Trains and Coffee

[Foxx]

Hey TPF'ers,

Got a few from the last couple weeks. Summer livin has brought me to some interesting places...Any commets or critique is greatly appreciated!

#1 - Iced Mocha at a coffee shop in downtown atlanta. I think I should have used a smaller aperature

#2 - Freight train(C40-8W) on a slow rumble through the burbs

#3 - A secret spot above my hometown. Our area is relatively flat but there is one "mound" that rises up and gets a good view for miles

#4 - Classic truck for sale on the side of the road. I tried to get some neon signs reflecting off

Any C&C would be lovely! How can I improve my technique on the misty shot?

Thanks for looking! :mrgreen:

 

[Frequency]

My choice is the landscape near your hometown...the patterns are outstanding

 

[The_Traveler]

IMO, your main problem is that you are surrounding your really good shot (#3) with rather average shots and thus diluting its impact.
It is posted a bit small; another way to lessen its impact.

 

[sleist]

#3 is the best by far, but I would lose the top edge. Seeing that far out take away from the shot. Additionally, the shot appears th lean to the right. This may not actually be true, but the clouds and trees make it look that way regardless (to me anyway).

#1 is just a practice shot. Nothing either wrong or special abot it.

#2 is a bit dull. Seems like the lighting is a little too harsh.

#4 makes me want to see the truck/car this name plate is attached to. That would be more interesting than the name plate alone.

 

[alice22]

i dont like criticism just for the sake of it. I like 1 -3, not so interested in 4. I like your ice cubes. Should the whole thing be sharp? Matter of opinion. The train is imposing. The mist is lovely. It might have been better if sharp throughout but only might.

 

[The_Traveler]

i dont like criticism just for the sake of it. I like 1 -3, not so interested in 4. I like your ice cubes. Should the whole thing be sharp? Matter of opinion. The train is imposing. The mist is lovely. It might have been better if sharp throughout but only might.

Interesting statement but completely unclear.
What you said isn't either criticism or critique but just a statement of personal like/dislike.

 

[Foxx]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! I appreciate it all.

IMO, your main problem is that you are surrounding your really good shot (#3) with rather average shots and thus diluting its impact.
It is posted a bit small; another way to lessen its impact.

Sometimes shots I take just stand out to me, and I know they are going to be grade-a, but most of the time I find it hard to discern what people think is a "good" shot. I take pictures because I enjoy the subject I'm shooting and -- though I can relatively tell the quality of my shot *usually* -- I find it tough to pick out what my "killer shot" is. Does this get easier over time? :/

#3 is the best by far, but I would lose the top edge. Seeing that far out take away from the shot. Additionally, the shot appears th lean to the right. This may not actually be true, but the clouds and trees make it look that way regardless (to me anyway)

How's this crop, a bit better?

 

[sleist]

Probably wouldn't go quite that far. It's a good shot. I'd want to remove as little as possible.

Rotating slightly gave me some cropping and allowed me to take less off the top by getting the tree line in the distance level.
Then I cloned out the lights in the distance and the tree in the lower left corner.

 

[The_Traveler]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! I appreciate it all.

IMO, your main problem is that you are surrounding your really good shot (#3) with rather average shots and thus diluting its impact.
It is posted a bit small; another way to lessen its impact.

Sometimes shots I take just stand out to me, and I know they are going to be grade-a, but most of the time I find it hard to discern what people think is a "good" shot. I take pictures because I enjoy the subject I'm shooting and -- though I can relatively tell the quality of my shot *usually* -- I find it tough to pick out what my "killer shot" is. Does this get easier over time? :/

I think that one has to work at being objective about the pictures. Ignore how you feel about the content and assess how the pictures are composed, how the colors works, how they impact the viewer and how they bring a if not unique then interesting, way to look at the subject.

I've never been able to loose all my subjectivity and often post pictures that I like that no one else seems to care for but I try.
This is difficult because passion is what drives my photography and I need to ignore that for some more universal measures.

Lew

 

[sleist]

The ability to self critique is a difficult skill to learn. You can fail at both ends of the spectum - liking a mediocre or flawed shot for personal reasons or being overly concerned with what everyone else thinks is good. Sometimes flaws are what makes a photo interesting, but you need to know what is considered correct by the masses before you can decide when to ignore conformity. There are basic truths and there is subjective creative license and there is a big area of overlap where some times rules can be bent or broken. But people will often disagree in this grey area so one needs to be confident in their vision and be comfortable that not everyone will get it.

And be willing to re-evaluate that vision if no one gets it.

What I find most helpful is to look at other peoples work - lots of it - and get familiar with the feeling you get in your head and your gut when you see something good, something that works. Then you try to look at your own work and see if you get that same feeling. I find that I sometimes need to wait awhile before working on images I've just shot. This helps me get rid of the picture I have in my head and then I only see whats in the image. Not sure that makes sense, but I know it's one reason I don't see flaws that others see instantly.

Time to stop rambling I think.

 

[The_Traveler]

The ability to self critique is a difficult skill to learn. You can fail at both ends of the spectum - liking a mediocre or flawed shot for personal reasons or being overly concerned with what everyone else thinks is good. Sometimes flaws are what makes a photo interesting, but you need to know what is considered correct by the masses before you can decide when to ignore conformity. There are basic truths and there is subjective creative license and there is a big area of overlap where some times rules can be bent or broken. But people will often disagree in this grey area so one needs to be confident in their vision and be comfortable that not everyone will get it.

And be willing to re-evaluate that vision if no one gets it.

What I find most helpful is to look at other peoples work - lots of it - and get familiar with the feeling you get in your head and your gut when you see something good, something that works. Then you try to look at your own work and see if you get that same feeling. I find that I sometimes need to wait awhile before working on images I've just shot. This helps me get rid of the picture I have in my head and then I only see whats in the image. Not sure that makes sense, but I know it's one reason I don't see flaws that others see instantly.

ditto

 

[Foxx]

I find that I sometimes need to wait awhile before working on images I've just shot. This helps me get rid of the picture I have in my head and then I only see whats in the image. Not sure that makes sense, but I know it's one reason I don't see flaws that others see instantly.

ditto

This is great advice I will be taking to heart from now on Thank you both for the words of wisdom!

 

[simvai]

I love the cropped #3! The mood of the picture is just great!