My first photos ever C&C please

Audible_Chocolate · Jan 3, 2012

These are film, scanned into a computer so there is a bit of noise but helpful tips would be nice

im waiting to get a dslr very soon

but want to get learning so i dug out an old xg-m out and bought some film.

1.

20120103-6 by Audible_Chocolate, on Flickr

2.

11-1 by Audible_Chocolate, on Flickr

3.

12-1 by Audible_Chocolate, on Flickr

4.

20120103-1 by Audible_Chocolate, on Flickr

5.

20120103-3 by Audible_Chocolate, on Flickr

Audible_Chocolate · Jan 3, 2012

64 views not one comment? whats going on here? do I really suck that bad? haha

Desi · Jan 3, 2012

Well, since you bumped it: But I'm not really one to give C&C....just a noob.

#1 I like compositionally. Nice colors. The flower is out of focus, but that doesn't really bother me since everything else is also OOF. seems kind of dreamy.

#2 and 3 are cool compositions

Natalie · Jan 3, 2012

No, you'll quickly find on here that lots of views and no comments is actually a good thing, because people tend to want to point out what's wrong with a photo rather than what's right with it. IMO, these are great photographs and you have quite an eye for composition - how long have you been in photography? These are magnitudes of order more interesting and better-composed than most of the "first photos ever" we see posted on here. The first shot is my favorite, I love the vibrant colors in it. The weakest of the bunch would probably be the shot of the wine bottle, simply because wine bottles aren't very interesting subjects and it's also very slightly tilted. Over all, great work! I'm eager to see what you'll acheive when you get your DSLR.

MLeeK · Jan 3, 2012

Your exif data shows you shooting with a Canon MG5200 series... which is a printer?
You have a great eye for what you want to capture.
The first is compositionally very nice. It's out of focus.VERY warm color. It also looks like it was incredibly underexposed and raised in post.
The second is great, simple.
Third would have benefitted from the leading line beginning at the far corner and leading more through the image. Very nice
4 needs to have the neck of the bottle. Very warm on the color.
The last has some barrel distortion from using a wide angle. You can fix that in lightroom so that the lines are straight. I really like the hard shadow behind the statue in this one. I think it definitely adds to the feel of the composition. I wish the grass or whatever weren't there as it does distract a bit. VERY warm color
All look to be shot in a fully automatic mode, which is great, but now it's time to learn to shoot with a little more thought to what you are creating.

There are many many newbies here who are viewing these threads. They don't feel like they have anything to give for input yet, so don't be surprised to see the view count skyrocket with nothing. Plus many of us aren't giving much cc on the "very firsts..." because it tends to not be what the newbies want. We kind of hold back and get a feel for a person first.

loopy · Jan 3, 2012

I don't have a lot of time but here are my comments:

1. I like the colours in this photo, but that is it. The composition looks a little off, and the flower itself looks a little soft.
2. I think this shot might look better if it was framed to crop out the trees and houses. I'd also try shooting at a slower shutter speed on a tripod, would give a nice silky look to the water. Overall I like this one.
3. I like this shot, b&w works well.
4. I don't like the top of the bottle being cut off.
5. Nice composition.

Overall, these are great for your first photos. Keep shooting, film is a little trickier to learn because there is no instant feedback. Try keeping a notepad with you so you can record your exposure.

tlamour · Jan 3, 2012

First off, I think you have some nice 1st shots.
1, I agree with Mleek. the flower looks underexposed and bumped up in post production. But I like it. It has some kind of artistic feel to me. If it was intentional, good job. If not, alway take the credit as if it was.
2 I agree with Loopy. It would be a better shot minus the house or the trees. I think it may even be interesting if you showed all of the trees. But not clipped. Overall, good shot.
3. My favs of the bunch. Good composition. Nice leading lines. And they actually lead somewhere. I would have liked to see a little more of that 'somewhere' though. But still a nice shot. Also, It works well in BNW.
4. what everyone else said.
5. I like. Someone will tell you that the brick lines are not plumb (straight), but I don't mind it in this pic.

I'm also pretty new here, so my opinion may not mean anything. But really, it's ultimately your opinion that counts when you press the shutter.

mjhoward · Jan 3, 2012

Natalie said:
No, you'll quickly find on here that lots of views and no comments is actually a good thing, because people tend to want to point out what's wrong with a photo rather than what's right with it. IMO, these are great photographs and you have quite an eye for composition - how long have you been in photography? These are magnitudes of order more interesting and better-composed than most of the "first photos ever" we see posted on here. The first shot is my favorite, I love the vibrant colors in it. The weakest of the bunch would probably be the shot of the wine bottle, simply because wine bottles aren't very interesting subjects and it's also very slightly tilted. Over all, great work! I'm eager to see what you'll acheive when you get your DSLR.

I must be a little better than I want to give myself credit for because I've only ever made a few posts for C&C and I always get like one generic comment. I'm always looking for ways to improve even if people think my photos are already decent.

Edit: BTW OP, these are quite good especially considering they are some of your first captures. I particularly like 2 and 3. Nice percpective, composition, the colors are good... Just overall nice photos. You've got a good eye.

MLeeK · Jan 3, 2012

Natalie said:
No, you'll quickly find on here that lots of views and no comments is actually a good thing, because people tend to want to point out what's wrong with a photo rather than what's right with it. IMO, these are great photographs and you have quite an eye for composition - how long have you been in photography? These are magnitudes of order more interesting and better-composed than most of the "first photos ever" we see posted on here. The first shot is my favorite, I love the vibrant colors in it. The weakest of the bunch would probably be the shot of the wine bottle, simply because wine bottles aren't very interesting subjects and it's also very slightly tilted. Over all, great work! I'm eager to see what you'll acheive when you get your DSLR.

It's pretty hard to fix or grow from what's right. Refer to the actual words in CC: Constructive Criticism-it's criticism on what you have done wrong or could do differently in a way that is constructive or helps the shooter grow.

Frequency · Jan 3, 2012

Hi

#1 : Sometimes a theoretical failure can be an enjoyable success. A clinically bad photograph can be out of focus, violating rule of 1/3rd and may have many other photographic evils entered into it's composition, yet if its final outcome is pleasing or locking one's attention, that is a success; this is because on ultimate analysis Photography is an Art. Your first image prompted me to tell all these, because i was much fascinated by this in spite of its theoretical shortcomings!!!
(being a bit busy right now, let me withdraw ....)

Regards

Frequency · Jan 4, 2012

I am back

I liked the color and composition of #2 and the composition of #3
#4 is badly composed #5 is lovely, especially with that shadow

Regards

Natalie · Jan 4, 2012

MLeeK said:
Natalie said:

No, you'll quickly find on here that lots of views and no comments is actually a good thing, because people tend to want to point out what's wrong with a photo rather than what's right with it. IMO, these are great photographs and you have quite an eye for composition - how long have you been in photography? These are magnitudes of order more interesting and better-composed than most of the "first photos ever" we see posted on here. The first shot is my favorite, I love the vibrant colors in it. The weakest of the bunch would probably be the shot of the wine bottle, simply because wine bottles aren't very interesting subjects and it's also very slightly tilted. Over all, great work! I'm eager to see what you'll acheive when you get your DSLR.

Click to expand...

It's pretty hard to fix or grow from what's right. Refer to the actual words in CC: Constructive Criticism-it's criticism on what you have done wrong or could do differently in a way that is constructive or helps the shooter grow.

Or, the more common definition for C&C I've seen on here, "comments and critique". Comments definitely can point out what a person is doing right in a photo, and are helpful to a noob so they can realize what they've done correctly... If attention is not brought to a good aspect of the photo, the photographer might not seek to replicate that aspect in the future, even if it's just because they (in their state of noobness) never even considered it. After all, just like animals, people learn from positive reinforcement as well as negative.

I think when a lot of new photographers post on here and get a flood of negative comments about their photographs with no positive ones (or even comments just stating what isn't horrible about the photograph), they tend to become frustrated with themselves and lose motivation. Of course I'm not saying everyone should say something nice about every photo everyone posts, but if you think there's something the photographer did right, what's the harm in pointing that out?