New to the site and want opinions

[Genka81]

Hey Everyone,

I'm kind of new to the DSLR world. I had a professional film camera back in the days, but it has been a while since I used any professional cameras. I got my camera about a month ago, and am just starting to learn about it. I'd love some tips, tricks, and opinions on my work.

Here's some of my photos:

 

[Ken Rockwell Fan]

I think you need to teach me.

 

[Genka81]

Thanks Ken, Appreciate the comment.

Can anyone C&C my photos please? I especially would like to know what you think about the last 2 pix.

* The little girl is not in focus, does that bother anyone... what do you think of the picture as a whole?

* Does it bother you that the grass is in front of the eyes?

 

[BuS_RiDeR]

Well...

I like the first one... But I think it is slightly soft...

The second one really doesn't spark my interest.

The third one looks like you hit the focus on the fence rail and not the child...

The last one is pretty cool. I like the idea... But the blade of grass (or whatever it is) across her eyes is distracting to me....

 

[reznap]

The first one's nice. The hair in the face is sometimes unfavorable and there is too much empty space on the left side for my liking. I like the warm colors in the background nut not the horizontal lines on the bottom... what looks like a street curb. I'd crop it above those lines.

#2's not bad, might be better with a deeper depth of field. It's very abstract as is.

* The little girl is not in focus, does that bother anyone... what do you think of the picture as a whole?

Yes. It would be okay if there was focus on something important, but it's just on the fence. As a whole, well, it's a crooked and blurry portrait.

* Does it bother you that the grass is in front of the eyes?

Yes.. the grass in front of her face is a bad thing, especially the parts in her eyes. I like the shot otherwise.. nice low perspective.

Your signature is really large and a bit distracting as well, especially in #'s 1, 3 and 4.

 

[Snakeguy101]

I agree that the 3rd pic should have the girl in focus. It is distracting and I have yet to see a great photo with the subject out of focus- it never adds anything to the image. The last one is an interesting idea but I dont like that the grass is right over her eyes. Maybe if you could have framed her face through the grass it would have been much better. I just think that you should never cover the eyes.

Keep it up though, none of these are bad shots and it seems like you have some novel ideas.

 

[SageMark]

You have some talent, fo sho. But, get down on a childs eye level. The picture to be had was the one from the front on her level. If you want me to upload an example from this same fence shot setup I would (I don't want to hijack your thread), the position isn't an authoritative one.

Outside of that, just # the pics here.

Lastly, #3 I think I need to thank you for letting me enjoy this photo. Awesome capture.

 

[Bram]

Can anyone C&C my photos please? I especially would like to know what you think about the last 2 pix.

* The little girl is not in focus, does that bother anyone... what do you think of the picture as a whole?

* Does it bother you that the grass is in front of the eyes?

To me the girl being OOF isn't a big deal unless it was your main subject. I think the fence is a good point of focus. Showing the hight of the fence with the girl in the background shows that this little girl has so much life ahead of her. She has this obstacle to get over and only time will let her do that, therefore I love the photo.

The second one I don't mind the blade of grass infront of the eye, makes it look kind of wild I guess, I don't know exactly what i'm trying to say but I don't mind the blade of grass.

Ps. Beautiful Model. I love the first one too.

 

[heyjoe]

I like the blade of grass.
What equipment are you using?

 

[KmH]

Your portraits (first and last) could use some fill to enhance separation.
The blade of grass adds a ton of interest, but the lighting on her face seriously weakens the image, IMO. Had the highlight been diffused and a bit of fill added for background separation......remember "light advances and dark receeds".

The 2nd needed more DOF for my tastes.

A viewers eye is always drawn to what is in focus in an image frame. It doesn't make a lot of sense to drawn attention to the fence rail, since the rail is a strong leading line that leads to the girl, as does the post behind her. So yes, not having the girl on focus looks more like a mistake than an artistic decision.

 

[blazerj]

The little girl out of focus bothers me, because I naturally want to see her. I like the blade of grass across the eyes, though. It's "mysterious".

 

[Genka81]

Thanks everyone for all of you comments!!! I love hearing the different points of view.

When you say the photo is soft? What exactly do you mean by that? Out of focus? :/

The little girl, I love the photo, but understand why people are not crazy about her not being in focus. I'm glad I asked.

You have some talent, fo sho. But, get down on a childs eye level. The picture to be had was the one from the front on her level. If you want me to upload an example from this same fence shot setup I would (I don't want to hijack your thread), the position isn't an authoritative one.

Outside of that, just # the pics here.

Lastly, #3 I think I need to thank you for letting me enjoy this photo. Awesome capture.

Please feel free to post your picture, I don't mind. I would love to see it. And going forward, I'll # the pictures I post... I completely forgot, lol. When you mean by #3... was it the little girl or the last picture of the lady in the grass? Either way, Thanks for the huge compliment! =)

To me the girl being OOF isn't a big deal unless it was your main subject. I think the fence is a good point of focus. Showing the hight of the fence with the girl in the background shows that this little girl has so much life ahead of her. She has this obstacle to get over and only time will let her do that, therefore I love the photo.

The second one I don't mind the blade of grass infront of the eye, makes it look kind of wild I guess, I don't know exactly what i'm trying to say but I don't mind the blade of grass.

Ps. Beautiful Model. I love the first one too.

This is exactly how I feel on both of the pictures! It seems to me rare to find people with the same point of view. My husband thinks that both of these pictures are not my best at all, and find that the fence & grass in the eye is a huge distraction to him. So, he does not like these photos. And I completely respect that.

The last pic is actually a self portrait and I didn't even realize the grass was in my eye until I uploaded it. I have another similar picture (same set up) with no grass in my eye, but I still tend to go back to the one with the grass there.

Please keep the comments coming. =)

 

[Bram]

To me the girl being OOF isn't a big deal unless it was your main subject. I think the fence is a good point of focus. Showing the hight of the fence with the girl in the background shows that this little girl has so much life ahead of her. She has this obstacle to get over and only time will let her do that, therefore I love the photo.

The second one I don't mind the blade of grass infront of the eye, makes it look kind of wild I guess, I don't know exactly what i'm trying to say but I don't mind the blade of grass.

Ps. Beautiful Model. I love the first one too.

This is exactly how I feel on both of the pictures! It seems to me rare to find people with the same point of view. My husband thinks that both of these pictures are not my best at all, and find that the fence & grass in the eye is a huge distraction to him. So, he does not like these photos. And I completely respect that.

The last pic is actually a self portrait and I didn't even realize the grass was in my eye until I uploaded it. I have another similar picture (same set up) with no grass in my eye, but I still tend to go back to the one with the grass there.

Please keep the comments coming. =)

Yeah I know what you mean exactly, I mean I have a couple shot I showed my family and they said the same thing. I mean they like it ofcourse they're my family it's what they do but they said it wasn't the best. I enjoy a story behind a photo and trying to think deeper into that story to see what a photograph is really telling you. Hope that makes sense

 

[Genka81]

Yeah I know what you mean exactly, I mean I have a couple shot I showed my family and they said the same thing. I mean they like it ofcourse they're my family it's what they do but they said it wasn't the best. I enjoy a story behind a photo and trying to think deeper into that story to see what a photograph is really telling you. Hope that makes sense

Makes lots of sense, because that's how I think, too. I tend to over think a photo sometimes. I try to make the best out of everything. =P Nice to know I'm not alone! =)

 

[Bram]

Yeah I know what you mean exactly, I mean I have a couple shot I showed my family and they said the same thing. I mean they like it ofcourse they're my family it's what they do but they said it wasn't the best. I enjoy a story behind a photo and trying to think deeper into that story to see what a photograph is really telling you. Hope that makes sense

Makes lots of sense, because that's how I think, too. I tend to over think a photo sometimes. I try to make the best out of everything. =P Nice to know I'm not alone! =)

Yeah I know, I was hoem alone and the lights were all off I was doing some light paintings and my brother came home to me running around the house with a flashlight. Ofcourse he aske dme what I was doing and I repleied:" i'm running around with a flashlight what does it look like i'm doing" He called me stupid, after I showed him the result he respected me. If you want to see it it's on my flickr. Kind of a cool concept.