Unedited photos, critique please?

[g_lin]

I wanted to start by getting critique on some of my photos before I mess with them. I figure I should figure out how to shoot as good as possible and then I'll have less work to do after. Plus I also like film so that requires some skill while shooting. So here are a few of my early shots, please let me know what you think Any advice on improving my camera skills & also how I could (if I should) fix these in photoshop is more than welcome.
The first one I took with the camera facing me so I could get my cat's face in the picture. He felt it was necessary to join the guinea pig in my lap. I know the shot is a little blurry since I held the camera at arms length.. Advice on indoor shots? I'm more accustomed to outdoor and my house has terrible lighting. Sometimes the flash turns out ok but I don't really like to use it pointed directly at the animals' faces..

This is my mom's crazy kitten who rarely stays still unless she watching T.V. or on the computer. I have a million more pictures of her because she's as adorable as she is rambunctious.

Here is our rescue Great Dane. Personally, I like the reflection in the wood floor in this picture.

I took a bunch of pictures of the hawk that eats in my backyard but I didn't even get a chance to catch him/her in flight:/..

This one looks dirty because I took it through a dirty (impossible to reach) window so as not to disturb the hawk's meal. Of course he still heard the shutter and posed for the camera as usual. Any advice on how to clear this picture up? I like these shots but they're so difficult to see and so dirty. I currently have photoshop..

 

[Braineack]

Any advice on improving my camera skills & also how I could (if I should) fix these in photoshop is more than welcome.

I suggest you focus more on the improving camera skills, and worry about photoshop later. Although the last could be saved, shot through a window?

 

[Bossy]

What are you shooting with?

 

[g_lin]

Yes, a very dirty window. I had to climb on a ladder and lean to get that angle.

These are all on my Nikon D5100.

Sent from my RM-893_nam_tmous_201 using Tapatalk

 

[Bossy]

Lens and settings?

 

[Derrel]

I would keep shots simple, with minimal background distractions, and work on getting good timing on shots. Maybe read a book or two on how to get better photos, and see if there are a few tips you could assimilate into your photography. Rome was not built in a day. it can take a while to get "good" at photography. The second shot, of the bob-eared cat for example...crop off some of the right hand side...make it "closer". Same with the shot of the gray dog...all the stuff on the left hand side? That is empty or "dead" space...avoid that kind of useless empty space, maybe move over to the left, then swing the camera to the right, and fill up the frame with JUST the dog on its rug. I totally "get" the shot of the hawk with the feathers of its last meal surrounding it...ANY shot is better than no shot in a case like that.

 

[BillM]

And watch your focal points, in the crazy cat photo I first thought it was full of motion blur but the foreground is in focus but the cat is not. Using single point continuous focus right now might help get you used to landing that focal point on the subject.

For Great Danes you will need to learn about aperture and it's affects on depth of field, you need a lot of depth to get one of those in a picture. Having 2 of them I know this problem well. And thank you for rescuing, they are amazing dogs that love being with people.

Keep asking questions and keep shooting, that is how you learn :thumbup:


And I believe that is a Northern Harrier, I have a few that love keeping an eye on my bird feeders. Looking for a snack of their own.

 

[limr]

I would keep shots simple, with minimal background distractions, and work on getting good timing on shots. Maybe read a book or two on how to get better photos, and see if there are a few tips you could assimilate into your photography. Rome was not built in a day. it can take a while to get "good" at photography. The second shot, of the bob-eared cat for example...crop off some of the right hand side...make it "closer". Same with the shot of the gray dog...all the stuff on the left hand side? That is empty or "dead" space...avoid that kind of useless empty space, maybe move over to the left, then swing the camera to the right, and fill up the frame with JUST the dog on its rug. I totally "get" the shot of the hawk with the feathers of its last meal surrounding it...ANY shot is better than no shot in a case like that.

All of this. ^^^ It can be crazy-making to start worrying about lenses, settings, depth of field, etc, and you can spend so much time making something technically correct that you forget about the actual framing of the picture. What do you want to include? What do you want to exclude? I'd say look to your composition first, and then as the need arises, start addressing the other issues.

For example, the second picture and the fourth pictures have better composition and even though they have technical flaws, they are more compelling than the other two which seem to be framed as just quick snapshots to record a moment for yourself, but no one else will be invested in the image. These shots seem to have potential - technical flaws are forgiven (to a point) when the picture has better composition and the subject is compelling. It's better to have that than the opposite: a technically perfect shot that is poorly composed and has a non-compelling subject.

Once you get used to the kind of framing or composition that is more interesting, then that's when you might realize what gaps in your technical skills you are ready to address. For example, let's say you knew that the door frame behind the cat in the second picture would be a distracting background element but you can't avoid it. Suddenly, you've created a reason for you to learn about aperture settings and depth of field so you can blur the background and lessen its impact. It becomes a bit easier to learn this skill - it sticks in your head more easily because now it's connected to a specific experience/memory.