Two flowers and a train
Sep 16, 2011 20:47:43 #
Lookin for some comments please... good or bad
cactus flower
bird of paradise
Sep 24, 2011 19:27:39 #
You asked for it:
First I'm goint to guess you are using a point and shoot camera. If so your creative options are some what limited. If you are using a DSLR you need to learn about Depth of field. All that is another story. so let me review what I see in your prints. Please don't take my critique personal I just tell it as I see it without personal considerations or being polite.
Catus flower:
You need to isolate the flower just a little more.
Due to the background Not being totally out of focus it is distracting from the flower. Throw a piece of black, dark green, or brown cloath in your camera bag. Lay the cloth down so it is the background of the shot. if the BG end up looking gray or just too light put something or have someone put the BG in a Shadow causing to get much darker. You have now eliminated the distracting BG with a solid dark color and Isolated to plant. Next, if working in harsh sunlight ala AZ, buy a cheap white translusent umbrella. Hold the umbrella between the sun and the plant to soften the lighting and eliminate harsh contrasty shadows. ALWAYS shoot macro flower photography using a tripod. It frees you up to do other things and you will not get camera shake. Use a tripod...always.
Birds of paradice:
Confusing a bunch of little flowers on a partially infocus background. When doing flower work initially move in close and select a few of the best flowers. If the flowers are small you can alway tie them closer together with a little black sewing thread. In the group of flowers try to form a pleasing pattern or composition. "S" shape, diagonals, groups of 3, etc. maybe be symbolic...4-5 bright live flowers in a semi-circle around a dying flower. Maybe shot out of focus or through a piece of saran wrap to give it a heavenly glow.
El Train:
You got the idea. A compositional "S" curve in the tracks. Is there a place along there where you could get a similar shot but not have all the telephone poles and harware in the image?
Image ideas:
If you want to shoot flowers for example go to your local book store and browse any flower photography books they may have. Then maybe check out the reading books on flowers. Don't just look at pretty flowers, put your photographers cap on. How is it composed, close up far away? What is the lighting, hard/soft. shadows, no shadows. What is the background. Analyse what you see.
want to shoot trains for the day? do the same thing and see if you can copy it. there is no rule that says you can't try to duplicate someone elses work until you develop your own style. Years ago I took one of Ansel Adams' books with me to Yosemite, and found each location and tried to duplicate each image. It was a learning exercise I did. Some good, some bad but it helped me to see through his eyes when composing a shot and try to analyses why he shot it the way he did. Also I tried different views to do it better. Actually I feel a couple of mine are better! But, that is a personal opinion.
Unless you are a porfessional and photography is your "JOB" where you have to do what it takes to get the image that will put bread on the table you can do what you want. Hobby photography is just that, a personal expression of what you see and what you like. You will never reach perfection because if you do you will quite as there will no longer be a challenge. I have been in photography as a hobbist and professionally for over 40 years and gladly admit I'm far, far,far from great. Here is another rule of thumb you want to keep in mind. If you reach a level where you are getting 1 great shot in 20 you are doing good.
When you get discouraged think about this: The late David Munche went to Monument valley over 160 time and shot more than 20 sheet of film per day during his multiple day visits. He eventually created thousands of images of Monument Valley and the Navajo (or is it Hopi) population. No matter. His table top book I have of Monument Valley has 20 images in it.
First I'm goint to guess you are using a point and shoot camera. If so your creative options are some what limited. If you are using a DSLR you need to learn about Depth of field. All that is another story. so let me review what I see in your prints. Please don't take my critique personal I just tell it as I see it without personal considerations or being polite.
Catus flower:
You need to isolate the flower just a little more.
Due to the background Not being totally out of focus it is distracting from the flower. Throw a piece of black, dark green, or brown cloath in your camera bag. Lay the cloth down so it is the background of the shot. if the BG end up looking gray or just too light put something or have someone put the BG in a Shadow causing to get much darker. You have now eliminated the distracting BG with a solid dark color and Isolated to plant. Next, if working in harsh sunlight ala AZ, buy a cheap white translusent umbrella. Hold the umbrella between the sun and the plant to soften the lighting and eliminate harsh contrasty shadows. ALWAYS shoot macro flower photography using a tripod. It frees you up to do other things and you will not get camera shake. Use a tripod...always.
Birds of paradice:
Confusing a bunch of little flowers on a partially infocus background. When doing flower work initially move in close and select a few of the best flowers. If the flowers are small you can alway tie them closer together with a little black sewing thread. In the group of flowers try to form a pleasing pattern or composition. "S" shape, diagonals, groups of 3, etc. maybe be symbolic...4-5 bright live flowers in a semi-circle around a dying flower. Maybe shot out of focus or through a piece of saran wrap to give it a heavenly glow.
El Train:
You got the idea. A compositional "S" curve in the tracks. Is there a place along there where you could get a similar shot but not have all the telephone poles and harware in the image?
Image ideas:
If you want to shoot flowers for example go to your local book store and browse any flower photography books they may have. Then maybe check out the reading books on flowers. Don't just look at pretty flowers, put your photographers cap on. How is it composed, close up far away? What is the lighting, hard/soft. shadows, no shadows. What is the background. Analyse what you see.
want to shoot trains for the day? do the same thing and see if you can copy it. there is no rule that says you can't try to duplicate someone elses work until you develop your own style. Years ago I took one of Ansel Adams' books with me to Yosemite, and found each location and tried to duplicate each image. It was a learning exercise I did. Some good, some bad but it helped me to see through his eyes when composing a shot and try to analyses why he shot it the way he did. Also I tried different views to do it better. Actually I feel a couple of mine are better! But, that is a personal opinion.
Unless you are a porfessional and photography is your "JOB" where you have to do what it takes to get the image that will put bread on the table you can do what you want. Hobby photography is just that, a personal expression of what you see and what you like. You will never reach perfection because if you do you will quite as there will no longer be a challenge. I have been in photography as a hobbist and professionally for over 40 years and gladly admit I'm far, far,far from great. Here is another rule of thumb you want to keep in mind. If you reach a level where you are getting 1 great shot in 20 you are doing good.
When you get discouraged think about this: The late David Munche went to Monument valley over 160 time and shot more than 20 sheet of film per day during his multiple day visits. He eventually created thousands of images of Monument Valley and the Navajo (or is it Hopi) population. No matter. His table top book I have of Monument Valley has 20 images in it.
Sep 24, 2011 20:56:31 #
Let me tell you a little story that may be half truths but the point is the same.
Ansel Adams is acclaimed as a great photographer and its likely that he was. But it wasn't always that way and his claim to fame was only a short period in his career.
Ansel's images of the Southwest are the result of his being able to convince Congress to give him a grant to photograph it to substaintate the need for National Parks to perserve the beauty of the land for future generations. Thank YOU! Ansel spent years photographing Yosemite valley in all seasons and he created thousands of 8x10 negatives from his hugh view camera.
After admiring his work for years I took a trip to Tucson, Arizona to view images of a lot of famous photographers. The photographic archives are on the University of Arizona Campus in the Center for creative Photography. I began to view all of Adams' work. Out of the hundred or so great images he is known for there are thousands and more that are quite frankly lousy. There actually was only a short period in his life that he was at his peak and after that he seemed to lose his drive and photographic eye. I must say that all the images he is famous for are really great images; that cannot be denied. However, as a photographer one has to put it all in perspective with his work as a whole. If you have the good fortune to be in Tucson AZ for a few days go on campus to the the Center for Creative photography and lose yourself for a couple of days in the imagaes of famous photographers. You will never forget the experience.
The center also has 4-5 $5,000 grants they will be awarding for studies in photography. The deadline for application is November 11, 2011.
Ansel Adams is acclaimed as a great photographer and its likely that he was. But it wasn't always that way and his claim to fame was only a short period in his career.
Ansel's images of the Southwest are the result of his being able to convince Congress to give him a grant to photograph it to substaintate the need for National Parks to perserve the beauty of the land for future generations. Thank YOU! Ansel spent years photographing Yosemite valley in all seasons and he created thousands of 8x10 negatives from his hugh view camera.
After admiring his work for years I took a trip to Tucson, Arizona to view images of a lot of famous photographers. The photographic archives are on the University of Arizona Campus in the Center for creative Photography. I began to view all of Adams' work. Out of the hundred or so great images he is known for there are thousands and more that are quite frankly lousy. There actually was only a short period in his life that he was at his peak and after that he seemed to lose his drive and photographic eye. I must say that all the images he is famous for are really great images; that cannot be denied. However, as a photographer one has to put it all in perspective with his work as a whole. If you have the good fortune to be in Tucson AZ for a few days go on campus to the the Center for Creative photography and lose yourself for a couple of days in the imagaes of famous photographers. You will never forget the experience.
The center also has 4-5 $5,000 grants they will be awarding for studies in photography. The deadline for application is November 11, 2011.
Sep 25, 2011 00:49:03 #
RFranco was being kind an polite in his critique. I agree with everything he wrote including the suggestion for visiting Tucson.
I'm not really sure what type of critique you are looking for. Overall they are not very strong images.
The cactus blossom is in focus but the composition leaves a lot to be desired. It's just a flower in bloom. I know for a fact that there were many many opportunities to shoot cactus flowers exactly like that one in a much more interesting composition. (I live in AZ and these are in my front yard). There are no bees or insects in the shot to add interest. That particular specie of cactus provides a great color contrast with its blooms but we only get a hint of that from this shot. It's just a picture of a flower without real control of the photo elements as RFranco mentioned.
The blooming bush is not a Bird of Paradise as far as I can tell. There no reason for this shot other than to document your garden, no critique necessary.
The train shot lacks any real emotional excitement. If that train was approaching you when this was shot you would have felt a little anxious for sure. That thing is huge, heavy and noisy. We don't get a sense of any of these things from this shot. The only way the viewer can see any life to the train at all is because the lights are on. It could be sitting there idling for all we know. Not sure what camera you are using but the shot would be improved by either moving closer and using a wide angle lens or moving way back and using more telephoto which would compress the train adding a little drama. Crop out those poles preferably in the camera and not using software whenever possible.
Creative photography is usually about capturing an emotion or moment in time and then presenting it to others. Successful creative images should cause the view to feel something. Practice capturing the "feeling" of a moment or place using pictures. This is the difference between picture taking and photography.
I'm not really sure what type of critique you are looking for. Overall they are not very strong images.
The cactus blossom is in focus but the composition leaves a lot to be desired. It's just a flower in bloom. I know for a fact that there were many many opportunities to shoot cactus flowers exactly like that one in a much more interesting composition. (I live in AZ and these are in my front yard). There are no bees or insects in the shot to add interest. That particular specie of cactus provides a great color contrast with its blooms but we only get a hint of that from this shot. It's just a picture of a flower without real control of the photo elements as RFranco mentioned.
The blooming bush is not a Bird of Paradise as far as I can tell. There no reason for this shot other than to document your garden, no critique necessary.
The train shot lacks any real emotional excitement. If that train was approaching you when this was shot you would have felt a little anxious for sure. That thing is huge, heavy and noisy. We don't get a sense of any of these things from this shot. The only way the viewer can see any life to the train at all is because the lights are on. It could be sitting there idling for all we know. Not sure what camera you are using but the shot would be improved by either moving closer and using a wide angle lens or moving way back and using more telephoto which would compress the train adding a little drama. Crop out those poles preferably in the camera and not using software whenever possible.
Creative photography is usually about capturing an emotion or moment in time and then presenting it to others. Successful creative images should cause the view to feel something. Practice capturing the "feeling" of a moment or place using pictures. This is the difference between picture taking and photography.
Sep 25, 2011 02:43:55 #
Like I said in some post or other, take critiques with a grain of salt. Keep shooting, I would like to see more. Here is a word. "Previsualize" See in your mind's eye what you would like the image to be before you take it. I'm sure you have seen painters hold up their two hands forming a square or rectangular window. They were previsualizing. Here is what I use to do to help me compose images, and it may be worth a try. Take an 8x10 piece of black cardboard, or art board and using an exacto knife cut a rectangular hole in the center, in the porportions of and image from your camera. The longest side should not exceed 1-1/2" or 2". It's called a viewing frame, or a previsualization frame. Now, you just hold it up and look through it while holding it at different distances from your face. Moving it farther and closer to your face is like zooming. Go out and pick a scene. Hold up your viewing frame, move it about until you get an image you think you would like. Now, take you camera and duplicate the image, and take the picture.
Well, you may say you can do the same thing using your camera and the zoom. No, It's just not the same. The viewing frame more closely represents a photo that you would put in a frame. For variety, also use a white frame. Once you have taken one exposure work the image. Move around look at it from different angles...high, low, tilted, close and far. Make 10 different images of the same subject. Try some in black and white. Continue shooting different scenes in the same way. When you get home, preview the images and pick the one you like best. If you like more than one, great! If you don't like any, set them aside and let them age. After a week or so, look at them again, and you may find one you like. Play with them in your editing software, croping and doing different things to see if you can create something you like from one of them. It's all in the fun of Photography...Enjoy!
P.S. I now use a 4x5 index card with a 35mm slide frame taped over a hole. After using the viewing frame for some time (a long time in most cases) your mind's eye will be trained to view images as if you were holding up the frame.
Well, you may say you can do the same thing using your camera and the zoom. No, It's just not the same. The viewing frame more closely represents a photo that you would put in a frame. For variety, also use a white frame. Once you have taken one exposure work the image. Move around look at it from different angles...high, low, tilted, close and far. Make 10 different images of the same subject. Try some in black and white. Continue shooting different scenes in the same way. When you get home, preview the images and pick the one you like best. If you like more than one, great! If you don't like any, set them aside and let them age. After a week or so, look at them again, and you may find one you like. Play with them in your editing software, croping and doing different things to see if you can create something you like from one of them. It's all in the fun of Photography...Enjoy!
P.S. I now use a 4x5 index card with a 35mm slide frame taped over a hole. After using the viewing frame for some time (a long time in most cases) your mind's eye will be trained to view images as if you were holding up the frame.
Sep 25, 2011 03:20:15 #
Here is a simple example of what was there and what I previsualized. Nothing great but I think it gets the point across.
What the camera saw.
What I previsualized
Sep 25, 2011 03:33:36 #
While having dinner a Golden Corral - just another shot that I played with in Lightroom. Surely won't win any rewards but was fun to see what I could make of it.
What I photographed
How I changed it. eeh...
Sep 25, 2011 03:47:33 #
One last one. An example of working a scene. The first shot of what was there. The second 10 frames later and a little work in lightroom.
A straight snapshot
Playing with zoom and slow exposure - same scene.
Sep 25, 2011 03:50:09 #
Good points from both of you... Part of getting critiqued is to also be ready for the full truth and nothing but the full truth. The frame option is a great idea and you may feel silly at first but "who cares?" I do it all the time and get looked at funny, but I just keep doing what I do best!
As far as the photographs, humm? Just remember to keep your backgrounds clear of objects, visualize what you want to see from your subject(s), and like Mr. RFranko said, Looks like you may be shooting with a typical point and shoot and this means you are limited to what you can do anyway. The color of the photographs are not vivid but dull... Basically, your missing the picture... I'd like to see more from you as you begin your journey of this artistic world. Good luck and happy shooting!
As far as the photographs, humm? Just remember to keep your backgrounds clear of objects, visualize what you want to see from your subject(s), and like Mr. RFranko said, Looks like you may be shooting with a typical point and shoot and this means you are limited to what you can do anyway. The color of the photographs are not vivid but dull... Basically, your missing the picture... I'd like to see more from you as you begin your journey of this artistic world. Good luck and happy shooting!
Sep 25, 2011 03:52:13 #
RFranko wrote:
One last one. An example of working a scene. The first shot of what was there. The second 10 frames later and a little work in lightroom.
love it! I have light room as well, how did you do this?
Sep 25, 2011 03:57:46 #
I'd like to help a little as well... Here is an example from my 2cents!
It's not the best subject but it works, oh and these books are available at libraries and other book rental places...
No editing to either of these shots, sorry...
It's not the best subject but it works, oh and these books are available at libraries and other book rental places...
No editing to either of these shots, sorry...
over head angle (boring)
What I made of the second shot!
Sep 25, 2011 04:24:47 #
I just took the image and turned up the contrast and Black until I got close to what I wanted. Then I created a virtual copy of the worked image and used the adjustment brush to paint out what else was left that I didn't want, mostly the carrot. Only took about 5-10 minutes. Actually for some reason I don't care for it. Its the lights breaking the top edge I think. I havn't bothered going further with it.
Sep 25, 2011 04:37:56 #
Nice shot of the books. Almost looks like my library. "Understanding Exposure" good book. I gave it to my daughter as a birthday gift. Her next gift will be one on composition, or maybe something on how to shoot (photograph) kids. she and her husband just adopted their 3rd new born.
Sep 25, 2011 04:40:07 #
RFranko wrote:
I just took the image and turned up the contrast and Black until I got close to what I wanted. Then I created a virtual copy of the worked image and used the adjustment brush to paint out what else was left that I didn't want, mostly the carrot. Only took about 5-10 minutes. Actually for some reason I don't care for it. Its the lights breaking the top edge I think. I havn't bothered going further with it.
Thanks, I'll have to try that sometime. It would make a great piece for a child's room or game room with a black light shining on it! Just an idea!
Sep 25, 2011 04:43:49 #
RFranko wrote:
Nice shot of the books. Almost looks like my library. "Understanding Exposure" good book. I gave it to my daughter as a birthday gift. Her next gift will be one on composition, or maybe something on how to shoot (photograph) kids. she and her husband just adopted their 3rd new born.
Thanks, I've read all of these books more than I wanted to. I suppose you have to do what you have to do to learn what you love doing! Wow! 3rd newborn? That's great they are adopting, means less children are in orphanages and more are cared for by great parents! I wish them the best!
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.