quazi posted:

Here's more of whatever this is:

Hrm, might have to tone-down the stars. They didn't seem this punchy when I was working on it.

_{little white building by jwallacephoto, on Flickr}

This is a bit silly.

_{jelly bridge by jwallacephoto, on Flickr}

rio posted:

One more I was hoping to throw out there for advice. I was at the mall and this guy was totally asleep standing up behind the counter. This mall is filled with empty stores, it has really declined. All I had was a 16mm lens, so I ended up shooting wide of course, took off some clutter on the left and ended up with my first crop:


empty mall by cadence440, on Flickr

I started thinking about keeping the subject clear...The empty mall surroundings were interesting to me because I was there and knew the context, but I started to think it would not be interesting to a viewer, and I should crop tighter.


the pretzel industry was not as exciting as Tom had imagined by cadence440, on Flickr

Does this work? I should have just walked up to the guy, but I thought he would have woken up. Also a good lesson that I need to bring my camera bag with me so I have an appropriate lens all the time!

Ambihelical Hexnut posted:

I'm confused about the subject here. If you're trying to do what I think you are trying to do in the second photo, then I find the non-parallel lines that are obviously parallel in real life to be sort of distracting because it seems unintentional.


I think this scene is one whose value is in repeating patterns, but typically you see those types of shot realized in a flattened, almost two-dimensional style, usually with framing lines running parallel to the border of the photo, and extraneous detail minimized. Your processing runs in line with what I've seen of that style, but shooting into the corner makes it difficult to establish that geometry (if that's what you were going for.) I think the dented garage door is distracting and I'd like to see more or less of it.


This is just a great detail capture. The removal of extra detail makes the scale of the photo uncertain at first viewing which I find interesting. Where in Cali were you shooting?

Xerxes17 posted:

Today I decided to finally get of my arse and take a few photos. My reasoning being that the best way to learn how to swim is to throw oneself into the sea.


NiceDay by FreeRadical17, on Flickr


Argument by FreeRadical17, on Flickr


StormBrewing by FreeRadical17, on Flickr


OldSoldier by FreeRadical17, on Flickr

Here is the rest of the set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76752400@N04/sets/72157629340010921/

Bottom Liner posted:

Self portraits are hard, especially with no tripod or remote shutter release.


day 36 by David Childers, on Flickr

drat NIGGA posted:

Yeah I have a bunch of ideas I want to do with him. He loves it, couldn't get him to stop smiling.


One I took the other day of this cool looking old dude.


Uphill by DAMNNIGERIAN, on Flickr

Man_of_Teflon posted:

Did I take the split toning too far on this one? I was going for that dusk look that I like so much.

OOPRCT posted:

I live in a housing cooperative and I'm shooting a project which is essentially a collection of pictures I take of the members. One thing I'm trying to do is to get a head shot of everybody. I have these so far:


20120223-_MG_2323.jpg by OOPRCT, on Flickr


20120223-_MG_2325.jpg by OOPRCT, on Flickr


20120223-_MG_2319.jpg by OOPRCT, on Flickr

What can I do to improve? The majority of the pictures I take are at night. I have a 1 speedlite and an off-camera cable.

Ferris Bueller posted:

Trying to visualize what I want the finished product to look like when I'm finished with it, and this one actually turned out how I saw it. Just wondering what works with this, doesn't work, or if it's complete crap. Fire away.


Ice by David Jachym, on Flickr

ohrwurm posted:

I would slightly bring up the shadows under the car. Seems a little dark.

My first contribution:

IMG_8350 by Christopher.Wimbrow, on Flickr

I really wanted to get a lower angle on this one, but the lot was fenced in.

whereismyshoe posted:

Can't figure out what to do with this one. I straightened the horizon so the sidewalk is straight but it still kind of looks...a little off to me.

TsarAleksi posted:

dukeku posted:

I really like the first one. It's got enough light in the frame to give it interest, but the tones are still recognizable as night. The others have too much dark space - were you going for something relating to the intensity of the light coming out of homes in the dead of night, or were you just going for a picture of a retirement community at night? If you were going for the "lighting nothing" direction I think they might work a bit better by obscuring the light sources (and avoiding flare) and just letting the light fall.

------------------

Here's some more stuff I'm throwing in with my east of the cascades project:

Pagan posted:

My roommate and I decided to spend the day walking around Boston. The weather was pretty dreary, so I didn't get much good stuff while the sun was up.

This is my favorite while the sun was up.



Once the sun went down, however, things got much more interesting. There was also a huge blackout in the Back Bay, as a result of a major transformer fire. I got a ton of shots of that, but this one is my favorite. This is my first real attempt at street photography, so I'd like plenty of critique.

Pagan posted:

Good critiques take a moment, champ, and the OP specifically says they are not mandatory. Are you referring to another part of the OP? You should make that clear instead of a one line no effort post.

smallmouth posted:

I'm just starting out with taking pictures, so I don't really feel comfortable critiquing anyone's stuff.

I consider myself a painter first. I'm mostly using photography to learn about observation, composition, lighting, etc, from a different perspective and hope I can apply that learning to painting.

Here's a photo I took today at lunch break. I know high noon is a terrible time to photograph, but it's an easy time for me to get out. I also try and post process as little as possible, so I can learn how to actually use the camera settings first.

I'm trying to get some nice, even lighting. I like contrast, but I want things to look natural. I feel like the sky is unavoidably over exposed. Otherwise I think it might be ok? I don't feel like I have an eye for it yet. Any suggestions or criticisms are appreciated.

icke posted:

I like this one. On the small preview I thought I was looking at some sort of old building with really weird clouds in the background, before I realized what it was. I wonder if longer exposure would have added to that effect to make the water less recognizable and the foreground appear even more out of place.

This one came from a horribly overexposed shot, which for some reason I couldn't just throw away.

IMG_2527.jpg by florian.eilers, on Flickr

A smug sociopath posted:

I'm relatively new to photography, so I can't really give a professional insight, but there were a few things that this picture brought to mind.
Like other people have said, you would really benefit from using an ND filter. This picture in particular suffers from being stopped down, in my opinion. The waterfall itself is beautiful, but having everything in full focus distracts from it. The trees in the background make the image look cluttered and take away attention from the water. I love the scene, and I think it would be worth revisiting, but you should try to go for a more open aperture.

Here's two pictures, from my latest trip.





Some of my own remarks about these.
Like I mentioned, I'm pretty new to photography (I've had my 550D for a year, use it mostly for shooting video), but I have some background with cinematography. I have two major areas I think I still need practice in. First, being digital post production of the pictures. I simply haven't gotten into it at all. And second, I need to learn to stop down the aperture. I tend to shoot wide open, which is sometimes detrimental.
Both of these were shot on a Tair 11-A 135mm prime, at f/2.8. On the first picture I think the jet smokestream on the upper left combined with the color gradients made the image worth capturing. It looks a bit like a painting.

David Pratt posted:

I just bought a speedlite and I have no idea what the gently caress I'm doing. Here's some test shots, tell me what I'm loving up!

If I was going to do this properly, I'd use a plainer background, but is the lighting itself ok?

80/366 - Josie by fuglsnef, on Flickr

xenilk posted:

I think you should read the OP where it says


I'm not good with critiques, and I'm not good at saying "this picture makes me feel lonely inside blablabla".

I liked the Post a picture a day since it allowed me to quote people and say that I enjoyed their pictures, the tones and whatever else great without having to make up a lengthy bullshit story about it.

So all in all, what's wrong with simply appreciating people's picture?

And if you noticed on my flickr feed I don't add my pictures to groups and crap like that to seek useless attention, but thanks.

Edit: I'll just stick to the portrait thread from now on, sorry that I was foolish enough to crosspost portraits I enjoyed doing.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

Bottom Liner posted:

I'm going to post this here to help both people that are shy about posting critiques and those that are shy about posting photos.

quote:

How do I give another photographer a critique?

Whether written (formal) or verbal (informal) I recommend using a system so that you’ll look at and critique photographs similarly each time you do. The system I use includes the following specific steps:

Take It In

Examine the photo as a whole. Take in the details of the photograph. If something stands out (either good or bad) take note of it, but don’t say anything at this point.

Interpret

This is your first ‘broad brush’ opportunity to respond to the picture. It’s a chance to talk in general terms about what the photograph makes you feel, what it says to you, what the photo is about (in your opinion), themes, symbolism, etc. Remember, it’s art, not something with a ‘right or wrong’ answer, so even if you see things that the artist didn’t intend, or feel things about the work that are unexpected (to the artist) that’s OK! (and can be extremely helpful for the artist to hear as well)

Technical

Here you’ll want to address the technical side of the photograph. Is it in focus? Do you see dust spots (more relevant to film)? How’s the contrast? Would the picture worked better with a smaller or larger aperture? Etc. Essentially if it has to do with the technical side of the photograph, this is the place to address it.

Artistic

And the other side to the ‘technical’ coin is to address the artistic. How’s the crop? Is the picture composed well? If it is in color would it have worked better as a B&W (or vice-versa)? Etc.
Good Points It’s important to find some good in the photograph… This is easy when you like it, and harder when you don’t. The truth is that no photograph is irredeemable, and even if it’s a challenge to see it, there is good in there and you need to find it! The more specific the better. “I like the clouds” isn’t helpful. “I like the way the clouds draw the eye across the frame diagonally and pull me more into the frame” is much better. Put some thought into this section, but especially put some thought into this section if you have a lot of things you want to say in the next section…

Areas for Improvement

It’s important to remember that for the most part it’s difficult or impossible to ‘go back and do it again’ when it comes to photography. This means that it often isn’t very helpful (and can be quite frustrating) to provide criticism that can’t be acted upon (“I sure wish the tree was on the right side of the frame instead of the left”) I generally try to provide a couple of things that the photographer can act upon (crop the frame differently, and B&W would be better than color) and try to couch things that can’t actually be implemented as ‘things you may want to take into consideration for other pictures in the future.’

Mightaswell posted:

I'm compelled to mention that I like this pic, since some others offered harsh critiques.

I like the palette and the almost cinematic vibe I'm getting off it. I don't even care that the weed isn't entirely in focus!


Pop's Dairy Bar by Winston85, on Flickr

RangerScum posted:

Untitled by Myotomy, on Flickr

Cyberbob posted:

Mine:
Three entirely different shoots.


Angelo with Fire #1 by Rick0r McZany, on Flickr

VomitOnLino posted:

The tonality and texture of this one speaks to me even though it is quite simplistic. I guess the composition could be better.


And with this one I might be breaking an unwritten PAD rule. Because this shot does not work for me, but I can't exactly work out why that is. When I managed to sneakily take this shot I was glad I got it and then- cue the disappointment when I scanned/printed it.

AtomicManiac posted:

I absolutely love this. There's something about lighting like that, it just makes me want to only take pictures of gas stations at night. I've never been able to properly put it in words, maybe it's just because I love light that comes from above (which is how I light like 95% of my portraits).


Here's a frame from a charity boxing match between cops and fire-fighters. Pretty happy with how it came out.



Guns and Hoses

HeyEng posted:

Here's one from flying today. Usually I take the camera to go snapshot the landscape or whatever but I figured might as well try to capture just how complex and dingy a flight deck really is.

AIIAZNSK8ER posted:

Thing I found interesting tonight:

unwined-1260 by AIIAZNSK8ER, on Flickr

dukeku posted:

I really, really like this although I think it would be a bit more effective if you had made the perspective lines created in the ceiling intersect with the edges of the frame. Were you perfectly centered when you took the shot?

Here's a "discard" from a recent roll that I could use some feedback on:

Demon_Corsair posted:

I think this may have worked better if the duck was just a silhouette, so being out of focus wouldn't matter.

A 4x5 from a recent outing in an abandoned school. I found out the hard way that the shutter sticks at 1 second.

King Edward School by TheOneTrueDevo, on Flickr

fnif posted:

I like this one, but there's something that's just not working for me. I don't know, but somehow I feel that the jacket is taking too much of my notice.

Maybe if the door was a bit more open it would have worked better.


The more I think of it I think it's just that the jacket brings too much clutter straight to me. I don't think it should be completely removed, but slightly reduced in the picture. If that makes any sense.



I'm not sure if I like this or not.

Dread Head posted:

eggsovereasy posted:

Rambler by jhunter!, on Flickr

I decided to stick the car right in the middle as it takes about one third of the frame, then one third house above it and one third road below it. I thought it had a nice symmetry. I don't like that the car has a flat tire (can't fix that though) and I got some pretty strong flare off the chrome. Not sure how to fix the flare though, polarizing filter maybe? I think that would be hard to use on a rangefinder.

EatinCake posted:

Here are a few from myself.



The first is from a event I shot for a newspaper on the beginning of construction for a new library. The other two I don't think are technically good photos, but I'd like to think I captured these wonderful fellows personalities pretty strongly through them.

TheLastManStanding posted:

Ambihelical Hexnut posted:

No SAD makes me sad, but I'll play along. Recent critique a few posts above this one.

We're in the middle of a short spring, a new fighting season, and the brief period between snow and dust where the shaded side of the wind carved hills is fertile enough to bear grasses. The dots on the hillside is a herd of sheep.

ohrwurm posted:

IMG_8490.jpg by Christopher.Wimbrow, on Flickr

This one was a first for me, as it's my first attempt at cloning. I removed some reflectors from the guardrail that I thought were distracting. Also, I wasn't trying to get the runner (he's a lot more noticeable in the full-size version), but I like that it happened.
Things I would change: The side of left "pillar" shouldn't be directly behind the guardrail post. It looks like it just ends.

hepkitten posted:

pool shot. my issue with this is if i straight it so the lane rope is straight, the feet are off. if i straighten it so the feet are right, the lane rope makes the whole thing look tilted. if i crop any off the top, i lose the flying water that brings so much motion to the shot. i think i just need to resink this pool so that it lines up straight for my photographic satisfaction. and the reason that i left the second hand in is because this was a shot of a race and i wanted to show the closeness of the race. i know it's distracting but i made the choice to go with the story of the images and not the composition of one shot.


windup doll. i think i need another light on the lower half of her body. top half: creamy skin, lower half: turning into a zombie. also i should have GOBOed the sun off her hair. also the key needs more fill.

Musket posted:

I really quite like this one. The colors pop rather well with each other, and i really enjoy how much depth is added by the farm in the distance. Over all a really great photo.

There is one thing i could change though, for some reason the blue feels like it could be a bit deeper to me. Other than that small nitpicky item, its great.





Hawthorn Bridge - Portland Oregon.

Oprah Haza posted:

Crosspost from portraits thread:

Shot a few musician friends. Please excuse the watermark, I'm linking from a viewing gallery.

Nondo posted:

Nondo posted:

I don't remember why I framed the cactus this way (shot this in December). I kinda like it but I don't. Thoughts?

Mr. Despair posted:

This is a shot I took a few months ago in the evening as some snow flurries were coming in. I like how there's a nice split down the middle between the incoming snow and the blue skies. I'm not sure which of these crops work better, or if I should try something else with this.


DSC_1259.jpg by MrDespair, on Flickr


DSC_1259.jpg by MrDespair, on Flickr

xenilk posted:

As for me, just a shot from my first wedding. Used an ND 4 filter on that one, such a sunny day.

IMG_6284 by avoyer, on Flickr

TheJeffers posted:

Thanks for the compliments. I bounced my flash off the opposite wall on a whim while I was refining the picture and it turned out well, so I carried that into the final shot.

I wasn't really taken with the color version, but here it is:


Cincinnati Bell In Color by TheJeffers, on Flickr

HeyEng posted:

Anyhow, I don't do landscape shots often because I find them really difficult to grasp and having aliencowboy post his poo poo makes me feel very inferior. With that being said here is Mt McKinley.



My biggest peeve about this are the clouds obscuring the peak itself. There isn't much I can do about that though.

aliencowboy posted:

The weather around here is finally starting to be consistently pleasant. It's been motivating me to get up at ungodly hours in the morning and drive out into the country, exploring the back roads before having to scramble back into the city for work. Waiting for the weekend would be easier, but where's the fun in that?

sensy v2.0 posted:

Of the three, I think the first is the weakest. It doesn't interest me as much as the other ones for some reason, and I think the busy background with all the trees makes it feel out of place compared to the other two.

sensy v2.0 posted:

These three are me trying to get back into large format, and portraits are not something I usually do.


olle gustafsson 2 by like okay cool dude, on Flickr


aina gustafsson by like okay cool dude, on Flickr


goat skull by like okay cool dude, on Flickr

8th-samurai posted:

Here is another one from my city in color series:

HookShot posted:

Louvre by hookshot88, on Flickr


Louvre by hookshot88, on Flickr

guidoanselmi posted:

cyan/red balance might need a lil adjusting - at least on firefox for my monitor.







My desktop for editing is dead so these are straight jpegs from my camera. I'll get around to editing them when I get my motherboard back from ASUS.

drat NIGGA posted:

I really like this one, but I think it the sky could be cropped down even more. It'd be three rectangles, one sand, one ocean, and one sky.



Tank by DAMNNIGERIAN, on Flickr

This isn't the best picture I've taken, but something about the diagnol line of the mountain makes it appealing to me.

doctor 7 posted:

IMG_4927 by Aidan R, on Flickr


IMG_4932 by Aidan R, on Flickr

doctor 7 posted:

Did some more night time photos and I swear after uploading the Flickr the colours are a touch off for some reason. Also the lens flare from the powerful lights is starting to get to me. Is there something I can do about that or is it just ?


Nighthorts by Aidan R, on Flickr


IMG_4966 by Aidan R, on Flickr


IMG_4943 by Aidan R, on Flickr

Augmented Dickey posted:

I think this would work better with a larger aperture- as is, the exposure and tones are very nice but I find myself distracted by all the detail in the top fifth of the frame.

8th-samurai posted:

Explain to me why you ruined what might have been my favorite photograph (at least this week). Seriously though, I love everything about this photo except the left upper edge. This would have owned so hard if that third cart wasn't there and the second cart was entirely in frame. Having them all bunched up together just ruins the balance for me.

HookShot posted:

Santa Maria in Trastevere by hookshot88, on Flickr


Rome by hookshot88, on Flickr


National Museum Rome by hookshot88, on Flickr

nielsm posted:

I think I took this just the wrong moment, or should have stuck around for a few seconds more. The man turned to look at the goats sheep just after this.

Lon Lon Rabbit posted:

Naoshima by Lon Lon Rabbit, on Flickr

David Pratt posted:

Unusually, I like the central composition of these, they remind me of a kid's drawing of a house. And not in a bad way - little kids are loving masters of composition.

I'd have considered taking the first one at a different angle - a bit round to the right to get the road horizontal. I'd also have cropped out the dark bit in the bottom right. I don't think the boring sky is a detriment to the second photo, as it does a really good job of framing the house and gives it a really nice sharp outline.

the posted:

You are not. They are good.

With the first one, the orange cone just below the sign is a bit distracting. I also would have liked no people in the photo, but that's just me.

I really really like the second one, especially the variation in how the ... holes? look. I still can't figure out what it is, which is part of why I like it so much. It just looks industrial and dystopian and cool.

This last one has really good framing and positioning of the subject.

I need to know which one of these is the best, or if I should change anything:


IMG_3067 by gronke, on Flickr


IMG_3068 by gronke, on Flickr


IMG_3063 by gronke, on Flickr

Dread Head posted:

To me they look like he (she?) went for a walk through a local park. None of the images to me really look like a lot of thought went into the subjects/composition of the images. I don't really think they are bad photos I Just find them boring, and somewhat forced (I want to use my new gear!). I think unless you have purchased gear to solve a specific issue that you will always have this problem and after the novelty of the new gear has worn off you will have a better idea of what that gear is best for and you should use it for that. It's important to use your new gear so you do know what it is good and bad for so you can get the most out of it.

Pukestain Pal posted:

Crop out most of the left right side and you have yourself an interesting photo!

Pukestain Pal posted:

Quick and dirty crop. Obviously you'd want to do better than this, but you get the idea.

Who Gotch Ya posted:

JillProfX1 by gRAPpler/shooter, on Flickr
_{realized this was on another page. I critiqued a couple so I hope it's ok if I throw up my 3rd for the day in this post instead of editing it into the other one}

The Jizzer posted:

Here's three more from my first night shoot with my RX1. Keep in mind it was pretty much dark as poo poo.


RIP-Dale by the nerdicle, on Flickr


skate by the nerdicle, on Flickr


cart in shadows by the nerdicle, on Flickr

Deadreak posted:

I decided to keep this photo under-exposed, maybe wrong choice.


Over the Mountain by deadreak, on Flickr

RangerScum posted:

It's part of Indiana Dunes State park, about a one hour drive from Chicago, which after looking at your avatar I am guessing is probably somewhat close to you.

sw1gger posted:

drat dude, you really need to learn how to engage in conversation.

beneatsfood posted:

If you want details, look into researching Jeremy crewdson and see if you could appropriate anything from his methods. He puts a loooot of time into his work though.

simosimo posted:

D7000 with the '35mm' prime lens. I like it a lot, and would love to hear other methods of squeezing out that raw-detail of subject matter, normally non-humans!

threnody posted:

Un-HDR-'d, I don't think either of these are that remarkable. Composition on the first one is good, but I hate that I had to crop out the very front of the castle because it had all kinds of scaffolding and poo poo all over it.