken through a pane of slightly dirty glass. Also, they look soft (unsharp).

Neither of these is as big as sin as most people seem to think, but for most of your pictures I don't think these things are serving the picture well at all.

Worse, though, your pictures aren't really of anything interesting. You seem to be seeing something that catches your eye, and just shooting it. What *looks* interesting, and what *remains* interesting when frozen into a picture, are not really the same thing. You tend to place whatever you're interested in into the middle of the frame, which is a very weak spot to put it, compositionally. Just pushing the butterly or the bird or whatever a little off-center in the frame will improve things. Better still, if the butterfly can be placed diagonally across the frame from something else, perhaps a flower in a contrasting color, that would be strong. Balance.

Give us a bird and a cloud opposite one another in the frame. Give us a city skyline, with some clouds lit up by the sunset over it. Think about the whole frame, not just the thing that caught your eye.

 

[LoriStead]

A few things I would work on... orient your pictures properly (straight horizons, make sure your lines, edges of buildings, etc. are where they are supposed to be). Some of yours are straight, some are not. Next, I would figure out what it is you want to show the viewer. What do you want to share? In your own mind, be as specific as possible. Then, make that your focal point, whether centered, thirds, whatever... make sure your composition and/or lines lead the viewer to your focal point. Most of your photos have something of interest in them (one of your cityscapes has a lot of white and turquoise light, your butterfly pic has some nice color contrast, etc.). Try taking several pictures of each thing from differing angles. It may surprise you just how different it can make a picture.

There is a photography quote that I love and that you might find useful:

"If your photos aren’t good enough, then you’re not close enough" – Robert Capa

Happy shooting!