newbie here please comment and criticize...will be a learning experience thanks!

[asasn]

Hello all My name is Mike, I am new to this forum and new to photography. I have been going through a lot of books and videos online just to try and learn about photography. So much to know about, it is quite overwhelming. lol I have joined this forum in hopes of expanding my knowledge. Thanks for taking the time in looking at some of my pictures, please feel free to comment or critique any or all the pictures. lol I apologize for the poor quality. Camera used is a canon rebel xsi with the 18-55mm kit lense. Nothing fancy, but that's all I have.

Photo #1 Picture of some sort of bird. It was sitting in the grass and the light from the sun happened to be beaming right down to it through some trees. Thought it would make a good picture.

Photo #2 Was taken in a village during the asia trip. It was interesting to see how transportation worked and I wanted to capture people just doing there routine.

Photo # 3 This picture was taken at a local zoo. It is a Marabou stork.

Photo #4

Photo #5

 

[BlackSheep]

Hmm, you posted a few too many for people to give you good C&C, and a note for next time - number your photos if you post more than 1 or 2, just to keep it easier for the people commenting. And welcome to TPF

I like the composition you chose for shots #2 (good use of the "rule" of thirds) and #4 (nice leading lines). Some of the shots look a bit overprocessed to me (is #3 an HDR?), but overall it's clear that you have been learning from all of that reading you've done so far :thumbup:

 

[CaptainNapalm]

I'm not a fan of the first pic. I really like pics 2 and 4, great job on those. In the first and last pic it seems like the main subject blends too much in the background.

 

[WesternGuy]

I will second the request that you number your images when you post them - makes it a lot easier for a reviewer to refer to them. I would also sugggest that you add a little bit of a description to each of your images - what is it, where was it taken, etc.

WesternGuy

 

[pgriz]

#1 looks intriguing, but the image looks somewhat soft overall, the light is fairly harsh, and there is no obvious reason that I can see for the way you framed the shot with the bird in the lower right corner. You must have had a reason, but it’s not coming through in the image.
#2 is interesting visually, and is almost photojournalistic. You also seem to have captured an out-of-focus bug in the upper right corner.
#3 with the stork is interesting, but it’s not clear what is the connection between the bird in the foreground and the cages in the background. Overall, the image is a little too busy. If the idea was to highlight the bird, then a thinner depth-of-field, centered on the bird, would have been better. From the appearance of the wing feathers, it looks like those were cut so the bird wouldn’t fly.
#4 is interesting, but the image may be stronger if you cropped the top of the image to just above the sun – That would have reduced the appearance of the wires, and focused our attention more strongly on the sun and its reflection in the ditch.
#5 is an interesting fowl, but the background is just too busy and distracting. This is a common mistake, when your attention is on the main subject, and the vantage point chosen doesn’t minimize the distractions.

I assume these were taken during a trip to Asia (since they don’t appear to be typical of BC scenes). You do have the eye for noticing interesting detail, but you need to learn more about using the techniques of photography to draw the attention of the viewer where you want them to look. Remember that the camera sees everything, including the things you didn’t necessarily want to show.

 

[asasn]

awesome thanks so much for the feed back, and yes these were taken during a trip to laos. the large bird was actually in a zoo hence the cages in the back ground. This is a great site thank you all once again def pointed out alot of things =) and sorry for posting so many all at once..=)

 

[baturn]

Not sure at all, but the bird on the ground looks like it might be an eagle fallen from the nest too young to fly. Of your other photos I like the second for the same reasons pgriz mentioned.

 

[Blitz55]

Just curious, if you proclaim yourself new to the site and new to photography. Why say your photos are NOT okay to edit? Don't care either way and my profile doesnt seem to say either because...well Im not sure I ever cared to say so haha...but if someone wants to show you something by doing an edit do you really not want them to do that?

Im just curious...For the record I don't care if someone edits one of mine to show me something, and I need to dig into my profile to say so I guess.


That said, the Bird in #3 is crazy looking. What a bird...did you take any more of it than that? What kind is it?

I guess I have just always thought that those that say DON'T EDIT my photos are those who are well seasoned in taking photos, want crits, but know enough to say don't touch my photo or are taking professional photographs and don't want any altered versions of them floating around out there.

Just curious, no big deal, if you really dont want them edited then that is cool

 

[asasn]

I just figured if I wanted a specific picture edited then I would request it, or some one offered to edit a picture and show me a better way I would be totally ok with it therefore leaving the note of not alloying my pictures to be edited would prevent people from just taking it ..lol if that makes any sense. That was the only picture I took of that specific bird, it is a marabou stork. I shot here and there before never really understanding what or how I was shooting until recently, I've been seriously trying to learn as much as I can. Just browsing through here and seeing how talented some on here are has just driven my passion to another level.