looking for criticism

kgstyle · Jan 17, 2010

hey everyone kinda new to the photography world and have been trying to get better with my new dlsr as well as editing my shots. please feel free to criticize these few shots i took this weekend thanks.

Vicelord John · Jan 17, 2010

What kind of camera were these taken with?

The quality seems very low. Nothing that it looks like you did wrong, just bad quality.

kgstyle · Jan 17, 2010

its a nikon d60 with tokina 11-16mm f2.8 and a sb-600 flash. like i said im a beginner trying to get better so if there is something i could do just let me know thanks

Vicelord John · Jan 17, 2010

Is it set to JPG Fine? or RAW?

Also, maybe your shutter speed was too fast in the first one? For some reason they remind me of the pictures my old 640x480 digital camera took. I don't know enough myself to tell you why.

HikinMike · Jan 17, 2010

I see a lot of halos on the first shot. Did you try a HDR by chance?

SoonerBJJ · Jan 17, 2010

#1- Composition isn't bad but the hard shadows are distracting. Sky looks underexposed on my monitor and the rocks could benefit from some more detail in the shadows. What is the white haze/flair above the rocks to camera right?

#2- Composition could be better and lacks interest. The horizon splits the image 50/50. Read up on the thirds rule. Color of sky is rendered well. Hard shadows again. You lost all detail in the rocks.

#3- Horizon is composed better than #2. Underexposed.

#4- Horizon looks uneven and the highlights are blown on the water. Read up on the effects shutter speed can have on moving water.

Keep it up.

nemopaice · Jan 17, 2010

The first shot almost looks like you tried an hdr effect or something? There is a halo effect around part of the pier and the sky looks unnatural. Not sure if you were trying for the rocks, but personally I would have taken the shot from the other side of the pier if possible.

The second shot looks alright I guess, but it appears to me that the pole is the main subject of the photo and it doesn't work for me (nothing happening).

The third one has the best over all exposure, but that boulder is a bit distracting.

The last one, according to your exif data was shot in automatic. The shutter speed was 1/200, which is fine if you're trying to stop motion. Also you shot into the light during mid afternoon, which isn't helping. For that particular shot (if I was going to shoot into the direction of the sun at that time of day), I would have been in manual mode, used a smaller aperture, small enough to darken the sky quite a bit, (or use a neutral density filter) so I could use a slower shutter speed, to say a third of a sec., and a tripod or by the looks of your location maybe a mini tripod. If nothing else it would have given the water a milky or smokey look.

But as you said you're new and this is how you learn. keep shooting, A good tip it to look around the forum and ask questions when you see a picture you like, or go on youtube and search. There are a couple of pros on there that show some basic tips to get started. You may learn enough from the tips on there to at least get started taking better pictures in just a few hours of watching, listening and learning.

kgstyle · Jan 17, 2010

thanks everyone i appreciate the comments. this was my first day off in a long time so unfortunately i could only get out to take pics when the sun was at its brightest so the pics did not come out as good as i wanted. with the first pic i was not going for hdr but i showed the original pic to my friend and he felt there was to much blue so he told me to darken it but here is the original. oh and i wish i could have then the shot from the other side as well but to the left u cant see but its private property and there is a big fence so oh well.

HikinMike · Jan 17, 2010

kgstyle said:
thanks everyone i appreciate the comments. this was my first day off in a long time so unfortunately i could only get out to pics when the sun was at its brightest so the pics did not come out as good as i wanted. with the first pic i was not going for hdr but i showed the original pic to my friend and he felt there was to much blue so i told be to darken it but here is the original. oh and i wish i could have then the shot from the other side as well but to the left u cant see but its private property and there is a big fence so oh well.

The original photo is much better, unfortunately it's not very interesting....at least to me.

kgstyle · Jan 17, 2010

thanks at least ur honost

nemopaice · Jan 17, 2010

Yea the original does look much better. I think it as just the method you used that made it seem so off. But down let it get you down! the more images you take, the easier it will get.

Natalie · Jan 17, 2010

Photoshop can make it a little more interesting...

HikinMike · Jan 17, 2010

If you live close enough to the beach, then I'd wait until near sunset. Find a place that you can put some interesting objects in the foreground.... a few small rocks/pebbles etc. When the magic light comes, take your photos then.

I'll use one of my photos as an example. By day, this place is pretty boring, except for the wildlife...it's a national wildlife refuge. But finding a good location and waiting for the correct light...that's the key. I wanted to find some 'interesting' in the foreground. The best thing I could come up with was the strands of grass.

You may have to invest in a set of GNDs or what I do is bracket at least two different exposures, one for the highlights (sky) and one for the shadows. Then I blend them in Photoshop.

nemopaice · Jan 17, 2010

Hmm, I do kind of like it as a b&w.

DennyCrane · Jan 17, 2010

I'd recommend getting a circular polarizing filter for water shots. It goes a long way to cut the glare from the sun. Makes the sky and clouds pop more, too.