The fuck? All I can do is giggle quietly to myself while looking at it. This is true journalism sir!
*in an aussie accent* Oh krikey! We have stumbled upon a flock of segway users in their natural environment. The one on the right seems to have spotted us and is making an escape.
The last pic is the only one I really like. Nice tone and composition except I would crop a tiny bit off the bottom so you aren't cropping through the hand on the right. The first portait looks like it has a bit of a forced smile and the one below it looks like a usual tourist picture. Is the subject the bridge/light poles or the person? If it is the person than she should be closer / take up more of the frame. Or maybe she should just be relaxing on the bridge rail facing to the left so it looks like you are capturing someone in repose.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Edit: segway pic - *snicker* the fuckers are all over the place. It's actually the guided tours, but I tried to get it to look like people were going around doing their shit. Had to wait a bit to get "regular people" out of the shot. Glad it raises the same feelings in you as in me.
The penguins pose is awkward. It could be a lot more natural if you had it laying on the ground on its stomach with a fish in it's mouth. Also, I like the juxtaposition of an antarctic creature against this gritty depiction of modern society.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
It is too cluttered and looks like it has too much contrast/oversharpened or something to that effect? The crop is awkward. There are power lines that are acting like leading lines that go to nothing interesting. In previous building pictures the buildings usually have space around them but in this case you cropped the top and have the tree and wood pallets intersecting it on one side. You hate freedom?
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
How could you say that CC?! I specifically posted that second picture to throw off any suspicions of me working for the terrorists. Look at those clean lines on that cellphone shot. Is that a photo of a freedom hater?
I see what you mean though. I likes the business and complexity of the scene, but in this case it doesn't have room to breathe. I was shooting it from accross a narrow alley, and couldn't back up any more to get a wider shot. Hence the ungainly crop.
I think the way you've cut the edge off the stairwell is the biggest issue. It would work better if you cropped the bottom 2/3rds as a landscape in my opinion (to the top of the roof on the left edge).
I've always been tempted by photography, finally got round to buying a semi-decent camera (lumix g1) the other day.
There are some really amazing photos in this thread, and am sure mine will look nasty next to those, but I would love some constructive criticism/tips.
My first few non-holiday-snap photos ever, so please be gentle :P
EDIT: Just noticed there is a snapshot thread too, would these be better off in there?
Photon: Personally I'd say that if your intent is for them to be serious photography then you should definitely post here; the snapshot thread is merely for anything you don't really care for criticism on (oh, and drop the spoiler).
Rather than giving you advice on anything specific right now, I'd simply say study some of the basics of composition, and then shoot and shoot and shoot.
Jake!: You might want to quote those photos because at first I thought they were yours.
Photon: What jake said also I really like the railroad picture. If you just cropped it right in the middle of the concrete wall that is running along side of the train track I think it would look better. Ie crop the left 1/4 or so of the photo off.
Nice attempt at the water fall thing but next time you probably want to try and do that when it is overcast or during sunrise/sunset when you don't have any direct light that will overexpose like has happened in this shot.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Thanks for the comments jake, have been doing some reading about composition and found various general tips with a bit of googling, but if anyone could reccomend a really in-depth thing that includes examples that would be ace!
Jake!: You might want to quote those photos because at first I thought they were yours.
Photon: What jake said also I really like the railroad picture. If you just cropped it right in the middle of the concrete wall that is running along side of the train track I think it would look better. Ie crop the left 1/4 or so of the photo off.
Nice attempt at the water fall thing but next time you probably want to try and do that when it is overcast or during sunrise/sunset when you don't have any direct light that will overexpose like has happened in this shot.
Thanks for the comments, just had a play with the crop you mentioned, something like this?
Definately interesting, amazes me how much a little cropping can change something.
I was hoping I could maybe do something about the over exposure in the waterfall but my photoshop-fu is not strong enough That spot is on my way home from work though, so will make sure to re-visit at some point on a dimmer day!
Definately interesting, amazes me how much a little cropping can change something.
Here's another example from that photo. If you want me to take it down after you see it, just let me know (spoilered since it's not mine):
Cropping is great, but you should also use it as a composition tool overall. In other words, rather than waiting until you get home in front of your computer, think while you're taking the shot -- how would I crop this? Then take *that* shot. So yes, you can definitely change the feel of a shot through composition. Beyond the technical stuff, I think it's the most important part of getting a good picture.
A common composition theme that has been reinforced in this thread before is to always consider what your subject is. I delete tons of pictures I take that, upon review, I just find boring. Sometimes I get good shots that I'm happy with but don't strike me as particularly artistic, as well. Here's one of mine -- it's a great shot of an osprey, in my opinion, but a bird is a bird in a lot of ways.
Thanks for the comments, just had a play with the crop you mentioned, something like this?
I was hoping I could maybe do something about the over exposure in the waterfall but my photoshop-fu is not strong enough That spot is on my way home from work though, so will make sure to re-visit at some point on a dimmer day!
Yea thats pretty much what I was thinking. Eggy's crop is also kind of interesting but it makes things seem like they are shifted a little to far to the left side of the frame so if I were to go with a crop like his I would also chop off a little off the right so the end of the tunnel doesn't feel so smashed up against the left side of the frame.
As for the waterfall if you have the raw image and lightroom you can use the recovery slider and just put that all the way up to 100 and that might pull back some detail in the sunny areas of the photo.
My computer had its screen go wonky roughly 1 week after I arrived in Utah. This weekend I got a replacement and I've been able to edit photos after almost 2 months of shooting. Hooray for the backlog!
I apologize for admitting that my reasons for not liking your images might be tied to elements beyond your control. Next time I won't qualify my criticism.
You see, I thought that my comment that the skin tones are unattractive and that the light is too harsh may not apply if your models had better skin and better facial features, and I was trying to let you know that and since I know you don't have the most beautiful women at your beck and call. I understand your shooting style and it just doesn't fit these models well.
But maybe I shouldn't have said anything at all about the models being difficult to make look good and just said you failed at choosing an appropriate quality and shape of light for them, since it is the photographer's job to make the subject look good.
I will refrain from commenting on your photography in the future.
Here's a couple of others panoramas. Some of these should probably end up in the snapshot thread as they're kind of vacation photos (though many are taken at work).
Gafoots - good stuff, mang. I love Mesa Arch with the mountains framed in it. That's my favorite. for a larger copy, click image to go to its flickr page then click "all sizes"
Man, it's getting tense in here... uh.. quick.. something to lighten the mood... Last pic ain't a woman baby, it's a man, man!
There, that should do it.
...or a slutty clown. I'm not sure which.
The moral of the story is if you want something done right you have to do it all yourself. So I'm trying to set up a shoot with a model and designer I've worked with before.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
Hi all, I recently found this thread and would love some criticism. I rock a Pentax K100D Super, though I just purchased (literally today) a K-x which I'll get in about a week. I just started shooting in RAW too and doing some post work as necessary. Recently went to the Zoo and if anyone has some comments on the photos I took, I'd love to hear them. My favorite:
Some of them are standard trip snapshots and not what I'd call great. I ended up with about 200 photos, and liked 66 of them enough to post online, about a dozen or so of those I consider pretty good. I was using an old fully manual 50mm (1:2) prime, which I think comes out to 75mm when used with my DSLR. A lot of the indoor shots of the reptiles and such were shot at 1600 ISO, with aperture fully open.
DHS - The zoo is a great place to practice, but it's hard to get excited about those shots. It looks like you're doing a good job with your focal points and trying to make the animals fill up the frame. That's more than most people do when shooting animals. Still, it's animals at the zoo so there's not much to critique. You're off to a good start, just keep practicing.
JAmp - Great shot. I love the composition and lighting.
JAmp5, great shot! Did you try a square crop? The blob of darkness on the left detracts a bit from your photo, at least to me.
I actually thought the same thing until I did a little finger crop*. I think the black space adds to the photo but I do love me some square crops. He might be able to get closer to a square crop if he crops some of the right and left off while still leaving a lot of the black.
Pope thats a pretty good job of turning some everyday stuff into a decent photo. I kinda wish it was all blacktop so you don't have the odd transition but then you would sort of lose that leading line next to the poles. Not that you can really do anything about that...just sayin' I like photos like this when they are more minimalist.
CommunistCow on
No, I am not really communist. Yes, it is weird that I use this name.
CC - thanks. I at least share your wish that the lighter pavement were darker. Maybe still two-tone with dark asphalt on the right/top and darker-than-it-is-now but lighter-than-the-asphalt pavement on the right/bottom - at least so that the horizontal stripes could have more pop; they blend way too much for my taste as it is now.
I fail at square crops but I shall give it go. Another thing that doesn't sit well with me is the angle of the building coming towards the camera, it needs to be a bit more lateral (me moved to the right a bit) but the quality of light is super tasty so I aint complaining
DHS: I'd mirror Anable in what he's saying. The snake shot you posted is solid (good subject, well framed, space to breath, and nice use of Bokeh), but not 'wow'.
Pope: I really like the bollards (or whatever). I think you could do with either cropping it a little tighter (to loose the distracting bit of light on the right of the end bollard), or adding a white border (which would achieve the same).
JAmp5: nice, I have nothing to add. I'd usually be against having such strong leading lines running out of the comp, but you seem to consistently make it work.
Gafoto, your landscapes are wonderful. Unfortunately, they make me want to play Red Dead Redemption.
And Jake, I love the backdrop and lighting on that one. Very circus-y
DHS Odium, the main thing that would enhance that photo (as far as I can tell) would be to find a better angle and crop. But obviously, that's difficult to do when working with venomous snakes.
Posts
The fuck? All I can do is giggle quietly to myself while looking at it. This is true journalism sir!
The last pic is the only one I really like. Nice tone and composition except I would crop a tiny bit off the bottom so you aren't cropping through the hand on the right. The first portait looks like it has a bit of a forced smile and the one below it looks like a usual tourist picture. Is the subject the bridge/light poles or the person? If it is the person than she should be closer / take up more of the frame. Or maybe she should just be relaxing on the bridge rail facing to the left so it looks like you are capturing someone in repose.
Edit: segway pic - *snicker* the fuckers are all over the place. It's actually the guided tours, but I tried to get it to look like people were going around doing their shit. Had to wait a bit to get "regular people" out of the shot. Glad it raises the same feelings in you as in me.
teehee
digging those chicago pictures, nO!
Seriously!
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I am not loving it. Can someone tell me why?
And more silliness:
It is too cluttered and looks like it has too much contrast/oversharpened or something to that effect? The crop is awkward. There are power lines that are acting like leading lines that go to nothing interesting. In previous building pictures the buildings usually have space around them but in this case you cropped the top and have the tree and wood pallets intersecting it on one side. You hate freedom?
I see what you mean though. I likes the business and complexity of the scene, but in this case it doesn't have room to breathe. I was shooting it from accross a narrow alley, and couldn't back up any more to get a wider shot. Hence the ungainly crop.
There are some really amazing photos in this thread, and am sure mine will look nasty next to those, but I would love some constructive criticism/tips.
My first few non-holiday-snap photos ever, so please be gentle :P
EDIT: Just noticed there is a snapshot thread too, would these be better off in there?
Rather than giving you advice on anything specific right now, I'd simply say study some of the basics of composition, and then shoot and shoot and shoot.
Photon: What jake said also I really like the railroad picture. If you just cropped it right in the middle of the concrete wall that is running along side of the train track I think it would look better. Ie crop the left 1/4 or so of the photo off.
Nice attempt at the water fall thing but next time you probably want to try and do that when it is overcast or during sunrise/sunset when you don't have any direct light that will overexpose like has happened in this shot.
Thanks for the comments, just had a play with the crop you mentioned, something like this?
Definately interesting, amazes me how much a little cropping can change something.
I was hoping I could maybe do something about the over exposure in the waterfall but my photoshop-fu is not strong enough
Here's another example from that photo. If you want me to take it down after you see it, just let me know (spoilered since it's not mine):
Cropping is great, but you should also use it as a composition tool overall. In other words, rather than waiting until you get home in front of your computer, think while you're taking the shot -- how would I crop this? Then take *that* shot. So yes, you can definitely change the feel of a shot through composition. Beyond the technical stuff, I think it's the most important part of getting a good picture.
A common composition theme that has been reinforced in this thread before is to always consider what your subject is. I delete tons of pictures I take that, upon review, I just find boring. Sometimes I get good shots that I'm happy with but don't strike me as particularly artistic, as well. Here's one of mine -- it's a great shot of an osprey, in my opinion, but a bird is a bird in a lot of ways.
Yea thats pretty much what I was thinking. Eggy's crop is also kind of interesting but it makes things seem like they are shifted a little to far to the left side of the frame so if I were to go with a crop like his I would also chop off a little off the right so the end of the tunnel doesn't feel so smashed up against the left side of the frame.
As for the waterfall if you have the raw image and lightroom you can use the recovery slider and just put that all the way up to 100 and that might pull back some detail in the sunny areas of the photo.
Yep! Photon here are some links for those:
Mine:
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=9169888&postcount=164
Pope's:
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=9750028&postcount=1171
Edit: Aldo I finally understand your avatar and text around it because my gf had me watch Fiddler a week or two ago.
Another picture of the wonderful girlfriend:
Big Cottonwood Canyon
Corona Arch
Merrimac
Bull Canyon Dune
San Juan Mountains
The Three Gossips
Parade of Elephants
Double Arch Visitor
Mesa Arch
Middle Mountain Cirque
Pikes Peak
But honestly none of the ladies are very attractive to me so I'm not sure if there is much you could have done for me to like these pics.
You see, I thought that my comment that the skin tones are unattractive and that the light is too harsh may not apply if your models had better skin and better facial features, and I was trying to let you know that and since I know you don't have the most beautiful women at your beck and call. I understand your shooting style and it just doesn't fit these models well.
But maybe I shouldn't have said anything at all about the models being difficult to make look good and just said you failed at choosing an appropriate quality and shape of light for them, since it is the photographer's job to make the subject look good.
I will refrain from commenting on your photography in the future.
There, that should do it.
Blue Hills Dome
White Rim
Westwater Oxbow
for a larger copy, click image to go to its flickr page then click "all sizes"
My Website | My "photo-a-day" 2010
...or a slutty clown. I'm not sure which.
The moral of the story is if you want something done right you have to do it all yourself. So I'm trying to set up a shoot with a model and designer I've worked with before.
Some of them are standard trip snapshots and not what I'd call great. I ended up with about 200 photos, and liked 66 of them enough to post online, about a dozen or so of those I consider pretty good. I was using an old fully manual 50mm (1:2) prime, which I think comes out to 75mm when used with my DSLR. A lot of the indoor shots of the reptiles and such were shot at 1600 ISO, with aperture fully open.
EDIT: Oh yeah, a link would help: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dereksykes/sets/72157624051044137/
If you care to look through all of them, I love to hear what people think are the stand-out ones (if any). Thanks.
Might be a bit big but you need to see the dust motes :P
JAmp - Great shot. I love the composition and lighting.
for a larger copy, click image to go to its flickr page then click "all sizes"
EDIT: Jamp, the dust motes take that picture to a whole 'nother level. great work.
My Website | My "photo-a-day" 2010
I actually thought the same thing until I did a little finger crop*. I think the black space adds to the photo but I do love me some square crops. He might be able to get closer to a square crop if he crops some of the right and left off while still leaving a lot of the black.
Pope thats a pretty good job of turning some everyday stuff into a decent photo. I kinda wish it was all blacktop so you don't have the odd transition but then you would sort of lose that leading line next to the poles. Not that you can really do anything about that...just sayin' I like photos like this when they are more minimalist.
My Website | My "photo-a-day" 2010
I cropped out the serrations on the building and liked it, pretty dark and moody, but it feels a bit like a different photo at that point.
At any rate you should crop so that the tall building is parallel with the edge of the frame.
Cool photo though, love the colors.
Pope: I really like the bollards (or whatever). I think you could do with either cropping it a little tighter (to loose the distracting bit of light on the right of the end bollard), or adding a white border (which would achieve the same).
JAmp5: nice, I have nothing to add. I'd usually be against having such strong leading lines running out of the comp, but you seem to consistently make it work.
pop!
But watch your eyes, try to keep more of the iris visible to keep the image more engaging.
And Jake, I love the backdrop and lighting on that one. Very circus-y
DHS Odium, the main thing that would enhance that photo (as far as I can tell) would be to find a better angle and crop. But obviously, that's difficult to do when working with venomous snakes.
DeviantART|Flickr