My ol' Friend Sugarpenny is right and is crisp of mind. In any photo, ad or not, what are you trying to show me? THEME, IMPACT, MESSAGE (WHAT YOU WANT THE VIEWER TO SEE.)

In photo 1 follows Sug's directions. But using the elements that are in your stage: close down drapery to just include box & peak of the neighbors house, perhaps vague them with shear. The reflection of the greenery looks intriguing. Move the cup and pot. Put some tea in the cup, a spoon, s beautiful pastry. In other words, you have a table as a stage. Before taking the first photo, sit and look and close your eyes to move elements and make many possible photos in your mind. Then when doing the actual photography take a range of exposures, different times of the day. Make a contact sheet. If you do not have power editing software get gimp freeware. There is a Contact Sheet free plugin for gimp perhaps for any PS look alike.
http://registry.gimp.org/node/120
So, shoot, shoot, shoot. Critique as tho someone elses.

Bed ??? Hay, check out ads by the big guys, boot strap on their research dollars.

#3 (Refer to Mushroom Forum in uglyhedgehog) Which one of these elements am I to look at?? Narrow down the field. Add elements as Sug suggested. Get closer to THE element I am to focus on. Take a lot of shots lots of angle, bracket exposures. Look at photo pages on the net. Get a friend to discuss photos with, go on shoots with the friend. Join a camera club. Enjoy your new art form and forum. Don d/p

PS: Look at Sug's photo, not a jail mug shot that most people take of friends. This photo has an attractive woman and it more important to an aspiring photographer, it has composition, angle, highlights lighting, vignetting. This photo is a series of lessons in one look.

I like the arches. I think the tree randomness contrasts geometrically with the discipline of the structure.

If you like sepia, give a try to Topazlabs new B-W plugin. (much more than B/w lots of old type of effects) I am thinking about it, til the 18th sep 11 it is only 29$ with the code from their 30 minute webinar about the program. Please let me know what you think about it. I have not done much in B/W so certainly value your Michigan Opinion. I have a Canon G-2 I converted to IR and will use the plugin to convert the red IR to some mono or duo tome print.

By the way, years ago there was a book "The Failure of Success" about the early failure of GM to recognize that people actually do buy quality little cars. They liked the success of BOC, no not Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, rather as we called them, Big Ol' Cars. GM executives liked BOC's they were successful and why change for a little gnat buzzing around and so management failed to change their thinking. Another failure example is the Buick Diesel. Rather than go down the street to a sister company Detroit Diesel, they converted old's 350. oops, by the time it was perfected five years later it was too late - reputation was set. I had an 85 and loved it.

I grew up in Grand Blanc (graduated 54), population then 900, now few farms, and Flint is a ghost town. Plan a trip there to see sisters this fall. Regards d/p

Hay, Condor what is this "poor little armature" excuse !!!! I do my photograph with a five year old point & shoot Panasonic TZ3. I use old editor software. I am not a professional. I do have Topaz Adjust plugin that cost $50,,, rest low cost. Follow my dad's advice "son if it is worth doing do it good."

Look Condor, if a beautiful woman poses for you do not leave that wart on the end of her nose and the flash red-eye, please. Mr. Big had a beautiful Mushroom pose for him in her home and so Mr. Big owes it to Ms. Mushroom to make her as beautiful as he can and clean a little brick-a-brack from her floor. I excuse him because he, like I was, is a shoot-as-it-is guy. Mr. Big asked for advice and so I gave it. With personal resistance, I changed motivated and directed by the discipline of belonging to a helpful club. That influence has improved my works greatly. (and yes, also self discipline.) Leonardo da Vinci worked to get that smile right, so work and enjoy your photography.

The receipt for cooking red-tops was used in the movie "Beguiled." Choice Red-Tops were cooked for Clint Eastwood for his last meal, the day before the ladies put flowers on his grave!

Yes, you and I think the same regarding recording what was there. However, I was talking to a guy who was there an hour before you and he added the junk elements I mentioned just to add artifact to your photos!!! (not really)

I shot my entry for the camera club; the monthly theme was "glass". I thought it to be a beautiful shot. Ms. Gott in foreground ovens glowing in background, sure trash cans, stuff hanging, etc., but the photo put you in the workplace. Wow, you could see every thing. Ooops low points, gulp. Hay, why did you give me low points????

To Quote judges, THEME was GLASS, not ovens, not trash cans, not junk on floor, grrrrr did you not understand G-L-A-S-S ???? I went home and cropped the woman/glass tight and all you saw was front half of woman with blow tube and large chunk of red-hot glowing dangerous molten glass .

DRAMA, focus on one subject, contrast to dark background.
BOLD STATEMENT, this is a vulnerable small woman, this is dangerous hard to handle molten glass and she is mastering it.
YOUR THEME is a red-top poison mushroom. Cleanup and clone straw to cover junk, crop slightly off center approach the 1/3 rule. Then Mr. Big it is an award winner.

SET A RULE: Every shot, first ask what is my theme, what is message, take a few differing angles, shoot raw if you can, bracket exposure, always slightly under expose from what you think (you can always brighten, but if burned out info is not there). This photo with proper modification is an award winner indeed. YOU SIR HAVE THE EYE AND GOOD EQUIPMENT. YOU ARE A GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER JUST BLOOMING, YOUR TRANSITION WILL BE QUICK.

Now my question to you is this; why the heck do I not follow my own advice??

Yep, rotate do 8x10 not 10x8. Surly, it is not you, not the camera, it is that beautiful let-me-pose young lady that is making the photos great!!! Beautiful indeed.

Basically a great shot, subject,color contrast, vertical low angle of the shot,,, many great elements,, but lots of junk was also photographed. Next time do a little gardening before shooting. Remove log (yes, twig) front rt half, the green sprig, F-Left, the balanced fiber like thing on Mushroom, the twig center on left side.

The rest of the things, such as, green sprig 3/4 to right up to center, the white blob upper left, can be removed by photo edit tools, such as clone. then crop to make your main subject the main subject.

If possible move to give background line a more level line.

And last my greatest personal sin that I commit over and over,,,, not taking many shots of the subject,,,, memory is cheap and can be over written,,,, this is not costly film,,, shoot shoot shoot. How many shots of this subject?

Better to be Q, because Patty, Homer Simpson's sister in law has a passion for Mcguvyer and photographing old barns.

For Sanders Above, "or they can put up a huge fence and then we cant shoot them. "
My Fuji 9000 has a remote trigger purchased on EBay. If the fence interferes, then could use a camera on a stick and elevate it. Home made inventing is not dead.

Regarding photo of barn over obstructions: Recognized, of course, the camera is heavy. Perhaps using shower curtain rods (5') would give you enough elevation. May take two to do this. or a hinged 2 section 5'each furring strip with a latching slide lock. Just an Ideas to grow on and over come problems. Blue skying, is not the mother of invention, rather the method.

I use 1/4 inch dowel and 1/4-20 tpi (threads per inch) connectors for holding an auxiliary flash away from my camera. Arm 3' stick 2' = 5' to the side or above the camera.

Photo shows this flash on a stick and the Dollar Tree Tripod used for parts. 1/4 20 tpi from builders supply or hardware. Also shown is a $1 umbrella photo reflector, spray painted silver inside, connectors for tripod and flash drilled and epoxied on. Cheap-Quick-small and in drawer when needed. Sure, it is not "studio" stuff, but it works.

Home Cooked Equipment

So very difficult to take building photos now because of power lines, flag poles etc. In above photo the flag pole could disappear easily as could the bright area on the left roof. Use layers to add clouds. Even so, thank you for sharing.

One of my personal regrets and need-2-break habits, is not taking multi photos of the same building from different angles with different exposure settings. Digital film is no cost, I lived too many film years I guess.

If sharing a shot with such as flag poles, bright spots, then just say, a quick uncorrected photo from Saginaw. By saying this then any reason for criticism should be gone.

Again, thank you for sharing building from a by-gone era. Too many modern building are utilitarian boxes without character.

Gosh, do they still have pitcher pumps on every other corner. The public water system was full of phenols and undrinkable, only the hand pumped deep wells on the corner were drinkable. Surly not now, but that was Saginaw when I was a kid visiting my aunt in the 40's and early 50's. I recall a large piano factory that was shut down, a spooky thing to a 8 y/o. Great photos, SugarPenny, full of memories.

Thank you for the heads-up on the 95 CRI tubes. Creating at home and then being judged with having had incorrect lighting at both places is a quandary. In analytical chemistry the old saying was "standardize as you analyze". Applying that to photography: use the same lighting at home and at the judging stand. PhotoArtsLA, you are a great teacher and your sharing of hard won knowledge is appreciated. d/p

Mr.S, Thank you. I have enjoyed your discussions of areas of photography, have respect for your passions and opinions and artistic work. (PS> As I say to cover my poor dyslectic spelling; misspelling is a sign of linguistic creativity.)

Sorry, most insensitive of me. That is a sincere apogee. Truly out of line and said in anger based on many changes that a high percentage of Floridians are riled about. Again my apogee, even I trip over my shoelaces and revert to fuming foully. I walk away from this forum that I polluted.

I download any free ware from CNET there it is trustworthy. I have some software that has upgraded many times and all upgrades are free. QImage being one and Topaz Plugins another. When needed I upgraded my Microsoft and BG has done a good job, for the most part (do not mention ME, and vista).

So,,,,,,,, I also agree.

I agree, not a political forum. However, when our art form is jeopardized, we should protest.

I was familiar with the FL law before the changes, happy that they changed it. Was rushing out the door this morning to teach a 7AM class and did not thoroughly read the ref, just the change to misdemeanor. For that error, I apologize to all and thank, WMR, the one who gave correct definition. If it had not been changed, we would all have been justifiably very unhappy.

Once I was chatting with Ben Franklin, that ol' liberal hippie commie guy. yep the one with kite and key and he said,"
"He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither."

PS: love the barns.
Take lots of photographs and enjoy. FL too many termites, too few barns. d/p