Newbie w/ some photos

[robb01]

Just wanted to say hi, been lurking here for a while. Just purchased a new camera last week and have taken a few shots, here are my faves so far. Any critiques are welcome.

 

[Rudha]

In #3 i think there's a lot of empty space especially to the left i would shoot it head on with some bricks to the left but that's just me try all sorts of angles, perspectives and what not lol
the other two don't do much for me. keep shooting :thumbup:

 

[KmH]

Any critiques are welcome.

Did you use the camera's monocolor mode, just de-saturate a color photo, or convert a color photo using an image editor? It's somewhat underexposed and a bit short on contrast, particularly the mid-tones which add a sense of depth.

The sky makes up almost exactly 1/2 the photo almost making it seem to be 2 photos squished together. One of the visual composition guidelines, the rules of thirds, would suggest the photo could be made stronger if it had only 1/3 sky and 2/3 landscape. (Because of the border I didn't crop my edit.)
The diagonal line the dam makes adds a nice sense of movement and acts as a leading line drawing the viewers eye into the photo. You've included enough frame on the left to give the water somewhere to flow to, completing that chapter of the story.

I used Photoshop, increased the exposure 3/4 of a stop, straightened the photo, adjusted the mid-tone contrast a couple of ways, sharpened it lightly, and did some dodge and burn here and there. I left the border so you could see how much out of level the camera was (0.9º CW):

Good composition. The walkway is a leading line, the building is framed in the scene in rough 1/3rds. The problems are the buildings roof being the same color as the sky and some distracting elements on the right side of the photo.

A slight crop top and right, and a vignette help somewhat to separate the building's roof from the sky.

Centering a main subject works best with a square or nearly square frame. Othewise, an image feels less dynamic.

Tough photo. I didn't like any of the edits I tried, though I did like a square crop that lost the light, with the door offset somewhat to the upper right. I also got rid of the electrical conduit on the wall.

 

[traylorc]

KMH...thanks for taking the time to provide the OP some C&C. The critiques you provided for each pic were very informative.

 

[robb01]

Thanks KMH, incredibly helpful. :thumbup: