Kinda nervous...

Shawchert

TPF Noob!
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about showing my photos to all you guys. Your work on showing off the world is so much better than mine, and i'm not one for hard critisism. A few things you need to know about me first is I probably should never be a professional photographer as I have no depth perception nor can I see in 3d like many of you, but having that been said I still do LOVE taking photos, and it's probably in my blood that I continue with it, but I won't spend thousands of dollars on someting I know I can never rate to you guys, but ideas and help is always awarded just please don't be too hard on me!!

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The thing about improving one's skills, is to decide what you want to achieve and then work on getting those skills. There are a bunch of things that usually are done by pretty much all newbies, so keep these in mind when you make your images.

  • Background too sharp/too prominent/too distracting
  • Parts of the subject cut off for no apparent reason
  • Point of best sharpness NOT where we would normally look (for instance, we humans usually look first at the eyes, and if they are not sharp... )
  • Things in the foreground or background that are brighter than the subject,
  • Subjects that are centered without being symmetrical (centering symmetrical subjects emphasizes the symmetry, otherwise it usually creates a static image)
  • Horizon lines tilted (unless these are done for "artistic" reasons, they usually just look sloppy)
  • Horizon line is smack in the middle (this works sometimes, but usually not).
  • White balance is whacky (happens when you shoot with mixed lights, or under the foliage, or next to a coloured object)

and so on.

In general, if you think of an image as a short story, you have an opening (usually the brightest or sharpest parts of the image), the body (the supporting elements), and the closing (the natural flow of the image out of frame). Of course, not all images follow this approach, but it helps in constructing images that people can relate to. Also, given that images are a visual language, it helps if you keep things simple, and minimize or eliminate as many of the distractions as possible.
 
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There is no need to be nervous, we all started somewhere close to the beginning :). Don't worry about getting tough or harsh or honest critique; it may help your photography. It may also help you learn to deal with crazy people on the internet (like myself). Don't worry about spending thousands of dollars trying to keep up with anyone here ((((You will do that on your own because you love photography and it's in your blood))) :banghead: :)

Your duck is actually a nice composition that I rarely see, but try not to clip it's bill. It looks a little underexposed. The gull does nothing for me but again try not to cut wings or any body parts off (not always possible with wildlife).

It's also nice that you put the key off center. In my opinion another nice compostion (maybe could be straightened).

The cat could have been a very nice shot, but I believe you missed the focus which should be on the eyes. Again maybe a bit underexposed.

The moon shot really sucks! It's just boring with no clouds and in the center of the frame. There, is your harsh criticism. See, you survived!

Glad you made your first post. Now get out there and start posting!!!
 
Darn - pgriz beat me. He is really one you have to watch out for. One of the worse offenders of being a big meany ;)
 
thanks yeah it's not easy with wild life, and poor lighting with a black cat *blush* and my 55MM's autofocus is not working *my dad did not take care of the camera itself before he gave it to me, not much is wrong so i'm glad it's just the autofocus* lol i try to get things into focus... I really am still proud of my kitten's eyes as well as the key... which is so far one of my more favorite pictures besides a few of my son that I had gotten earlier in the year.... they are not on my pc right now but on a file drive so I have to go looking around for those... but thanks. I'm just nervous about a lot of things but I do appreciate the critique... I was afraid people wouldn't like the key because it was just something I did on a whim when I was carrying a book on my head.... (which the key was dangling from) and I just thought it would make for a pretty picture with the bench and the pond in the background but I know my tastes are WAAAYYY out there from general public.
 
I like the closeup of the cat's eyes. I think a little fine tuning would do it some justice!
 
These are nice shots. Few of us are pros (and I'm certainly not one of them.) The name of the game is to enjoy the hobby and hopefully improve one's skills. Lee
 
Don't be nervous, great folks with great help hang here. Remember, the "pro's" here are commenting to help you, not mock you. I also like the Key shot. Eye and Technique is there, just need practice and a little friendly advice.
 
Remember you got to crawl before for you can walk .Me i'm still stumbling most the people on this site are nice and will help you out. Me when I take pictures I look at my pictures see what I don't like try to improve on the next set I do.
 
I agree-the cat's eyes shot is kind of nifty. A little bit of "oomph!" added by post processing would help. As far as improving, check into some books that deal with composition. Read about "the elements and principles of design".

LOOK at the areas of the frame that surround the main subject. Look deliberately at what you have in the frame, and move yourself around to eliminate un-desired stuff in the frame, and to make sure that what you want in the frame is actually IN the frame.

Keep shooting. If you do the above few things, your photos will get better and better. Exclude the junky stuff, include the good stuff.
 
for someone who has no depth perception you seem to grasp the principals well. Photography, whether pro or beginner, should be enjoyable.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, I will surely keep this in mind when I go out again. I'm sure to learn more now that I have people who can help me learn more about my camera! I had to get the t2i for dummies because my dad never gave me the manual for the camera buuuut, from the reviews it says that it has more information than the manual itself and so far i've already learned a few new things about it :). So I hope to show more evolved photos in the end!
 
I would think your lack of depth perception wouldn't be much of a factor, since photography is 2D anyways. You might even have a better, innate understanding of how to make things reveal depth in a 2D way, since you probably are looking for cues in real life that people with binocular vision typically don't.

Anyways, nice work. I always hold 2 pieces of advice in my front pocket when shooting.
1. Imagine you are an electron and the subject is the nucleus. Energetically explore every possible angle, circling your subject and going high and low.
2. Get closer.

I feel the bird shots could get closer and show the amazing detail and texture of the birds, or you could pull back a little and show more of the environment. I feel right now they're stuck in an awkward middle ground. Just my opinion.

I agree that the cat image is great but the tones look a little washed out (just a quick levels adjustment in post fixes that). I think the focal point in that image is the cat's amazing looking eyes. People will generally focus some attention in post on adding some sharpening, brightness/contrast, to the eyes in this type of situation. Don't sweat if you haven't started working with post processing software like Photoshop Elements or GIMP yet. But I recommend getting one of them and just learning to adjust the 'levels histogram' to start. Super easy and it will help make your images pop. Here I worked a little with the tones, sharpened and brightened the eyes, and cleaned up whatever the cat was rolling around in. Lol. Anyways, good work and I'm excited to see more images of yours! $cats.webp
 

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