Looking for some critique!

Foxx

TPF Noob!
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Location
Atlanta, Georgia
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
No themes, just some shots I've taken over the past few weeks.

Any C&C would be extremely helpful!

#1 - I am having trouble getting the quarters to stay in the depth of field while they are spinning. Any suggestions?

balance_by_pianoblack97-d4pu9sf.jpg


#2 - Got a chance to shoot a motocross event near my town this last weekend. Tons o' fun. I really liked getting action shots like this one, but I was having trouble combining the intensity of the close-up "action" while also getting the complete rider in the frame. Any suggestions? Shooting portrait seemed extremely difficult...

contact_by_pianoblack97-d4pijca.jpg


#3 - There's a wonderful spot for sunsets on a soccer field near where I live -- had this idea a few nights ago.

i__ve_seen_fire_and_i__ve_seen_rain_by_pianoblack97-d4p6sbj.jpg


#4 - One of the aforementioned sunsets.

moment_of_silence_by_pianoblack97-d4p3fym.jpg


Thanks for looking :D Please leave some C&C! (especially critique)
 
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1. Depth of field requires small aperture which leads to slower shutter speeds and that's a problem with spinning coins.
I would prop them up somehow (maybe a little bluetac and a half a toothpick with tidy up in post if necessary)and shoot at f16
or smaller. You are freezing the motion anyway, so what the heck?

2. Great photo. If you want the rider too you have to move or zoom back - I know it is obvious but there is no alternative. But
the shot you have is really good. There is a large dynamic range in the bright sun, so you lose a bit in the shadows and the highlights
are very slightly hot, you could knock the contrast back a little bit although you may lose some drama. So it is a matter of
personal choice.

3. Excellent idea. Maybe you could get rid of the label visible through the soundhole in post to give the shot a cleaner look. The label is
a bit distracting.

4. Nice sunset, but really, there have been a gazillion sunset photos and it needs to be something sensational to stand out. #3 is an
unusual take on a sunset so in my view, it is a far better result than #4. (I should stress, there is nothing at all wrong with #4)

There you are, my C&C as requested.
 
Wow, I LOVE LOVE LOVE 3! I agree with cloning out the label. Also, not sure if you cropped in PP or if you shot it tight, but it could do with a little "breathing room", kwim?
 
Pic 2 is really a great action shot. Including the rider IMHO wouldn't have made it better, it would have brought it to the level of a million other dirt shots. The rider isn't the subject here, it's the interaction of the tire & the dirt.

Pic 3 is without any doubt is a novel and quite interesting way to present a basic sunset. Well done. It does make pic 4 rather mundane and uninteresting. As others have said, sunsets & sunrises are a dime a dozen these days on every photo site.
 
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I think #2 is excellent. The detail of the dirt coming off the tire is something that we simply can't see with our eyes and can only be seen with a photograph. Maybe that's why I want to keep looking. Or perhaps because the shape of it mimics the tire and I start to see more of a semblance to a galaxy than a motorcycle event. I know you were going for motocross action, but if you cropped tighter on the tire and dirt, you would have something completely different, and at least equally good.

If you like the current crop, I would probably lower the tone of the bright dirt on the right side of the image.
 
#2 Great shot of that tire and dirt. I do notice that my eye is drawn to the very bright triangle part of the boot with the 5, pulling my attention away from the tire.

#3 Nice eye to capture the sunset reflection. Excellent shot, because you have not try to include every bit of the guitar. You have us focused nicely on what is important.

#4 Wonderful tone of blue.
 
Nicely done on 2 & 3.
In regards #3, I think a tighter shot will eliminate some of the stuff that sits there but doesn't contribute much to the real center of interest.
You can upright the strings and crop enough so that the reflection becomes more prominent and yet a viewer can still tell its a guitar or at least a stringed instrument.

iveseenfireandiveseenra.jpg
 
Thank you all for the feedback!

GregB - I'm going to give propping them up a try, though I had an idea for a variation of this shot which would require them to spin...so we'll see what happens ;)

Bazooka - I tried a different crop, how about this?

oJOhK.jpg


The_Traveller - Thanks for the crop advice! I like your version more
 
As long as someone brought this up, let me add a couple of ideas about the wheel picture.

The original wasn't as impact-ful as it could have been, IMO, because there are several bright areas that pull the eye away from the interaction between wheel and dirt.

While your crop removes some of the bright areas, it is upright and the shape fights against the lines in the photo and the dirt spray is cut off
It is too bad that the picture didn't capture the area shown in the second picture which, to my eyes, is more dynamic because it shows the dirt flying as a result of the wheel

contactbypianoblack97d4.jpg


contactbypianoblack97d4.jpg
 
Traveler -- Thank you for all the advice! I see what you mean about the crop not lending itself to the action. Next time I have the opportunity to see a race I'll be all over the dirt :)

Thanks again to everyone for the feedback! It has been most helpful.
 

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