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UER Forum > Archived UE Photo Critiques > First critique request. (Viewed 205 times)
relik 


Location: 44.26126°,-88.41502° (Appleton, WI)
Gender: Male


There is no truth, Only a perspective.

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First critique request.
< on 1/23/2014 5:56 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
This is my first thread in the "UE Photo Critiques" section. I've never really cared about my photography quite that much (well maybe a bit, but definitely not as much as most), therefore i've only ever shot on Automatic and only post-processed minor amounts. I really only bought a camera to document my explorations (I have a somewhat bad memory.)
After purchasing a tripod and decent camera bag several months ago, i've decided to learn how to use my camera properly and start trying to produce better results as far as my photography goes.

Here is my most recent exploration (still shot on Auto, with minor editing. Also, no tripod (lazy and cold that day. heh.)) I chose the 4 photos i thought turned out the best. Now i know there are definitely a few things wrong with them (blown out windows, for instance.), but i was wondering what you guys thought.
What input do you have for me, to improve? I would really appreciate your honest criticism. Thanks!



1.



2.



3.



4.




If you would like, you can check out several other shots from this set here.



"When it rains, just find bigger drains."
PierreB 


Location: Montreal, QC
Gender: Male




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Re: First critique request.
<Reply # 1 on 1/23/2014 6:30 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Fun shots, nice job. I like the way you are using leading lines in your images to make a 2d medium look 3d... A key element in photography

The first image is by far (for me) the strongest in terms of photography. Nice lower angle. Many people suffer from the 6 foot syndrome, something i wrote about on my photo blog, where they always take images standing up. Finding different angles to shoot from make the image more dynamic.

Would of loved a higher composition on the clock, to make it a more important element in the frame. Presetting your focus and then switching the lens to manual focus, and the. Holding the camera over your head to get closer to the clock. Make sure not to move the axis of your lens closer or further from the subject, as that will change your focus plane.

The third could use some extra contrast to bring out the shadow lines on the floor to make more of a pattern.

The last is a cool subject, but i feel there is too much in your frame. Get lower (as you did with the first) to remove some ceiling. Or higher up to remove the floor...too many things going on. A tip i give all my students is when you find something you like, force yourself to take 10 shots of it...changing angles (low, high, sides), zooming on details, wider for over all.

Overall, very nicely done! Keep it up

pierrebphoto.com
Eschaton 


Location: Western NC
Gender: Male


Entry: Eschaton (es-kuh-tawn) noun | end of time, climax of history | Etymology: Greek for 'last'

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Re: First critique request.
<Reply # 2 on 1/23/2014 6:49 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
When I saw 1 appear on your flickr, I really enjoyed it from that first moment. I'm endlessly anal about symmetry, and it's almost perfect in that shot. Keep it up!

2 needs its verticals managed a little better, as they're skewed to the right. The blowouts are fine; you don't need any details of the outside in the windows because this monochrome motif really works. It just needs some shadows lifted to make the clock stand out more--it fades too much into its surroundings as-is.

3 is good, but again with managing verticals--those at the left and right edges of the frame are leaning backward. And yes, bring out more detail in the floor, especially in the foreground.

4 does indeed need its frame tightened up. Getting closer to the subject so that it fills the frame from left to right would be my suggestion, but you can still include some floor and ceiling as I think they all add a nice variety of textures.
[last edit 1/23/2014 6:51 PM by Eschaton - edited 2 times]

Ars Gratia Adventuris
FloodSpectre 


Location: New York
Gender: Male




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Re: First critique request.
<Reply # 3 on 1/24/2014 11:51 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I have to agree with what everyone else has said, especially about tightening up the frame on #4. You can add a lot of interest to a subject by allowing some of it to be cropped out of your shot instead of showing it in its entirety.

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't think blown highlights in the windows is always necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes whatever is outside detracts from the image and solid white serves to make a stronger photo.

Here's one of my favorite photos with blown highlights as an example:


http://www.flickr....hotos/floodspectre
relik 


Location: 44.26126°,-88.41502° (Appleton, WI)
Gender: Male


There is no truth, Only a perspective.

Send Private Message | Send Email | dickr my flickr.
Re: First critique request.
<Reply # 4 on 1/26/2014 8:53 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Thanks for the input, guys! I definitely have some things to keep in mind for my next shoot.

I try not to pump too much contrast into the final product, but i'll start playing around with it and other functions a bit more.
Also, somehow i always end up taking photos crooked. I'm really not sure why. They always feel/look lined up properly when i take the photo, but once i look at the screen, i usually end up shaking my head. Heh. Lots of straightening in Photoshop.

"When it rains, just find bigger drains."
PierreB 


Location: Montreal, QC
Gender: Male




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Re: First critique request.
<Reply # 5 on 2/4/2014 4:50 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Use the focus points in your camera as anchor points to keep the image straight. Assuming you have focus points that is.

Example, if using the one in the center to focus, you should still see the others on the edge, so use those to line up the shot and get it straighter.

If using a tripod, you can look for a bubble level to put on to help keep things straight.



pierrebphoto.com
mewthree 


Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Gender: Male




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Re: First critique request.
<Reply # 6 on 2/4/2014 6:27 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I don't know much about photography, I don't take photos myself.. but as said, I really like the symmetry in that first one... but also, when looking at UE related pics I really like it when the pics show the building.. I do like some close up shots of door knobs and all that, but I like seeing the way the inside of the building looks when I didn't go there myself... so to me that first pic has the best of both worlds. The other pics look good to me as well in showcasing the way the building looks... seeing the location is more important to me than the technicalities of the art of photography.. great set of photos.

UER Forum > Archived UE Photo Critiques > First critique request. (Viewed 205 times)



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