Some of my best photos

Raf616 · Nov 30, 2008

Hi. I'm not consider myself as a "beginner", but after the photos I have seen at this forum, I think that my shots are not so good as I thought. In a few days I will have a new camera, and I will be able to do better photos. The shots I post are taken with a HP Photosmart M627. Please, comment my photos, tell me what I can do to improve my shots and more things

A cat looking from the window

OldClicker · Nov 30, 2008

I like the concept. To me you need to work on the leaf in front of its face and the reflection line going down the middle of its face. Unless it's your window, you would just have to wait for a better opportunity with the leaf. The reflection may go away with a polarized filter. - TF

Raf616 · Nov 30, 2008

Raf616 · Nov 30, 2008

This photo was taken in the village of Chaves, Portugal

OldClicker · Nov 30, 2008

Interesting. Wild Mallard with a harem of tame ducks?

The focus appears to be on the strip of grass just in front of the camera, not on the ducks.

I see nothing interesting in the grass and would crop the photo just under and just to the left of the ducks.

TF

Raf616 · Nov 30, 2008

I thought It would be nicer if the ducks were in the upper side of the screen, and see the grass with the mode "macro".

Another shot:

Two Beetles

ACTURY · Nov 30, 2008

Nice Beetles Shot!

Bigpopa · Nov 30, 2008

I so want the one in the back ....sorry I love old bugs....

OldClicker · Nov 30, 2008

I think this is a really nice shot, but you asked for improvements, right? Anything you can do to clean up the background would be a big help - especially that big green thing. If the green thing and the other car were out of there and the DOF were reduced enough to blur the building, the entire photo would concentrate on the two beetles. - TF

Raf616 · Dec 1, 2008

Thank you... but, What can I do if the big green thing and the car were there at the moment of the shot? OK, It's right that the photo would be better if that things weren't there, but, I prefer take a photo as in that moment was, I'm not a very good friend of Photoshop, I prefer naturallity, I hope you'll undestand me. Another thing, please, can you explain me what is DOF? Remember that i'm spanish, and I don't know the meaning of this acronym.

Thanks for your comments

Raf616 · Dec 1, 2008

In this photo, I've added a sunset effect. Do you like it? ...or is it too much red?

Porsche 356 Super 1600

a_spaceman · Dec 1, 2008

DoF means depth of field. it basically refers to the depth of the area that's in focus.
lovelt composition on the beetles one. i very much like the porsche one, too. very... red!
i know you said you're not much into photoshop but in this last one some color edit may bring out some very interesting shades.

OldClicker · Dec 1, 2008

Raf616 said:
Thank you... but, What can I do if the big green thing and the car were there at the moment of the shot? OK, It's right that the photo would be better if that things weren't there, but, I prefer take a photo as in that moment was, I'm not a very good friend of Photoshop, I prefer naturallity, I hope you'll undestand me. Another thing, please, can you explain me what is DOF? Remember that i'm spanish, and I don't know the meaning of this acronym.

Thanks for your comments

I completely understand that most of the time things are not under our control, but I keep reminding myself to watch the background. I am very new to photography and teaching MYSELF to 'see' is my main motive for critiquing.

Sorry, DOF is Depth of Field or how much of the forground and background is in focus. In this case, a 'shallow' (very little) DOF would leave the background more blurred and less of a distraction.

TF

Raf616 · Dec 1, 2008

What I should do to get the blurred background? The problem is that if I put the camera in macro mode, the red and white car will appear a little blurred too, and I want it appears clearly, so...
Another thing is that those photos are taken with a compact digital camera, so I can't do a lot of variations in the options, you know.

Raf616 · Dec 1, 2008

A very nice shot in my opinion, of the Hercules's Tower in the city of A Coruña. This photo is absolutely original, there is no correction of colour, contrast, or anything.