GlenBose Loc: NE Florida, formerly Limerick, PA

I had the pleasure of a Key West trip early last year. I took many awkward photos that I discarded and a few I thought I liked. Here are two: A walkway behind a Hotel and An older man sitting under his flowering tree (which was shot riding on a bus). I guess I'm looking for compositional feedback (and whatever else might be said).
Thanks for looking, Larry

Key West Walkway

(Download)

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Hey Larry. The first image has a number of good composition elements (level horizon, foreground and background elements, a diagonal line leaving via a corner of the frame), but the foreground is in shadow. A flash was needed to add light to the bush and tree making them the emphasis of the image. Otherwise, they're just dark features blocking a view of the ocean.

For the second image, my first thought is the quote from Robert Capa - If your photos aren’t good enough, then you’re not close enough. I'm not sure this applies to this image although I'd be more interested in seeing the blooms a lot closer. The guy on the chair distracts from the tree. You're not close enough to see him and he detracts from the focus on the tree. The processing on this image leaves a lot to be desired where the colors are muted to the extent I wonder if this ground fog. Could you have moved the man to be standing by / within the tree? Could you have shot from the porch with the crimson color filling the background behind a close-up of him? A selective focus on the blooms nearest the camera would help with the rest of the image dissolving into an unfocused blur.

GlenBose Loc: NE Florida, formerly Limerick, PA

Thanks CHG_CANON. I can see your points on both shots. The second one I'd wished to have more time and the ability to get the whole tree into the frame, but then the tree and colored leaves are the point and a closer approach would be needed. I thought his sitting under the tree was a positive thing, though (kinda like Street Photos), but I can see your vision of the scene as well.
This gives me some perspective of my 'what to think while shooting' as I go forward. Since every shot opportunity is different from the last, it is hard to get into a groove unless I practice, practice, practice. Since this time I have upgraded my kit and will be reading 'Peterson's' books on top of (groan) all that I have to remember when pulling that camera to my eye. But that's the fun of photography. Thanks, again, Larry

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

For me, it's taken years to get a feel for what I desire in my end results and to have an intuitive feel for how to capture an image that leads directly to the finished results. The sensation of "I wish I'd done this / that" when viewing the results has helped me to go slow and take lots and lots of images from different angles and settings. I'm not the best travel companion for walking around if one person wants to walk and see where I want to stop and shoot. For practice I'd suggest working alone on extended assignments that don't have to be limited to the end of the highway at Key West. If you want to re-enforce a topic from your reading, go out and spend multiple hours focused just on that one topic. Take the idea for selective focus, if you can find another flowering tree, work that tree for as long as needed to capture both wide angles to capture the entire tree and also close-up of the blooms / details. Work with your focus points moving then off center and varying your aperture from wide to narrow. View everything on a larger monitor at home and consider what works and what didn't. If it helps, take notes on what to remember / try next time and get out there again relatively soon and repeat the exercise with the planned improvements.

GlenBose Loc: NE Florida, formerly Limerick, PA

Yup! Gonna give it my best. At 79, mobility is an issue but there are a number of things I can try. I bought a collapsible stool for sitting with my monopod (and occasionally tripod). I like landscapes and have tried to focus on them, but then I see something else and get sidetracted in my learning curve. I'll keep at it though, and with help at UHH I'll get better, maybe.
Thanks, Larry

Nikon Shooter17 Loc: Glenwood, MN

Just passing through reading here. Always great advice