BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Answers

I need some constructive criticizim

Thank you! in advance

kevin l lucas

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August 09, 2006

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August 10, 2006

Artistic value?
Composition?
Technical?

Pete

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August 10, 2006

what can I do to make them better or are they just right the way they are.you get the oohs and ahhs from freinds and family but are they really telling the truth???

thanks

kevin l lucas

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August 10, 2006

• Time of day (in outdoor shots) is extremely important! Good light is most often found in early morning or late afternoon/early evening. Your fall images suffer from lack of good light. Try shooting fall colors in early morning, late afternoon, or, my personal favorite, stormy days. Also consider an enhancing filter to help saturate the oranges, reds and yellows; or a polarizer for saturating the blues, greens and other colors. You may also do the saturation in Photoshop or other image editing software. However, you CANNOT duplicate a polarizer in PS. This rule of good light and time of day is especially essential for photographing flowers since bright light really washes the color and eliminates much of the beauty.
• Do not center your subject; this is something almost everyone does at the beginning. Learn the rule of thirds and practice it until you understand it and then know when to ignore the rule and be creative. Try a different angle; shooting vertical as well as horizontal; think about what your image is trying to say and eliminate everything that does not add to the “story”.
• Shoot, shoot and shoot some more! Learn to be comfortable shooting in manual mode so that you, not the camera, control the final image! No matter how little you think you know, your eyes still see more than the camera sensor!
• Have fun and never forget that you are in charge – not your camera and not another person who sees different from you!

I hope that this helps you get started!

Irene

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August 11, 2006

Thank you for taking the time to check out my pictures. Your comments are very informative and I am sure they will help me quite a bit

Thank You!!!

kevin l lucas

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August 11, 2006

Irene gave you some pretty good basics.

Photography, you will find, is more subjective than it is objective. That is, what is really great to one, does nothing for another.

Technically speaking, I see no real probs with your exposure or focus.

YOU are the best judge. Do YOU like it?
Therein is the greatest joy of photography. Another good question to ask yourself; would you frame it on YOUR wall?

I could render an opinion in what I like, but would that help you?
I could say the color is off or contrast, or the background is distracting..but that's me.

Personally speaking, I like photos that evoke some emotion or tell a story.
A photo that draws me in and makes me think, wow or Hmmm?

Perhaps these are not the answers you seek, but this art we call photography is impossible to quantify.
Some would say, if it sells and makes money, it must be a great photo. I don't agree with that statement. If it sells, someone did a good job marketing it. LOL

Did National Geographic hire you as a field photog?..Well; you probably are a good photographer in that you have a firm grasp of almost ALL the technical knowledge, AND you capture photos that editors like..AND sell. :)..AND, subscribers keep buying the magazine because the pics are great!

Many photogs tend to gravitate to a certain area of photography..Nature, architecture, sports, journalism, portraiture etc..No one does it all equally well.

What do YOU like to photograph?

Color, composition, f stops, film, digital etc..are all fine things to understand, and the understanding of these things never end, at least not if you want to grow. What IS important is what you shoot & why you shoot it.

Anyone can shoot a wedding. No doubt the pics will be keep sakes and jog our memories 20 yrs from now. An exceptional wedding shooter will not only click the shutter, but will capture the essense of the day. THAT is not easy to do. Mom might shed a joyful tear at the sight of one photo...In that case, the photog did a great job, in my opinion.

I hope you are beginning to see my point?
To simply ask "Do you like it?" will receive many responses..Some will say yes, some no.

Van Gogh, (sp) it is my understanding was a great artist. Well; who said? How is this proved? Personally his work does nothing for me unless I owned one, in which case I'd sell it and buy more photo gear! LOL

All the best,

Pete

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August 11, 2006

Thanks for visiting my gallery.And taking the time to give me some valuable information that will help me become a better photographer.

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August 12, 2006