What are your thoughts? - First Photo

Russell.Photos · Jul 7, 2019

I've been interested in photography for a few years and have began using my first professional camera, a Fujifilm X-T2, over the last few months. I would appreciate your thoughts and criticisms of this photograph.

480sparky · Jul 7, 2019

Well, time to be brutally honest.

It's a snapshot.

The kids are wearing very colorful clothing, and that's about all the image has going for it. Overall, it has a red tint. Even the green trees are reddish. Neither child is engaging the viewer as they are both distracted. The background is overly busy with houses, terraces, a utility pole with signs on it, and the tall tree growing out of one child's head. And the garden hose running under their legs and the cardboard one of them is sitting on. The crop has cut their feet off. While probably not wearing 'traditional' shoes (I doubt Velcro is), they're cut off at the feet.

I'm not saying, "Hey, forget about photography.... you're a failure". I'm saying, "OK, you have a camera and have posted an image you want critiqued. Here's what you need to work on......". Don't take it wrong, take it as a learning experience.

Rseider · Jul 7, 2019

I agree with the above poster regarding the fact that the photograph has a red tint. The candid nature of this photograph does not bother me much as it looks just like kids being kids. This, in my opinion, has the potential to be a very nice shot. So, I'll offer some constructive criticism and totally realize you are new and please know that you can feel free to message me if you need any help. In addition to the red tint, the child on the left is a tad out of focus. I also see what the above poster said about the feet being cut off. If you were to retake this shot, I would make sure you can see the feet of both children. Photoshop, for example, should be able to fix the red tint and make your greens greener and all. I'm an advocate for shooting in Raw vs. Jpg (or both at once) if your camera allows that. It gives you more options in post processing. If you've cut something off, however, that's where the image cannot be fixed without retaking it. Overall, check your whitebalance (I am going to assume this was during the day so if you have a daylight setting that might do the trick or custom setting kelvin degrees...totally feel free to message me on this if you need some help), your focus, and ensure you are not cutting anything off. I am totally not trying to be a jerk here. Just trying to help/offer some tips. Here if you need me! Keep shooting!!! =)

Russell.Photos · Jul 7, 2019

Thank you both for the criticism. It is exactly what I was looking for. I seek it in the hopes of getting better as time moves on. I was aware about the children's feet before I posted, but otherwise your comments are very helpful to me.

Since I do not know the way that this forum operates, can I upload a separate photo for criticism here or do I need to create a new thread?

Russell.Photos · Jul 7, 2019

Also, I noticed that the sharpness of the photo was reduced upon being uploaded. Do you have an idea of why that is?

K9Kirk · Jul 7, 2019

If you were simply trying to capture the moment you did that. As mentioned, it's just a snapshot. You have a picture of two children in what looks like traditional garb in what I assume is their home setting. It's a fine picture for your memories and the colors in their clothes looks amazing (Thailand???) but if you are looking for pics that serve more purposes than just for memories sake then I recommend you take some type of photography class, whether it be free or not if you want to improve. You can always just accumulate knowledge and do research online as you go to improve your pics but that will take more time but learning by your mistakes can be a good thing, it's how most people learn. The first thing that jumped out at me is the strong red hue through out the picture, then came the things previously mentioned but I personally don't mind a pic where people aren't looking at the camera, I like to see them acting natural sometimes vs. posing but pics with both is a plus. If I may suggest, find a professional pic and 'study it' for awhile. Try to see every little thing in that picture that made it great and then when you take your own you can do some mimicking for a much better pic. GL!

Russell.Photos · Jul 7, 2019

Perhaps I'll take a course at some point in the future. It is a good idea, though I'm going back to school beginning in the Fall so I'd have to sort out the timing. The photo was taken in Vietnam.

I don't know how disciplined that I'll become practicing photography as an art form, but I am definitely enjoying it as a good excuse to check out new places at the moment.

If anyone has the time, here are four other photos that I'm curious about. I think that the first is overexposed along the top ridge line of the temple. The third picture might have too much shadow? It seems to me that the fourth photo depicts some of the lanterns having a muted brightness. I was finding it difficult to balance the shine of the lanterns in relationship to lightening the foreground with the woman. Again, the sharpness seems to not be as crisp all of the photos as what I have saved to my computer.

Dragon & Buddha - Chiang Mai - October, 2018 copy.webp

Derrel · Jul 7, 2019

Your second batch of photos shows us more of your skill than the first. Softness upon uploading..might be due to size reduction. A photo that is fairly large in display size, like say 1,800 pixels wide, will tend to look a bit "soft" if it is uploaded and then reduced in display size...sharpening for wed display is a science and and art...if YOU can see an unsharpness, consider reducing the display size of your images, and experiment with how much shapening you apply to your JPEGS before they are uploaded.

My twobiggest complaints about your first image: 1) cropped-off feet. 2) overall color cast

JonFZ300 · Jul 7, 2019

The first one has the obvious problems mentioned above but if you shoot raw you can fix it and make it better. I'm certainly not an expert but I opened your pic in camera raw, clicked auto white balance, then opened in photoshop and removed the pole on the right and the one coming out of the girl's head and crop the velcro out. It took 2 minutes.

The second set of 4 are better images. The first one seems to have a yellow cast and blown highlights in the sky. The second one I'd crop so it's just the dragon and the woman. The third one looks a little underexposed but OK. The 4th one could be great. A wider angle where her legs aren't cut off would help and I know the blue on the woman and the lanterns on the right was really there but it's distracting. Those are my decidedly unqualified thoughts... lol

My advice is remember that critique is subjective. Even the established "rules" of photography are subjective. If you like your images, be happy. If you don't, share your thoughts on why you don't like it and go from there.

480sparky · Jul 7, 2019

I really like the last one of your second set.

However, you cut someone off again. This is how I would have framed the scene:

(Unless there was something in the lower part of the scene that simply wouldn't have worked.)

I'd also try cloning out the person sitting in the background along with the water bottle.

vintagesnaps · Jul 7, 2019

And walk around, move around, change your vantage point. 'Put' things where you want them in the frame by moving yourself around.

The first one might have been better with the camera flipped into a vertical position, and moving more to the right. Takes practice to get good at doing all that quickly/efficiently.

The last scene could make for more than one potential photograph. I like seeing all the lanterns, but different vantage points might have moved/hidden that guy and his legs (although that can be challenging framing shots at events, etc.). Maybe shot from the right he would've been behind the lower yellow and blue lanterns; then get another shot of the signage just with lanterns, etc. The camera's meter may have been reading the light from the lanterns and the woman is in a darker area; you might need to adjust a stop but I would expect she's not going to be as bright as all those lighted lanterns (the light is behind her more than hitting her).