Photo a Day: Wherein You Read The OP, Like A Smart Person

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > The Dorkroom > Photo a Day: Wherein You Read The OP, Like A Smart Person

Demon_Corsair: Mar 22, 2004; Goodbye stealing souls, hello stealing booty.

bandaid posted:

boat by bandaid14, on Flickr
This one was taken with a folded up, one broken leg, tripod leaned up against that railing at a 30 degree angle. Widest the kit lens will go. Cropped and rotated in post to get what I wanted to get. Not sure I like the rounding of the lights because of the long exposures but not sure what to do about that besides making a grainy mess with all the fog.

foggy by bandaid14, on Flickr
I don't have too much to say about this one. I kept a color version that should be linked on the Flickr, but it looked too warm for what I was going for.

With the first one, I feel that the board walk is the interesting part of this picture, and my eye naturally follows it out of the frame. But it feels really cramped the way it is jammed into the side of the photo. While the boat, which I think you may have intended to make the focus, is just kind of there.

With the second one, I agree with some of the other posters that the negative is good and works with the picture, but the gradient drops off too much too fast and it just looks blank instead of dark.

whaam posted:

I don't think that centering the lighthouse is an issue with this picture. I found that my eye was drawn up through the picture towards the sunset, and only after did I really notice the light house. So unless the lighthouse was meant to be the subject of the picture, I think this one is solid.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2012 17:11

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# ¿ May 1, 2024 08:33

Demon_Corsair: Mar 22, 2004; Goodbye stealing souls, hello stealing booty.

Soulex posted:

These are all unedited and processed so please let me know how well I did. I intend on getting lightroom soon, I just have to wait for payday and the wife's permission.

You can always download the 30 light room trial to get started before you buy it.

Soulex posted:

#1:
Chicken with something by Soulex, on Flickr

The title of this one makes it sound like the board is the subject, but looking at the picture, my eyes are drawn to the wine glass and water pitcher on the left side.

Soulex posted:

#2:
Hole in the wall church by Soulex, on Flickr

This shot seems like the same shot that all tourists in old churches take. My parents came back from Europe with dozens of similar pictures. I'm not sure what the subject seems to be? It seems like the focus is on the altar and the ornateness behind it, but that is cut off at the top. I think I find the story of how you took the picture more interesting the the resulting picture.

Summer In Sask by TheOneTrueDevo, on Flickr

Reposting this here, because it's not really a snap shot. This shot really sums up how I feel about summers in Saskatchewan. Super bright colors in the fields and sky and a sense of vastness from being able to see to forever in every direction, which I feel the barns help convey.

Scan-110707-0002.jpg by TheOneTrueDevo, on Flickr

Not much to say about this one. Saw the alley and knew I had to wait for someone to walk through it. Only took about 5 minutes too.

Calgary Skyline by TheOneTrueDevo, on Flickr

Edit for a couple more older shots.

Demon_Corsair fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Mar 29, 2012

# ¿ Mar 29, 2012 00:24

Demon_Corsair: Mar 22, 2004; Goodbye stealing souls, hello stealing booty.

rcman50166 posted:

"Barred Window" by rcman50166, on Flickr

This one suffers a bit from the subject. It's pretty dull. I'm bad for shooting stuff like this as well, I find stuff like the bricked up windows, or textured brick walls interesting and think it will make an good picture, but it very rarely does.

AtomicManiac posted:

I like this general idea and can easily see it turning into a pretty neat series that tells a story. I'd push it a bit further and see what happens, worst case scenario you end up making something "too serious" and you keep it to yourself. Best case, people want to touch your genitals and/or give you money. I like those odds for the cost of a few rolls of film.

You are the worst.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2012 17:13

Demon_Corsair: Mar 22, 2004; Goodbye stealing souls, hello stealing booty.

rcman50166 posted:

I generally post a photo here if I think it is decent. I don't post garbage on purpose. I know I am not the best photographer in the world and have much to learn, and that more experienced photographers might have something to tell me that I didn't see before. That's the kind of advice I am looking for, not people jumping on my back about a criticism I was not comfortable doing.

People aren't jumping on you for your critique. They are saying that

rcman50166 posted:

But I can't help but ask myself here, what am I supposed to be looking at? I generally try to find the good things about a photo and attempt to imagine the photographers intent.

Applies to your photos. By that they are saying that these look like random snap shots that didn't have much thought put into them. Which may or not be true.

This isn't Flickr where you get a gold star for posting. You will get honest critiques of the shots you post. Which can take some getting used to.

edit: It may sound like we are being mean, but we do want you to get better.

Demon_Corsair fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Mar 30, 2012

# ¿ Mar 30, 2012 22:14

Demon_Corsair: Mar 22, 2004; Goodbye stealing souls, hello stealing booty.

rcman50166 posted:

I just don't want to be made out to be some rear end in a top hat hypocrite. That is what I didn't like about the responses I got. That was not my intention at all. I'm used to most (obviously not all) criticism that comes from this thread. That wasn't the issue.

Then try not to misread the responses you get next time?

# ¿ Mar 30, 2012 23:00

Demon_Corsair: Mar 22, 2004; Goodbye stealing souls, hello stealing booty.

TheLastManStanding posted:

The Spice must flow...

HeyEng posted:

Two from this weekend.

Since you didn't feel like critiquing someone else, why don't you explain what you were going for with these shots.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2012 18:08

Demon_Corsair: Mar 22, 2004; Goodbye stealing souls, hello stealing booty.

fivre posted:

Mine: not-quite-focused duck.

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

# ¿ Apr 2, 2012 19:38

Demon_Corsair: Mar 22, 2004; Goodbye stealing souls, hello stealing booty.

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.

Because the point of this thread is to help people improve? I'm sorry that a few minutes of critical thinking is so hard for you.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2012 19:02

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# ¿ May 1, 2024 08:33

Demon_Corsair: Mar 22, 2004; Goodbye stealing souls, hello stealing booty.

xenilk posted:

I'm not saying it's "hard". I'm saying I'm not good at it other than the technical aspect.

I also find that saying to someone "I feel like this picture is meaningless" is putting myself over that person's way of thinking. Who am I to tell someone that their work means nothing?

I've given tons of guidance regarding posture/poses/cropping for portraits specifically but for me to go critique some landscape shot would be like a tattoo artist telling a violinist how to play.

So start with the technical aspects if that is what you are comfortable with. Ask them what they were trying to convey with a picture if its meaningless to you. If nothing else that gets them thinking about what they were trying to say.

Critiquing is a very useful skill to have since thinking about photographs and what you like and don't like is a very good way to improve your shots.

So practice more. No one is going to make fun of you for a bad critique.

Edit: Speaking of bad critiques, heres one.

dukeku posted:

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

I think the car lot is probably one of the least interesting elements in the scene. I find that the sign catches my eye, then I follow the lines of the side walk/fence/power poles to the gas station in the distance.

Demon_Corsair fucked around with this message at 19:18 on Apr 3, 2012

# ¿ Apr 3, 2012 19:12

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