Who gives?

[tevo]

Perhaps it would be a good idea to post some shots and tell us why you feel they are lacking. And Imagemaker is right "Photographs or art will never please everyone" and some people just don't understand what you are trying to show them. Intent is not obvious sometimes. Keep shooting.

flickr.com/theofficialtevo

 

[pgriz]

Seems to me that if you want to "pull people in", you need something they will react emotionally to. Lots of time, it's people watching or reacting to other people. To make it easier to understand, if you also have a subject reacting emotionally to an event or object or person, then you've given your viewer the "trigger" that evoked the emotion, and a subject that is showing that emotion. This becomes a three-way thing: our reaction to the trigger, the subject's reaction to the trigger, and our reaction to the subject's reaction.

 

[tevo]

Seems to me that if you want to "pull people in", you need something they will react emotionally to. Lots of time, it's people watching or reacting to other people. To make it easier to understand, if you also have a subject reacting emotionally to an event or object or person, then you've given your viewer the "trigger" that evoked the emotion, and a subject that is showing that emotion. This becomes a three-way thing: our reaction to the trigger, the subject's reaction to the trigger, and our reaction to the subject's reaction.

That makes a lot of sense! However, I don't shoot people most of the time.. but I'll keep that for sure

 

[DiskoJoe]

where are the pics? its hard to understand why you cannot connect when you are not giving us anything to see.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

Part of the problem many beginners have, is that they get so wrapped up in the technical aspect of things that the actual subject or scene in front of them, takes a back seat to that. They are more interested in getting a shallow DOF portrait, or a really vivid shot, or trails of car lights or HDR or whatever. In reality you should be focused on the subject and scene first. If there is nothing of interest, then there is no shot, no matter what. I liken it to a great guitarist in a band. He can shred face-melting solos all day long, but at the end of the day, if the song he is playing on sucks, nobody cares. Its all about the overall composition. This is why many people recommend starting with a simple point and shoot camera, because then its all about the shot, not the fancy camera or the bells and whistles. Don't over think it or try to over dramatize things. If you see something cool or that evokes emotion, that's when you pause to figure out the absolute best way to capture that. There may be times that you go out to shoot and you end up with nothing. You can force something by shooting everything in sight, but it ends up being just rubbish. I would rather take one great shot a month, than 100 boring and sub-par shots a week.

Also, I should note, that this becomes a little different if you want to do things like weddings, because then you have to learn to shoot on the fly and polish no matter what you are given to make the best of it. Even with that though, there are the great shots, and the "this is all there was to work with shots."

 

[imagemaker46]

I took a look at the link that was posted and there are some very nice images there, you may be overly critical of yourself, which happens to everyone. Subject matter does make the difference, but it still comes down personal taste. You have a shot of a cat on there that I really like, it is composed very well, background is great. For people that like cats they will like it, for people that don't like cats, will see it as a nice picture of a cat. Creating the perfect image is something that everyone strives for, but doesn't always achieve, don't stop working towards it, but don't let yourself get bent out of shape.

 

[tevo]

@Goonies those two shots were 100% intentional, thats not what I'm talking about - however I see your point, and it is good advice.

Sorry about the no-actual-link to the flickr, I'm on an iPhone.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

I apologize, I did not see the link to your Flickr. The biggest problem I see with these ( and not all of them, there are some good shots there ) is composition. Just a few examples:

The Marlboro shot -The cigarette butt is such a small piece of that shot and almost unrecognizable.

The Audio Mixer - I don't think the subject is recognizable enough the way it is shot. And if you are going for abstract, I don't feel its abstract enough, its sort of somewhere in limbo. It would have been better to possibly get some of the lettering on the board (PAN, EQ, etc ) by shooting at a different angle, and possibly some of the faders in the shot. Even if they were slightly OOF while the pegs were sharpest, I think it would have worked better.

The kitten crawling between grass and rock - The shot could use a little less space at the top of the shot.

The two kittens on the chair - The human legs in the background ruin it, but aside from that, had you shot from a lower perspective so that you were eye level with the kats, and a little tighter, I think the shapes of the chair and the kittens would have worked much better.

The Rooftop Graffiti - Nothing says "rooftop" about this shot aside from your title. If you need a title to dictate to a viewer what they are looking at, that should be an indicator right away that either the description you wish to convey isn't that important to the shot, or you failed to compose the shot in a matter that told that story. Much tighter shot on the graffiti and concrete wall would have been much cleaner and more effective IMO.

To me the best shots are,

1) The gray cat.

2) the orange kitten that needs a little taken off the top (see above )

3) the old red truck at the car show. ( If you could have shot a little wider and got the back of the truck with the full Chevrolet emblem, I think that shot would have been great.



So, to help with making shots the most interesting as they can be, focus on the composition and framing of a shot. Get low. Don't shoot everything from standing up and looking downwards. Don't include useless clutter in a shot, whether it be the side of a bridge or walkway you are shooting from ( The HOLY HDR shot ) or too much clutter around your subject (The Roof Top ) , refrain from always shooting from a high angle (Kittens on a chair, Cafe ) Watch your backgrounds. Imagine if you are shooting a piece of furniture that is just a tad retro looking but not too much. If you include a bunch of crap around the subject ( lets say a cordless phone on a side table next to the chair ) that automatically puts the subject into context to the viewer that it is a modern faux-vintage style couch. This may be good if thats your intention. However, if you remove the phone and just leave the table ( or shoot from another angle to exclude the phone ) you now leave the viewer room to interpret that shot however they want. Composition, framing and angles make or break shots.

 

[tevo]

I apologize, I did not see the link to your Flickr. The biggest problem I see with these ( and not all of them, there are some good shots there ) is composition. Just a few examples:

The Marlboro shot -The cigarette butt is such a small piece of that shot and almost unrecognizable.

The Audio Mixer - I don't think the subject is recognizable enough the way it is shot. And if you are going for abstract, I don't feel its abstract enough, its sort of somewhere in limbo. It would have been better to possibly get some of the lettering on the board (PAN, EQ, etc ) by shooting at a different angle, and possibly some of the faders in the shot. Even if they were slightly OOF while the pegs were sharpest, I think it would have worked better.

The kitten crawling between grass and rock - The shot could use a little less space at the top of the shot.

The two kittens on the chair - The human legs in the background ruin it, but aside from that, had you shot from a lower perspective so that you were eye level with the kats, and a little tighter, I think the shapes of the chair and the kittens would have worked much better.

The Rooftop Graffiti - Nothing says "rooftop" about this shot aside from your title. If you need a title to dictate to a viewer what they are looking at, that should be an indicator right away that either the description you wish to convey isn't that important to the shot, or you failed to compose the shot in a matter that told that story. Much tighter shot on the graffiti and concrete wall would have been much cleaner and more effective IMO.

To me the best shots are,

1) The gray cat.

2) the orange kitten that needs a little taken off the top (see above )

3) the old red truck at the car show. ( If you could have shot a little wider and got the back of the truck with the full Chevrolet emblem, I think that shot would have been great.

So, to help with making shots the most interesting as they can be, focus on the composition and framing of a shot. Get low. Don't shoot everything from standing up and looking downwards. Don't include useless clutter in a shot, whether it be the side of a bridge or walkway you are shooting from ( The HOLY HDR shot ) or too much clutter around your subject (The Roof Top ) , refrain from always shooting from a high angle (Kittens on a chair, Cafe ) Watch your backgrounds. Imagine if you are shooting a piece of furniture that is just a tad retro looking but not too much. If you include a bunch of crap around the subject ( lets say a cordless phone on a side table next to the chair ) that automatically puts the subject into context to the viewer that it is a modern faux-vintage style couch. This may be good if thats your intention. However, if you remove the phone and just leave the table ( or shoot from another angle to exclude the phone ) you now leave the viewer room to interpret that shot however they want. Composition, framing and angles make or break shots.

One giant collective C&C, awesome ! Thanks so much for the tips, very helpful.

 

[shootermcgavin]

I wonder if famous photographers take photographs that they think other people will like, or if they just take photographs that they think they will like... Tevo I was really hoping to see nudity in the flicker link, I guess one way to capture attention is not to talk about nudity, then post a link that has none

 

[tevo]

I wonder if famous photographers take photographs that they think other people will like, or if they just take photographs that they think they will like... Tevo I was really hoping to see nudity in the flicker link, I guess one way to capture attention is not to talk about nudity, then post a link that has none

LOL

 

[LizardKing]

Think about why you wanted to take the photo in the first place. Ask yourself why you were drawn to it and do whatever is necessary to make other people see it the same way you did. The best way to do this is to find a way to exaggerate the parts of the photo I think are important i.e., colours can be intensified, isolation can be exaggerated with a little though about composition, as can over-crowding - think tight shots with no room for movement.

You know, this actually makes a lot of sense - never had this thought process before.

Well, I'm no experienced photographer, but that's pretty much what I do when I'm about to take a picture. There's no point to take a picture of something if you can't tell what that something is... Regardless if it's an object, a landscape, a situation, etc... Just think about it for a couple of seconds, what you like, what you don't, what it means to you, what you want to emphasize, what's the message/story behind the scene... etc... You may even say it out loud to yourself. Sometimes that helps, too.

The first thing I do is look at the object that caught my attention from different angles and heights... And then think how to create different compositions in order to lead the viewer's eyes/attention to the subject/object.

Trying different compositions emphasizing different aspects (such as color, lines, perspective, focus) has always worked for me. After that, it's just a matter of comparing the different compositions and decide which one better tells the story/message you thought when first saw the scene/object/situation.

Of course, you don't always have time to do all this... But if you do, just take your time... All the time you need until you're happy with the result.


Not sure if I explained myself that well... hope I did

Regards,
LizardKing

 

[tevo]

Think about why you wanted to take the photo in the first place. Ask yourself why you were drawn to it and do whatever is necessary to make other people see it the same way you did. The best way to do this is to find a way to exaggerate the parts of the photo I think are important i.e., colours can be intensified, isolation can be exaggerated with a little though about composition, as can over-crowding - think tight shots with no room for movement.

You know, this actually makes a lot of sense - never had this thought process before.

Well, I'm no experienced photographer, but that's pretty much what I do when I'm about to take a picture. There's no point to take a picture of something if you can't tell what that something is... Regardless if it's an object, a landscape, a situation, etc... Just think about it for a couple of seconds, what you like, what you don't, what it means to you, what you want to emphasize, what's the message/story behind the scene... etc... You may even say it out loud to yourself. Sometimes that helps, too.

The first thing I do is look at the object that caught my attention from different angles and heights... And then think how to create different compositions in order to lead the viewer's eyes/attention to the subject/object.

Trying different compositions emphasizing different aspects (such as color, lines, perspective, focus) has always worked for me. After that, it's just a matter of comparing the different compositions and decide which one better tells the story/message you thought when first saw the scene/object/situation.

Of course, you don't always have time to do all this... But if you do, just take your time... All the time you need until you're happy with the result.


Not sure if I explained myself that well... hope I did

Regards,
LizardKing

No, that makes perfect sense! Thanks

 

[lieforalie]

flickr.com/theofficialtevo

For what it's worth, I think you have a good eye for photography.

 

[tevo]

flickr.com/theofficialtevo

For what it's worth, I think you have a good eye for photography.

Well, thank you!