Photo Critiqing Thread

[Photog]

Clark,
I see that the sky was too bright, when the trees were exposed properly. The sky only needed to be a little darker.

It looks like you had at least two stops difference in exposure, between the two images. 1 stop might have been better.

It is fun to try this type of work. Enjoy.

 

[wskboarderx]

Clark,
I like the photo but heres some tips. Try taking three photos instead on two. take one normally, take one over exposed, and one under exposed. Some say the best way is to change your aperture others say change the shutter speed. Try them both and see what you like. Just make sure the camera doesn't move. I used to use CS4 to edit my pictures but I am about to start using CS2 again which also has an HDR photo setting. good luck and I want to see more HDResk photos... I just think they look amazing!

 

[HB 4X4]

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[nfpgasmask]

HB 4X4, very nice. Give us some details on your camera rig.

Here is one I took yesterday. We woke up in the snow. :victory:

I think I like the greyscale version better.

Bart

 

[HB 4X4]

HB 4X4, very nice. Give us some details on your camera rig.

Bart

I shoot with a Nikon D300. :wavey:

Lenses: 12-24 f/4, 18-200, 80-200 f/2.8 (Not mine. When I get my telephoto it'll be a 70-200 not 80-200).

 

[cosmiccharlie]

I am in no way a photographer or have talents like have been shown in this thread, but every now and then I'll end up with a cool picture from my old point and shoot.

 

[nwoods]

HB, those are terrific.

 

[HB 4X4]

HB, those are terrific.

Thank you :victory:

 

[Photog]

Josh,
You have improved very quickly. You technical skills and eye for composition are coming along nicely. I am glad to hear that you are posting in a photography forum also. They will offer a number of different perspectives for your work.

I really like this image of the lifeguard house. It has a few stories to tell. It seems to be protecting the residential homes from the dangers of the beach/ocean. Everyone is safe and life is calm. Nice use of monochrome. :victory:

1.

Very dramatic, and the sunset is not the center of attention. It is the lighting and background for the walkway or the clouds. Excellent use of that evening light.

2.

This is very nice. Good work with the lighting extremes and angles. It reminds me of the 3D sketches that show the stair ways to nowhere. The stairs seem to spiral a bit, and you placed that spiral point at the lower-right "rule of thirds". It works very well. See if you can sel this to the building owner, for their marketing people.

3.

Nice work on the bird. It even has a little "catch light" in the eye. Birds are particularly difficult. On the fly, there are even more difficult. In the world of bird photography, this would be considered an above average photograph. I think that is very good, considering your equipment and experience level.

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[Photog]

I am in no way a photographer or have talents like have been shown in this thread, but every now and then I'll end up with a cool picture from my old point and shoot.

This photo was a great idea. The old car in the open desert. Great image to work with.
I hope you don't mind, I modified the image a little in Photoshop, and re-posted it.

1) The car is the subject; but the sky and desert seemed to take over the image. I cropped unti lthe horizon was about 1/3 down from the top of the image, and cropped out the nearest power pole. The contrast of the pole was drawing a lot of attention. What remains still has a problem hot-spot in the sky. A split-neutral-density filter could have been well used in this photo. This whole step could be done when shooting the original photograph.

2) I then converted the image to a monochromatic grey, using a "Channel Mixer" layer in Photoshop, pushing the RGB sliders around to subdue the sky and emphasize the foreground.

3) I added a "Levels" layer, darkening the entire image. Then the Layer Mask, I returned the proper exposure to the area around the car. This creates a custom vignette.

4) Then I added a color layer to create the Sepia tone.

5) And finally added a littl framing using the "Canvas Size" function.

I did a "Save for Web", to reduce the file size. THis degraded the quality a bit more than I intended. You can see artifacts around the power poles.

Original photo by cosmiccharlie

 

[HB 4X4]

Thanks Brian, I always enjoy your feedback. I am glad you think I am improving.

Any word on the Death Valley workshop you are going to be holding? I'm getting my dual battery and fridge set up currently, so I am ready for some trips!

 

[Abel Villesca]

Here are a few from my second day out with the new to me G9.

 

[Photog]

Abe,
Glad to see you are out shooting the G9.:wings:
Now, lets work on these images.
Exposure is good on the 2nd two. The first one fooled the lightmeter in the camera and it seems under exposed. There is a lot of contrast, so this may actually be the best you can do, with out post processing.

White Balance looks good.

Composition needs some help. What is the subject of the image? I can't tell if it is the water, snow, tree bark, or ??

Think about what attracted you to this spot. You saw something you liked, and you took a photograph. Sometimes we are drawn to look at a scene, because there is a lot of contrast or color or drama, etc. When this happen to you, take a moment to determine what is drawing your attention and emotion.

Then try to capture an image that conveys that feeling to the viewer. If you can walk around the subject, you may find a better angle, more drama, less clutter, etc.

If that location is easy to get to, you may be able to work through some of this more quickly.

If you look back through some of this thread, you may get a feel for composition and how to make a photograph, instead of just taking a picture. Learning about the Rule of Thirds, simplifying, reduce distractions, lighting, perspective angle, etc.

I commend you on getting started so quickly, and jumping right into this thread. A number of folks did that, took some notes, and greatly improved their work. Some have out grown this thread for learning, moved on to more advanced learning, and could offer critiques of their own (Trevor & Josh come to mind).

Keep at it, and post up some more work. It will be fun to watch your work improve.

 

[Abel Villesca]

Thanks Brian. :sombrero: The first underexposed looking photo was not the camera, but me tinkering with the shutter speed and aperture. I have some brighter shots, but for some reason I like the look of that one. I'll keep plugging at it.

 

[Photog]

Thanks Brian, I always enjoy your feedback. I am glad you think I am improving.

Any word on the Death Valley workshop you are going to be holding? I'm getting my dual battery and fridge set up currently, so I am ready for some trips!

Sorry about not answering earlier, I missed the question about DV. I will send a PM, since I don't want hijack this thread. :ylsmoke: