Onslow Beach With My Girls Feel Free To Rip Them Apart

purple_jewels · Dec 10, 2012

These are of my daughters taken on Onslow Beach. What bothers me about 1 is the top of the sun is missing. Please feel free to tell me everything that is wrong with them and if you think anything is right please let me know that too. #3 is a way out there edit of #1. If you want to do any way out or not so way out stuff feel free.

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Demers18 · Dec 10, 2012

I feel kinda bad when you say in your title to rip them apart when I'm going to give critique. But I think/hope this can help you.
I th I the idea is great but your timing is completely off. You could definitely benefit from changing the time of day to either early morning or late afternoon which would help avoid the blown out sun and clouds. The other option would be to use a graduated filter to help reduce the impact of the sun.

purple_jewels · Dec 10, 2012

Thank you Lee for your response. Just time of day I though there was a lot wrong. I just didn't know technically what....it is really cold right now so for kids early morning and late afternoon not really an option right now. I do have those types of shots tho where the sun is just right in the air and the light is amazing. We just went spur of moment. I realize not the best time of day. I know these are not good. Thats why my title says rip them apart. I want to know besides the blown out sun whats wrong. I kind of like them even tho they are bad. I am a little bias they are my kids. Thats why I put them hear so I can hear how bad they are and maybe be talked out of printing them. LOL. I promise I wont cry. I don't have any filters. I take a lot I mean a lot of beach pictures at all times of the day all year round. what is the best filter you can suggest for taking pictures on the beach that wont break the bank but will actually improve my photography and help protect my lens. I googled graduated filter and I am overwhlemed at the options. I need to start doing some research. Thanks for the tip and looking.

joshua_ · Dec 10, 2012

I spent a little time at Onslow beach myself.

Hope you and your family had a fun time out there taking the photos.

I went with the B&W 502 graduated ND. I'm new, so I don't really know all that much. So far though, in my limited practice with this ND, it seems to do what I need it to do.

Semper Fi

pixmedic · Dec 10, 2012

get closer in, or a longer lens. the kids are a very small part of the image. a lot of empty space. they both would have made a better beach shot, with the kids out of the frame. #3 is...well, its just #3. a bit over the top, but you already said it was so...nothing else to add there.

Designer · Dec 10, 2012

Yup, what pixmedic said.

IMO, the first two have a good scene, but the children are not prominent enough.

Try to resist the urge to "spark up" the scene with selective coloring.

frommrstomommy · Dec 10, 2012

I don't have anything to say for the photos but I would just like to say I am jealous of your duty station.. but only for the beach. We are in Yuma.... yeah.

jowensphoto · Dec 10, 2012

I kind of like the first shot. Agree that the subject is too small for the frame.

It almost looks like you were going for some sort of panoramic image. If you have a program that does stitching (there are many free ones, PM me for info if you'd like) you can do this quite easily. You'd be able to include a lot of scenery, but have your subject appear larger. Happy to help if you need it

slow231 · Dec 10, 2012

as for subject size, i think it depends on what you were going for. if you were going for a picture of the kids, yeah it's not so much that. but with the shots as is, I kind of like the size scale of the kids vs the beach. it sells that empty winter beach feeling (especially with the jackets). I would have liked to have the kids a little further in frame though. also because you chose to include the sun, the kids are a bit underexposed and silhouetted. as such I kind of wish they were doing something a bit more distinctive. for instance in #2 you can't really tell what they kids are doing, and for #1 you could have picked a bit more of a distinctive walking silhouette.

purple_jewels · Dec 11, 2012

jowensphoto said:
I kind of like the first shot. Agree that the subject is too small for the frame.

It almost looks like you were going for some sort of panoramic image. If you have a program that does stitching (there are many free ones, PM me for info if you'd like) you can do this quite easily. You'd be able to include a lot of scenery, but have your subject appear larger. Happy to help if you need it

I wasnt really going for a certain sort of image. Well I was actually practing taking shots of my rings on a sea shell. But a panoramic image sounds cool...are you suggesting I stitch some of the shots together to make a wide strip. I have never done any panoramic photography. I looked it up and found that "Panoramic photography is a technique of photography, using specialized equipment or software" well I didn't know that software was involved man I swear I learn 10 new things on this site everyday. I might try somthing with making these into some sort of a panoramic but I may just wait till I can get some better pictures. Thanks for you reply. Oh here is what I was really doin out there

purple_jewels · Dec 11, 2012

pixmedic said:
get closer in, or a longer lens. the kids are a very small part of the image. a lot of empty space. they both would have made a better beach shot, with the kids out of the frame. #3 is...well, its just #3. a bit over the top, but you already said it was so...nothing else to add there.[/QUO

Yep I agree 100%.

purple_jewels · Dec 11, 2012

frommrstomommy said:
I don't have anything to say for the photos but I would just like to say I am jealous of your duty station.. but only for the beach. We are in Yuma.... yeah.

We will be on our way to TX soon. I will miss the Beach

nycphotography · Dec 11, 2012

In the first one... the sun being cropped as you noted is a deal breaker. Plus, the walker is in an awkward part of the stride with the trailing leg. Not really printable or dispalyable (or fixable) to my taste.

In the second one, the line of clouds somehow works better, you have the full sun, and the people are doing something fun. This is the one I'd work on.

First, the exposure is the typical "midday washed out sky" shot you get from auto exposure metering. I see you as having two ways you can go from here. Stark and bleak... wash it out, convert to b&w and see what you can get out of it. Or something like you tried... darker and richer.

For darker and richer... if you have the raw, I'd knock it down 2-3 stops and try to warm it somewhat in the initial conversion. I probably wouldn't crop it, because the clouds would be cropped on the left where they get feathery and interesting. But i'd try a crop and compare before and after to decide.

It seems you focused on the beach in your post, but I would focus on the sky instead. I'd work on contrast, brightness and levels to bring out the sun and the sky, force the silhouettes to black, letting the beach do whatever it wants, but aiming for rich tones and moody contrast.