Photography Lovers: Critique Service

[PJ]

Now that the Fall is upon us, and is about to give way to Winter in the blink of an eye, here is a little something which aimed to celebrate the magnificence of this short but delightful season:

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[Suet Seung]

Wow SS, awesome pic! How were you able to get so close?

I guess I must be a ghost then...

I just stood by the pond where they reside.

What do you mean by "I guess i must be a ghost then" ? That seems totally random.

[shellie]

I actually really like yearning's...yes the lighting is not ideal but it brings out some sort of emotion within me.

Meanwhile, my pictures don't really seem to do that...and if they do, it's because of the subject, not my photography skills.

So anyway, I am one of the worst photographers I've ever known - my only skill is that my photos don't tend to blur. However, Hua Gang Guan Yu was so pretty I couldn't mess up this shot too badly

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Basically, bad photography skills (looking at it again I feel like the picture was kind of crooked) but nice scenery The balance gives me a peaceful, tranquil feeling.

sparky, i'm so jealous of you! that's a beautiful picture!! i would love to see a place like that. *sigh* beautiful - like something out of a wuxia setting. i'm expecting someone to fly over that any second.

[Azn Dude]

Lightwriting photography has become easier with cheaper LED lights. These photos are not photoshopped in any way. Credit to LICHTFAKTOR

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[999roses]

Can anyone suggest me a good "How to" photography book to buy? I'm trying to find 2 books:
1) on techniques
2) on digital manipulations

Thanks!

[Hoju!]

I'm not the photographer in the family, but the avid amateur photographer in my house loves this book. He tells me it's a great no-nonsense book for people who use DSLRs - it tells you how to set up and adjust your controls to get your shot without going into the technical jargon.
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photog...8164117&sr=8-1

He also bought the second book that came out recently and loves it too.
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photog...8164391&sr=8-2

[999roses]

Thanks Hoju! I don't have a dSLR though (or a SLR for that fact)....it would be pretty sweet to get one though lol, one can dream =P

[NuDaFu]

@PJ: OMG! That's a superb photo (to my amateurish eyes anyway). It's so evocative to me for some reason.

@Azn Dude: Interesting photos. Can you tell us more on 'lightwriting' - never heard of it.

I am as amateurish as one can be with photography. Take photos in very much the same way I paint...see the image in my mind before it is taken/created.

But then, I can be really stupid and do something like forget to turn off the date display! I wouldn't hire me as a photographer. But...I love to take photos for the pure joy of it and appreciation of that beauty the surrounds us in life.

And I'm a fan of mood.

1. Natural formation of a very old tree root that looked like a sad, old, wrinkled man to me. Lighting seems dark, but I keep it that way to retain that aching sense of sadness that the image evoked in me when I took it. Location: Northern Shaolin Temple, Honan, China.

2. One of my fav of favs for some reason. There's something ironically haunting about the bright red against the 'emptiness' of that balcony. There was a strong sense of loneliness (as in the surroundings, not myself) at the temple. Took many pictures at this location because the mood was so tangible at the time, one could imagine you could taste it in the air. Locations: Bai Yun Guan (Daoist Temple), Beijing, China.

3. Went through a short obsession with taking shots from under tripod legs at the temple. This happened to be the most satisfying shot. Location: Bai Yun Guan (Daoist Temple), Beijing, China.

[sniffles]

I actually really like yearning's...yes the lighting is not ideal but it brings out some sort of emotion within me.

Meanwhile, my pictures don't really seem to do that...and if they do, it's because of the subject, not my photography skills.

So anyway, I am one of the worst photographers I've ever known - my only skill is that my photos don't tend to blur. However, Hua Gang Guan Yu was so pretty I couldn't mess up this shot too badly

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Basically, bad photography skills (looking at it again I feel like the picture was kind of crooked) but nice scenery The balance gives me a peaceful, tranquil feeling.

Just discovered this thread.

Sparky, I used to teach photography, and I can tell you that this is not at all a bad photo. The composition is actually quite nicely arranged. Typically it's more interesting in an image if you don't center anything exactly in the middle. But in this case you've done it very well by placing the misty mountain in the center, because the foreground objects are well balanced. You have the building on the left and the tree on the right, framing the mountain in the center distance. And further balancing the mountain is the oddly-shaped rock (looks kind of like a frog, doesn't it?) in the lower foreground.

The lighting is good, too, because it's not too brightly sunny or too dark. The color balance looks good, and the focus and depth of field are crisp. The only thing I could complain of is that the tree is cut off at the top of the image, but if you'd stepped back to get more of the tree, the balance of the rest of the composition would have been less pleasing.

The first rule of good photography is: If you like it, take a picture of it. The second rule is, take more than one in case the first one doesn't work out. If you like the picture, nothing else really matters.

[NuDaFu]

The first rule of good photography is: If you like it, take a picture of it. The second rule is, take more than one in case the first one doesn't work out. If you like the picture, nothing else really matters.

Hey, that's what I do. Never thought it was an actual concept.

The only disadvantage is if you're on holiday and tend to annoy people around you by spending too long taking repeated photos of essentially the same object and/or scene.

I have no technical understanding of it (except the basic from good ol' Physics), but I love playing with how the light plays on the things I take a photo of.

Yeah, and someone please critique my photos...I starve for feedback in areas I am especially not versed in. Except the obvious that I left the date stamp on it.

[Thor]

I actually really like yearning's...yes the lighting is not ideal but it brings out some sort of emotion within me.

Meanwhile, my pictures don't really seem to do that...and if they do, it's because of the subject, not my photography skills.

So anyway, I am one of the worst photographers I've ever known - my only skill is that my photos don't tend to blur. However, Hua Gang Guan Yu was so pretty I couldn't mess up this shot too badly

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Basically, bad photography skills (looking at it again I feel like the picture was kind of crooked) but nice scenery The balance gives me a peaceful, tranquil feeling.

You have a nice shot here. You are doing okay, except that you need to do some post processing.

I took the liberty to cropped your original shot. Tell me if you think this is better or worse.

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[Thor]

This is a sunset shot at Clearwater Beach. There is nothing on the water except for this lonely sailboat. Comments and critique welcome.

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[Thor]

Took this shot while at a veranda BBQ last week. The rainbow lasted just a couple of minutes.

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[Han Solo]

I love the sunset horizon picture.

I can just imagine the loneliness of the ppl in the boat.

Such a vast sea, in a time when night is about to reign.

Han Solo

[Thor]

I love the sunset horizon picture.

I can just imagine the loneliness of the ppl in the boat.

Such a vast sea, in a time when night is about to reign.

Han Solo

Yes, this picture also gives me a sense of loneliness and solitude.
There is so little happening in the water. In fact I had to wait for the sailboat to sail into the reflection of the sun's ray.

[sniffles]

You have a nice shot here. You are doing okay, except that you need to do some post processing.

I took the liberty to cropped your original shot. Tell me if you think this is better or worse.

I don't personally like the way you cropped the rocks at the bottom. I think it's a better composition with more of the rocks showing, to balance out the weight of the mountain in the center background.

[Thor]

I don't personally like the way you cropped the rocks at the bottom. I think it's a better composition with more of the rocks showing, to balance out the weight of the mountain in the center background.

Your comments noted, Thanks.
I guess that is how one can learn, by looking thru another person's eyes.

(The reason I cropped the rocks was: the rocks appeared too dorminant and took focus from the scenery. When I look at the original picture, I was more drawn to the rocks. Just my opinion).

[Thor]

hey sniffles,

Why don't you share more of your photography knowledge with us. Perhaps more critique(both positive and negative opinions). Also if you can possibility post some of your shots with comments on what we should be looking for in good pictures.

I have just recently became interested in photography. Am interested in learning from you or anyone else.

[sniffles]

hey sniffles,

Why don't you share more of your photography knowledge with us. Perhaps more critique(both positive and negative opinions). Also if you can possibility post some of your shots with comments on what we should be looking for in good pictures.

I have just recently became interested in photography. Am interested in learning from you or anyone else.

I'd have to have my photos scanned - my work is mostly in analog photography, not digital.

I don't mind giving constructive criticism, but as I said earlier, the most important element is whether or not you, the photographer, are happy with the photo. You don't have to know a lot of rules about composition or lighting to take good photos. And with the advent of Photoshop, you can often make up for a less-than-ideal photo with some strategic editing or filtering.

For instance in your photos above, the sailboat is right smack in the middle of the image, which is usually a compositional "no-no", but in this case it works because of the way the image is divided up by the horizon line and balanced between sun and sky, with the sailboat and the sun as the two focal points. The monochromatic color scheme also works to enhance this.

In your rainbow photo, it's nicely balanced between the two buildings in the foreground, with the added fun that the rainbow seems to be connecting the buildings.

[PJ]

And I'm a fan of mood.

Ah, 999rose, we've found another fellow mood aficionado. So NuDafu, Do you like Wong Kar-wai?

@PJ: OMG! That's a superb photo (to my amateurish eyes anyway). It's so evocative to me for some reason.

Thank you. I've posted more than one photo to this thread, so would you mind telling me which one you were referring to?