Some photos in Pittsburgh

[angel opportunity]

I've been in and out of photography for most of my life but never really got serious with it. I've always had this issue where I feel like it's either a boring "I pointed my camera/phone at a thing and pressed the button" or trying way too hard to make it a photo that is not like that, e.g. taking photos from extreme angles of a puddle. I'm trying agin now that I got a new camera, and I'm running into the same issues again.

I have an a6300 with a 35mm f/1.8 lens, and I keep getting overly tempted to take advantage of that shallow depth of field. In a number of the pictures I'm posting below, I'm pretty sure there's not enough going to make the photos really interesting, and the shallow depth of field is basically a crutch to make them look superficially good.

Photo of wife, kid, and dog. The lighting seems mostly good in this one, but I think I could have framed it better.

I had a few other shots like this without the out of focus gate in the foreground. I felt this one was stronger by a hair, and I mostly want to know if the gate thing is just too heavy handed. I suspect it is. Without it, the shot felt just a bit too flat.

Caught some falling snow and good light/shadow, but it still feels like there isn't enough clear focus on this one. The tree is fairly obviously the main subject, but it looks too flat and samey as the background and isn't really popping enough. I think this is one where I actually should have a shallower depth of field to make it stand out more?

I was fairly happy with this one. The guy standing there being all black isn't ideal, and it wasn't possible for the road and the buildings to both be "level," so I made the road lines straight while the buildings are tilted a bit. I feel like the exposure or some element in processing might have been off with this one. When I checked it in B/W I didn't see enough "blackest black" and "whitest white" going on but couldn't get it fixed in processing.

Any harsh feedback is appreciated

 

[jcdeboever]

Nothing harsh here. I think the first one is best because you are invested in it. Try looking for things that interest you. Then try to present it in a way that's creative. For example, I like reflections in windows as they offer natural abstraction and can be interesting. Often times I will close down the aperture to get more things in focus and maybe adjust the EC to either bring up or darken the shadows. IMO, DOF is a slippery slope that can either enhance an image or often kill it, seems to me it often kills a potential good shot when the subject is out of focus. If your lens has DOF marks on it, try to understand how that works for your particular lens. You can also practice framing with simple objects with attention to the rule of thirds. Additionally, when your out walking around, look at the light, how does it affect the subject your thinking of capturing. Does the light define line, does it offer contrast, does it sculpt a shape, does it cast interesting shadow?

 

[OldManJim]

On your last image....it's Pittsburgh! Nothing is level..

 

[F5 Penguin]

I would love to comment on Pittsburgh photos.
I don't because since rejoining photography forums I have found it appears some people just want to ask a question and get a response. They make 1 post asking their question and don't return to even say thanks. If you aren't prepared to give me your time, I sure ain't prepared to give you mine.

 

[waday]

I’m loving the first one.

Your wife and you child are looking at you, the dog at them. This would totally be a keeper for me.

The only thing I’d do is crop it a little to remove the stop sign, and maybe edit slightly.

 

[angel opportunity]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I haven't had enough time to take more photos, but I agree the first one is best. I want to keep practicing so I can take good photos of stuff other than people. Hopefully when my kid isn't so little and I can take him around with me more I'll have more chance to.