Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

Morning all! So I just got through taking a 5 day class with a very well known photographer who has won many, many awards, photos in the Smithsonian and is a judge for contests like Natures Best Photography. I learned sooo much about what makes a great photo.

Half way through the 5 days I was feeling quite overwhelmed and almost in tears because to get the photo that he would consider a photo seems near impossible. I totally understand photos before and just after sunrise and sunset are the best, but is it awful that I still want to take photos mid day? On several of my trips I have still gotten photos I really like, even though they do not have the special light and there are shadows etc. I scoured my photos and submitted them for the class and so far I do not have one photo that is not a "non-photo" due to shadow or lack of a hook or a background that is not totally creamy, or a host of other bad things.

I will post some of his comments to what I thought was going to be an ok photo.

The last one was reviewed verbally, the shadows! Bridge of the nose by eye, and the light patch of fur below the right eye as you look at the photo and curve shadow back to the nose is a big distraction. He could tell I was off by 2 degrees and that caused the bad shadow. The lighter fur to the left of the nose stops the eye from traveling from the lower left to the eye. You are supposed to have something soft in the lower left that makes your eye travel from lower left to the "hook" eye. In this case it does not work due to light fur interrupts the flow to the eye and then the shadows on the right. Then, the white fur on the lips could have been lightened to make it better if the other issues had not condemned it to be a "non-photo". Oh and the green line going through the background is bad.

Who knew you were not supposed to have sky in a bird photo, or that with something like a coyote all 4 legs must have separation and no crossover and that the farthest away front leg should be going forward. That the background must be very creamy with no light and dark areas. Shadows are the worst! Like crap, I was off by 2 or 4 degrees with the shadow. Must have a hook, no lines and of course good light, no messy sticks. Example an owl in a tree is bad if the leaves are all around it.

Anyway, I feel like a bad person/photographer for still liking some of my photos that are not perfect and still wanting to just have fun taking a photo and if I see a mom and baby moose at noon in a messy field of grass with a shadow, I'm still going to take the photo!

Again, I learned a LOT and the pro is a very nice guy and very talented. I will try and do what he says, but may still take what I know will be a "non-photo" am I bad?

Comments welcome, I have had lots of criticism lately, I can handle it! Well I might cry....

I know you must strive to have no shadow, but it doesn't bother me that much...

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I had missed the shadow on the bird and horn shadow on body. Also thought background was blurred enough.

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Prime example, I'm still taking this photo even though there are shadows and a bad background & it was well after sunrise...

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This is a small part, things to remember

Quixdraw Loc: x

Take a deep breath, forget nearly everything the "Distinguished Photographer" said. Two things, a big Cheese always has to be that, ego! Second if he can't find all sorts of things wrong, how can he get you to take more and better classes. There is no one standard or size that fits all. Choose things you found useful, toss the rest and move on. You take lots of photos that are very fine, you did before the class, and will continue to do so!

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

You just keep posting your "bad" photos and I will endure them, Beth!

Tracy B. Loc: Indiana

Well, I'm not a "professional" photographer, however I can recognize a good photograph. Your photographs are beautiful. I especially love the fox. It is art and He's opinion isn't set in stone for everybody.

pendennis

rcarol

I agree with Quixdraw. Your images are quite good and have broad appeal. Dump the "Distinguished Photographer", keep shooting and most of all keep posting so that the rest of us can continue to enjoy your images.

Mama Bear984 Loc: Langley, BC Canada

You did an amazing job. You DO have an eye for nature photography.
And your teacher has a huge ego fed by his awards & constant feed back of likes.
Let him be him & you be you. I used to think I will never get a good image.
But who was I taking the photo for, certainly not anyone but myself. That finally sunk in.

BigDaddy Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

I think you are taking this way too seriously. He is giving you his thoughts as a professional I guess, they have some value for sure, and should help guide you, but not overwhelm what you are doing. His thoughts are just ideas that may or may not help on occasion. Like all rules other than take off your lens cap before shooting, they are not carved in stone, and OFTEN are wrong for a particular situation. Things like best light is sunrise or sundown does not in any way mean you should only take pictures then, same as rule of thirds is something to contemplate, but certainly not even close to written in stone. You paid attention to his teaching, so let it influence your thoughts, but not control everything you do in photography.

pendennis

His advice and $2.00 may get you a hot steaming cup of coffee somewhere, but others who aren't "well known photographers" certainly have criticism of your photography which must be taken in the overall mix. He has taken a lot of time to "fly spec" your photographs, which by the way, are excellent.

Could you benefit by additional cropping or editing? Likely, yes. But there are few options available "in the moment", especially when wildlife is the subject, or in the mix. Orangs, foxes, etc, don't pose for anyone, and even if you set your camera to high speed, you can still miss "the shot". Take the example of the fox. Did you have time to reframe, shoot a number of exposures, reframe, reshoot, etc.? Not likely.

If you were to specialize in one area of wildlife photography, over time you can learn to anticipate certain movements, but that takes a lot of time and study. Most of the time, we grab shots in the moment, and get as many, as good as possible.

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to photograph a Red Tail hawk which alit on the power pole behind our home. I shot 18 high-speed frames, and still only got one or two before he flew down to our fence, where I managed to get an additional 15 frames. Of the 33 total frames, only two were to my liking, and they needed a lot of work in Photoshop.

Often, we are our toughest critics. Your photos are worthy of showing to anyone.

PS - The "rule of thirds", for the most part, is rot.

gsmith051 Loc: Fairfield Glade, TN

Keep at it Beth. A good instructor will tell you the positive and suggest where we can improve our shots. Clue for you …..we all have room for improvement. 😀

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I've also been to a couple of classes led by really good photographers who have strong publishing credentials. Here are some of the things I've come away with:

I paid significant money for those classes. I sure hope that the instructors set their instruction against a very high level of excellence.

Art is a breeding ground for arrogance (and a surprising amount of ignorance). You just have to know that and be prepared for it to come with everything else.

Many of the best artists have severely crippled interpersonal skills.

Most of us as hobbyists probably don't have the time, energy, focus, or desire to pursue photography to the extreme limits that those who envision themselves as the world's answer to everything do. Come on...who can really estimate 4 degrees in the field. On the other hand, now you know that the placement of the catchlight in the eye is a pretty important contributor to an engaging photograph.

Most good teachers intentionally work to "over-educate" you. They provide additional information for context (which I know greatly helps me understand and remember), but they know that you are going to forget a lot of what they teach you. By overfilling your brain, they help insure that you will remember at least some of the good stuff.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

These photos are outstanding regardless of what the so called "expert" had to say. His critiques were contrived to stoke his own ego. With wildlife photos, you have to take the photo at the moment of opportunity, and they will never be perfectly staged. This guy obviously does not get wildlife photography. I would encourage you to ignore his comments and continue taking the pictures you get when the opportunity strikes. You clearly understand what wildlife photography is all about, and you don't need an 'expert' advising you to get great shots.

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Your catchlights/shadows were 'off' by two degrees? by FOUR DEGREES??? Completely unacceptable! Crocodile tears will neither assuage nor justify your utter badness. BAD PHOTOLADY! BAD, BAD, BAD!!!!

This "well-known, Aweird-Winning" instructor-person sounds *nice* though. So there's that.

jdub82 Loc: Northern California

NMGal Loc: NE NM

He is a “nit picker”. Keep doing what you are doing as long as you enjoy it.