my little niece in the pool

[Shocknawe]

 

[Battou]

Pleas keep the images posted on the forum to under 800 px to the long side, It serves you little good if the viewer can not see the entire image.

 

[Shocknawe]

not a problem, didn't realize people still viewed low res this day and age.

 

[tailz03]

dudddde this file is hugeeeee

 

[MarkCSmith]

I don't really like the grain in this image, along with the harsh lighting and B&W it adds an edge that is a little off-putting in a shot of a kid having fun in the pool.

 

[The_Traveler]

IMO, there's a lot of non-contributory space in this image. I think a crop would tighten it up and get the baby's head off dead center.



Lew

 

[Shocknawe]

Good point traveler, sometimes I get tunnled into thinking my subject always has to be dead center....she's not perfectly center but close enough that I know thats what was on my mind.

Marcsmith to be completely blunt, I don't really care if you like it or not the photo wasn't taken for you. Even though I'm new here I've been reading for quite a bit longer and I've seen it way to often; people commenting for C&C purposes with whether they like it or not....nobody cares! If people are looking for C&C they're looking for things just obviously jacked up to be pointed out or some tips or things they could've done to make the photo better, hense what traveler did. Hell traveler could rather wipe his ass with my b&w, maybe not his taste BUT its realized that your likes mean jack as photography to a great degree is a reflection what the photographer sees as a good moment to capture. Then yes there is the "technical" part to capturing that moment....that is where C&C comes in. "Opinions" are like a.....es everyone has one and nobody cares to much what the others is.....now if you were a client- different story; but you're not.

 

[SoonerBJJ]

Shockawe, you might want to chill out just a bit. If you don't want to hear negative comments then don't post. Like or dislike falls into C&C and Marc gave qualifying criticism for his opinion.

Agreed that the image would benefit from a crop. Personally I like heavier grain and high contrast, even for a child in the pool. I'd like to see the forehead burned in just a bit to recover some highlight detail.

 

[Iron Flatline]

not a problem, didn't realize people still viewed low res this day and age.

:roll:

 

[Carman]

I agree with SoonerBJ, I think you need to chill out a little bit. Photography is an art, not a science, so opinion and taste naturally creep into C & C. If you post your images I think you have to be prepared for the fact that the comments are sometimes going to be negative, and whether the justification is on technical shortcomings or personal taste is really here nor there.
That said, this is just my personal opinion, and the outlook I have when posting images -- yours may of course differ

ANYway: I think the moment you've captured is fantastic. The expression on your niece's face is brilliant. I agree that an off centre tighter crop would work better. I also think the lighting is a little dark and harsh, although with the tighter crop it seems to look more balanced.

 

[Shocknawe]

I'm trackin with what your saying, I know the post seemed I flew off the deep end when in reality I was just replying..no "spaz" intended but not being able to hear tone of voice and see facial expressions is kind of a handicap on the net. I know its bound to creep in "taste" and like dislike. In more words than less I was just simply saying I have no amount of caring whether somebody likes it or not cause our creative views dont match...comments like "tighter crop", "bring more detail out in the forehead via burning ect ect is always welcomed cause it opens eyes to things not seen before for improvement. Anyway I'm rambling again, just wanted it known that it was just a reply not so much a reaction comparable to a hormonal 16yr old, sorry to make it seem that way.

 

[Shocknawe]

not a problem, didn't realize people still viewed low res this day and age.

:roll:

well.....

I also forget from time to time that I use an abnormal monitor so I can see oversized images in forums and what not...like I said no issues I'll remember for next time.

 

[The_Traveler]

Good point traveler, sometimes I get tunnled into thinking my subject always has to be dead center....she's not perfectly center but close enough that I know thats what was on my mind.

This is startling because dead center seems to me to be a very weak place for most subjects. I tried thinking why this is and have come to this mushy set of conclusions. When something is in the center, there is this implication that all parts of it are equally interesting and therefore attention can slide off the dead center to look at the edges with equal interest. Yet in most cases, the interesting areas are not symmetrical, there are important areas and there are blahh areas - and the blahh areas strike the eye as dead space and allow the interest to drain away.(for example, in the case of a person looking at something, one generally leaves more space in the direction the subject is actually looking, rather than behind his/her head which is clearly of little interest - unlesss there is an axe about to enter it)

Secondly, few subjects are actually alone in the frame; the best pictures - even portraits- show a connection between the subject and something, even the viewer, and this connection is what creates interest in the picture - the dramatic tension, so to speak, that encourages the viewer to get involved and try to intuit what the connection is about. This is clearly what is happening in your picture - the connection between child and the woman who is dandling her in the pool is clearly the strongest part of the image- without this connection the image would have not much to interest the viewer.

(For another example, this link is to a picture I've posted showing someone looking out of the margin. Her gaze is intent on something and this obvious attention makes the picture more interesting - because she is tied to something. Note that it isn't important to know what that the connection is, so much as the existence of connection alone brings interest to the scene. I kept enough of the right side to make her not seem pressed up against the edge, yet she is clearly off-center.)

Re: burning in the face. IMO, yours is not a technically accurate picture with all the shades and tones and details. The burnt out highlights accurately give the impression of the situation in the bright light and reflections of a pool in the sun thus conveying the feelings of the situation more than some full-range
more-technically perfect image.

 

[Shocknawe]

Good post, it makes a lot of sense and coincidently I've read many similar things saying the same thing. I think at that point in time it was me with the camera trying to catch a good moment at whatever the cost; and now thinking more about it where her eyes are really directed is at her mother beside the lady that is shown in the photo. Hense the photo would have been much better if I panned a little more right to catch her mother as well.....ahh got to love photography there is ALWAYS a new lesson to be learned- like utilizing the knowlege of the rule of thirds. Thanks.

 

[SoonerBJJ]

Re: burning in the face. IMO, yours is not a technically accurate picture with all the shades and tones and details. The burnt out highlights accurately give the impression of the situation in the bright light and reflections of a pool in the sun thus conveying the feelings of the situation more than some full-range more-technically perfect image.

Good point. I'd still like to see at least a little texture in the hair. The burnt forehead just blends into the mess of hair. I'd like to see some separation there but I think it would have to be carefully done to avoid losing the "feeling" of the shot.