bstdizier

I've been working really hard trying to get things right. Am I getting closer???

Sunshine on the Gulf


Child on the beach


Shells


Red Umbrella

manna Loc: Australia

I myself am still wearing my L plates, but i think the first 3 are amazing. The detail that you have in the first one is beautiful, with the water ripples and light coming down. The one with the child is sweet, it looks so innocent and the black and white just makes it, I don't think it would have looked anywhere near as good in colour! I am impressed with the fact that on the last one i can make out the grains of sand! The shells are beautiful! Personally i think that the red umbrella picture looks a bit plain, cool, but plain

bstdizier

Thanks for the input. I love the sunshine on the gulf shot. I must have taken hundreds of these. Everytime I looked out it had changed--more and more beautiful each time. The little girl was just beautiful but I wanted a silhouette. But the shells are my fav. Can't decide about the unbrella. Mixed reviews. Either you love it or you dont. I'm on the fence.

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jplofvt Loc: Vermont

I tried some adjustment but didn't save them properly so will try again. Nice pics,

jplofvt Loc: Vermont

Hi, downloaded three of the pics, the second one is great, I added contrast to all 3, reduced the brightness especially with the sea shells, did some sharpening (I do tend to oversharpen at times), and used distortion adjustment (which is not often that noticeable. Hope it helps. Lets try this again. John L

josoIII

The last one works the best for me. How one little red dot can dominate an entire composition, amazing example of subject domination. well done...

rhbender

The best of the three photos is "Child on the beach" but the composition needs to be improved. Measure the distance from the subject's back to the edge of the frame and crop 3/4 of it out. Now you'll have a very nicely composed shot.

You'll also need to use PS to brighten the water somewhat but keep the girl in shadow as she is now.

The shots of the shells and the beach need more snap with a PS injection. If you've never used PS, the explanation of how to modify the exposures is too long for this forum but I assure you that PS would make a vast difference.

The shot of the spot light from the clouds can be improved in many ways through PS. My first inclination would be to warm it up a bit and add color to the light on the water and the reflection on it.

jplofvt Loc: Vermont

Guess this isn't going to work, I got the same pictures as yours, though on my computer the adjustments I made showed a marked difference. What I did do was add contrast and reduce the brightness, just a touch on brightness, i think you'll see added pop and better detail especially on the sunset and the sea shells and add a touch of sharpening. But photography like pizza is so subjective. John L

bstdizier

I've never used photoshop. Mostly I use Picasa. I have several editing programs but find them hard to use. Need to study more. Thanks for all the input from all of you. I will continue to try to improve.

fotolooney

The picture of the gulf is mute testimony to the fact that photography is all about the light. And this is wonderful light. I would have preferred to have a more level horizon, but this is something that can be fixed in Photoshop if you prefer. The tilting horizon does give a sense of tension that would not otherwise exist. It's a matter of what you want to achieve. In any case, a great shot.

The child on the beach is another amazing shot. The dead center point of interest works well in this case. Another option would be the old tried but true rule of thirds composition. It's fun to experiment with these things.


The shells are out of this world great. I can't imagine a better lighting for them than this soft shadowless lighting. A small white or silver reflector throwing just a little bit of highlight into the shells might have improved it a bit, but this is a great stand alone shot just as it is.

I give the umbrella shot an excellent rating. In my opinion, the umbrella should have been placed according to the rule of thirds at the time you took it. But please don't get manacled to the "rules" of composition. It's just that in many cases the rules really do work the best.

Overall, a powerful performance and one worthy of recognition.

bobmielke Loc: Portland, OR

The first photo is an amazing capture. I'll bet there aren't a lot of photos that capture the light breaking onto the water like that. As I have mentioned on other critiques I'm not going to be picky about the horizon being off because it's a minor point that can be fixed in 5 seconds in Photoshop. Your photographs are great. Keep up the good work and keep posting.

The second shot is also very appealing. It's one of those situations where the rule of thirds for composition shouldn't apply. If you move or crop any portion of the second photo you lose something that makes it special.

bstdizier

Yeah, positive feedback on all of them. That's what I like to hear. Thanks for the help. Everyone has their own opinions and I appreciate everyone's input and opinions. Thanks

FLNick Loc: FL Panhandle

Love all your pics.
Here's my "view" of your first picture, although yours is fine.
Here's another picture of the Gulf when TS Lee was passing us.

bstdizier

Friends of mine were in Destin when Lee paid a visit. Her pictures were good but I love the color in yours. Waves look amazing.

FLNick Loc: FL Panhandle

Thanks, "as usual" Destin was "The world's luckiest fishing village" and all we got was dark clouds and some waves from Lee.
Hope you didn't mind me using your picture for "my view".