Taking the plunge

[Sinuous]

Hello there. I have been lurking forever on this forum, reading threads and viewing photographs in awe or disgust. I have been especially impressed with the artwork of Aerion, Cigaro and Le Gab.

Today I finally decided to post a few of my pictures and hear some serious critique. I'm rather new to photography and I have to admit I'm a bit afraid of harsh critique, but I realise that if I only present you with my best photographs my worst flaws will never be exposed. I also realise you all won't bite, unless you have very good reason to. Yet for the sake of my sanity I'll start with the pictures I feel best about. When I feel more at ease I will probably show you some which I know are flawed but in which I can't see the flaw myself. After all, my objective is to improve.

After this overly long explanation, allow me to show you some pictures...

1
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/276/img9097editmq3.jpg

2
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/474/img1739ie8.jpg

3
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/2589/img1751editde8.jpg

What do you think?

By the way, English is not my first language. Feel free to correct me on that as well if you feel the need.

[ShadeOfDawn]

Your english is better than most english speaking people i know, so rest assured there.


As for your photographs:


I really like the first one. The subject matter is odd and interesting to me. It looks like its from a futuristic sci-fi movie. Its alligned pretty well although it feels like its tilted to the right a bit.

In the second one there isnt much of a separation between the foreground and background. They're both dull and flat in colour (with no direct sunlet to differentiate it). Also, the idea of the picture is a bit flawed to begin with. The background looks beautiful but its too busy with the stems in the foreground.


In the third the background is sprawling and beautiful and i like the idea of the bus stop thats a viewing window. The person really grabs a lot of attention but i dont find her position pleasing to my eye in the photograph. There might be a little bit too much on the sides that is distracting.

Overall i like the first the best. In photography you have to ask yourself "why am i taking this picture" and "what are other people going to see in it". It is my experience that if the photograph doesnt offer something visualy distinctive or interesting or offer a story or convey an emotion that it wont grab peoples attention nor hold their hearts. So the hard question to answer now is 'why?'

[Sinuous]

Thank you for your comments.

I agree that the first image seems to be tilted to the right. I suppose I could correct that, but I didn't want to change the crop as it is too much.

As for the second one, when I took it I didn't intend to emphasize the background whatsoever. The focus should have been on the plants and their contrast against the sky. Of course, how someone sees a picture defines what it is to them, and I agree that when seen the way you view it the background should have stood out more.

Your comments on the third picture are especially helpful. I was pleased with the picture myself, but at the same time wondering how it could have been better. You rightfully point out how the sides are too cluttered and the person wasn't placed in the best position (rule of thirds I guess). I didn't see this myself, although there was a nagging feeling about this picture that may very well have been caused by these two flaws.

Also, thank you for sharing these words of wisdom with a new photographer. It's true that photographs need something distinctive to grab and hold your attention, whether concrete or abstract. I'll do my best to incorporate that in future pictures. :)

[klips]

Hi there! I agree with you that some of the people here are disgustingly talented, so good on you to start on your way there :D I'm trying not to be too harsh in this crit while actually giving you good advice, so please understand that this is my intention (even if it may not feel that way).

1. This is excellent. The high saturation has made it very vivid, and the near-symmetry works well. As has been mentioned, it is rather noticeably tilted and this detracts from it, I think the cropping is worth the reduction in size it brings. You might want to post a rotated version so that we can see the difference.

2. This doesn't work for me. The foreground plants are underexposed, and not particularly interesting. The background of overexposed, and the low aperture means that it's not in focus. It also looks weird with just the stalks of the plants, there is nothing to anchor them and the photo feels like there is something missing from it. For excellent plant photos check out Stine's thread, she shall show you the light :D

3. This is okay, not as good as the first but better than the second. The saturation is higher and exposure better which gives it a lot more life. The aperture also appears to be wider, which brings the background more to life and creates a deeper photo. The composition needs some work, I think it would have been better to put the shelter at the edge of the frame, cutting the tree out and showing more of the fence. This is an example of the symmetry creating a more static photo than a non-symmetrical one would.

Just out of interest, what equipment are you using?

Keep snapping, show us more and have fun :D

Cheers,
Klips

[Sinuous]

Thank you for your crits. :) I've tilted the first image slightly. I wasn't able to get it perfectly straight, but I think the slant is barely noticeable now. I've replaced the old picture with the new one in the first post.

It's clear to me that the second and third image will never be really good, so I decided not to edit those any further. I was planning to upload some newly taken pictures today, because I was due to receive my new camera today (Canon Digital Ixus 60 for portability, nothing fancy), but it turned out to be delayed by a few days.

I'll keep in mind that my pictures will probably be much better with one focal point, and one only. Also, the subject should be interesting enough to capture and keep the attention of the viewer and preferably convey a story or a feeling. Sorry for repeating that, but I feel more confident when I'm sure I know what I need to know. :P

Picture 1 was taken with a Canon Powershot S1 IS on auto mode, the second and third were taken with a Canon Powershot A540. 1 and 3 have been slightly post-processed, 2 hasn't.

Oh, before I forget, I'll certainly take a look at Stine's thread. ShadeOfDawn's pictures are also very interesting, and they seem to breathe an atmosphere that I like. I know better than to copy the style, but it's inspiring, of course. :)

[eazym]

yes, the forst one is the strongest by far. Composition, color, strong design elements all work well here