Some new photos for CC please!

Ethang · Nov 21, 2011

Hey everyone! I am new to this forum so i thought I'd start this post with a brief bio. So last year I took a short photography class in school were we used nikon d3000 and I really liked it, I had taken pictures before on vacations with point and shoot but I never really got that into before this. So at the end of June I finally got my first dslr, the nikon d3000 with its kit lens. Then in July I went away to camp (a month lost in photography terms) but anyway I got back home and started photography again. I am still really newbish but I find that I am slowly improving. About a month ago I got my first new lens (away from the kit) the tamron 70-300 VC, which i really enjoy using. Whenever I post images constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated so I can learn to get better, and please don't lie or sugar coat it, I really want to hear what you think about my images, but also please dont be negative without telling me how to improve. Anyway this weekend I went on a small nature trail with my little borther and sister and took some photos using my 70-300 VC, CC would be greatly appreciated

Re-Edited Images

DSC_0027 by Ethang13, on Flickr

DSC_0037 by Ethang13, on Flickr

DSC_0196 by Ethang13, on Flickr

DSC_0219 by Ethang13, on Flickr

DSC_0199 by Ethang13, on Flickr

DSC_0184 by Ethang13, on Flickr

DSC_0151-EDIT by Ethang13, on Flickr

DSC_0089 (1) by Ethang13, on Flickr

DSC_0144 (1) by Ethang13, on Flickr

I Re-edited the images after hearing CC.

Also if you have time if you can check out my other photos and CC on them that would be greatly appreciated, Flickr: Ethang13's Photostream . Thanks so much in advance,
Ethan Gelman

MTVision · Nov 21, 2011

Most people aren't going to follow links.

Flickr
Click on the photo you want to post. Above it will be a share button. Click on that and choose grab the HTML/bbcode. Make sure you choose the bbcode. Copy it and paste it right here

Ethang · Nov 21, 2011

Thanks megan, I updated the post!

tirediron · Nov 21, 2011

A few too many for detailed critique, however here are some "highlight" thoughts.

1. What's the subject?

2. Too busy; try to in tight on one bird.

3. Too centred, as per #2.

4. Subject slightly under-exposed; tighter crop needed.

5. Cute. Avoid cropping limbs. Disembodied fingers don't add a lot.

6. Subjects significantly under-exposed.

7. Cropped rear paws; the stick image right is in an "awkward" location.

8. Open up a little more, avoid cropping whiskers.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

Ethang · Nov 21, 2011

^ thanks for you CC, I greatly appreciate it and I re-edited the images to try to make them look better after hearing you CC.
1 (now 2) its of leaves on a cool tree, no edit there
2. (now 8) I really wanted to keep both birds so I just did a titer crop with each bird in a corner of the photo following the rule of thirds- kinda
3. (now 7) completely re-cropped, re-white balances, and I tried to "smoothen out" the rough bokeh in photoshop elements (i do most of my editing in aperture)
4. (Now 9) re-cropped and re-exposure fixed.
5. (now 3) nothing really to do here PP wise, I'll really try to look at how i'm cropping my images as I take them next time. It'll be tough, with things like this you know them before you go out to shoot but when you actually have a camera in your hand its all forgotten, definetly somthing I'm going to have to work on, especially in candid shots like this were you have to take the photo as it happens without directing the subjects.
6. (now 1) Well i tried to go for a "look" there but I think it failed. I tried to fix the exposure a bit to see if that helps.
7. (now 4) I tried in elements to clone stamp the stick out, it looked horrendous so i just kept it as is.
8 ( now 6) Like 3 nothing left to do PP wise

Thanks again for the advice everyone!

Ethang · Nov 22, 2011

Another re-edit!

bazooka · Nov 22, 2011

I saw no originals so I'm commenting on what I see right now.... briefly too as you have so many posted that I spend the amount of time that I normally would critiquing each image. It's best to post 1-3 images. Good detailed critique takes time and thought.

#1 Firstly, there are people standing but they are so close to the bottom of the frame, they don't have much to stand on. Seeing a bit more ground would be appropriate. Even with ground, it wouldn't work as is because it's too complicated. However, imagine the same image without the bench, and the two people (I think?) on the left. It's just the chick on the right surrounded by color alone in the woods. That would be a much more effective (and simple!) shot.

#2 A bit underexposed, most likely because your meter saw mostly white tree trunk and compensated. Read up on metering to understand why. I'd explain, but too many more pics to comment on... I like that you framed the leaves against the trunk to make them stand out. A worthy effort, but I'm afraid it still doesn't make a solid image. The leaves are dark and lifeless, where as the background is bright and the sky is quite blue. All attention is being drawn away from the subject.

#3 Really nice soft light coming from the front, and hard sunlight as hair light. The composition is a little tight on the right side. It's strange that I can see most of the girl on the left who is looking down, but cannot see much of the girl on the right. On top of that, she is out of focus, whereas the girl who is looking down is sharp. The opposite would be preferred, or better yet, stop down a bit and get them both in focus. Still, great light on this one.

#4 Your cropping off part of the cat unnecessarily. The cat's eye is covered by a leaf. And worst of all, there is a huge stick protruding unexpectedly into the frame. And how about the piece of trash directly in front of the cat? As a photo maker, you have to train yourself to not be soooo locked onto the subject (the cat's left eye, camera right, in this case) that you miss looking at the entire image in the viewfinder.

#5 More of the same... cat's paw and tail are chopped needlessly. Cat's pose isn't really flattering.... eyes half closed. Who is that standing behind the cat and why did you include them in the shot? That is a rhetorical question. I already know the answer, and it isn't good.

#6 Generally, you want eyes on or near the upper-third line for a normal portrait of just about anything. This will usually give the appropriate headroom. Also, you're only showing enough of the cat's right eye for it to be creepy. Shoot a profile, or let's see both eyes. Don't do in between.

#7 Classic example of having a background that is brighter than the subject. You could either use your own light on the subject, perhaps reflect some light, and/or move your position so you have something much darker relative to the subject. The composition is not bad although I would have moved around the tree a little more to the left to get more of the birds feet.

#8 There's just too much going on here... very similar to #1. The bright blue of the feeder/house thing, the white cross-hatch mesh in the background, the wire mesh at the bottom of the frame, the unidentified thing hanging from the hook.... oh, there are birds in the image? Simplify, simplify, simplify!!!! In my opinion, one of the best things a beginner can focus on to instantly improve their images is to drastically reduce the number of "things" in the image, whether it be subjects, lines, colors, shapes, textures. Simplifying is an easy way to make more 'solid' images. I'm not saying all great images are simple, but when starting out, you need to train your brain to simplify. Look at the edges of the frame. Look at the background. Look at the colors. Look at the areas of high brightness and low brightness.

#uhh.... #9, lost count. This is the best of the bunch. Why? Well, mostly because it's simple! One clear subject.

Also, it flows well. Notice how the main branch and the background branch of the same color almost mirror each other. This is good. If that branch had been going in the other direction, it would have made a mess. You also have another smaller leafy branch on the right that is also going in the same direction, creating this strong bottom right to top left flow, leading me to the subject.

Exposure levels are a little wonky though... subject is a bit dark, and the background is a bit bright. But this is hands-down the strongest image of the group.

thereyougo! · Nov 22, 2011

OP, please don't edit the originals in the first post. There are two reasons for this, we can't see where you started from, plus some of us might not agree with a suggestion made by another (as is so often the case here). Simply reply to your own post with your new edit then we can see the progression and it will make sense to people. If in the second post someone memtions something and you edit the first post this will make no sense to anyone else. Lastly, don't post so many! People post here in their own time and it's best to post 3 max or else you'll just overwhelm people and end up with little CC

I'll comment on a few.

In no1 I can't see what the people are looking at, and I can't see their faces so I can't connect to this photo at all. I have seen very few photos where seeing people's backs actually works.
In 3,4 and 5 you've cut off part of your subjects. You needed to be shooting wider in 3 the girl on the left is looking at something but we can't see what she is looking at as you're too tight on her.
In 6 if you are going to use portrait orientation the cat needs to be looking AT you. It can work if you are shooting in landscape if you give the cat some space to look into.
In 8, I'm not sure if both birds are sharply in focus. It's a bit busy, the two birds appear to be interacting but the scene is too cluttered.

by all means make edits but include them in the remainder of the thread.

ETA: It would help if you'd resize these a bit bigger. Maybe to 800 on the longest. Mine are sized at 1024 on largest, that way we can see more and comment better.

thereyougo! · Nov 22, 2011

Ethang said:
^ thanks for you CC, I greatly appreciate it and I re-edited the images to try to make them look better after hearing you CC.
1 (now 2) its of leaves on a cool tree, no edit there
2. (now 8) I really wanted to keep both birds so I just did a titer crop with each bird in a corner of the photo following the rule of thirds- kinda
3. (now 7) completely re-cropped, re-white balances, and I tried to "smoothen out" the rough bokeh in photoshop elements (i do most of my editing in aperture)
4. (Now 9) re-cropped and re-exposure fixed.
5. (now 3) nothing really to do here PP wise, I'll really try to look at how i'm cropping my images as I take them next time. It'll be tough, with things like this you know them before you go out to shoot but when you actually have a camera in your hand its all forgotten, definetly somthing I'm going to have to work on, especially in candid shots like this were you have to take the photo as it happens without directing the subjects.
6. (now 1) Well i tried to go for a "look" there but I think it failed. I tried to fix the exposure a bit to see if that helps.
7. (now 4) I tried in elements to clone stamp the stick out, it looked horrendous so i just kept it as is.
8 ( now 6) Like 3 nothing left to do PP wise

Thanks again for the advice everyone!

This illustrates my point very clearly. Please don't renumber them again! Just add you later edits in the same order. It's confusing enough when you put 9 shots on, let alone when you keep shuffling the order!
Thanks!