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UER Forum > Archived UE Photo Critiques > 1 photo. tear me a new one please. (Viewed 746 times)
afterdark 


Location: Oxford/Indianapolis
Gender: Male


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1 photo. tear me a new one please.
< on 6/15/2013 4:26 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I generally consider myself a decent photographer but i notice i have trouble with city scapes/landscapes/photos from rooftops as far as composition and lighting go. so please let me have it with this one.
1.

DSC_0549 by afterdark.mu, on Flickr

MU
www.mattrivasphotography.com
ahhntzville 


Location: Boston




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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 1 on 6/19/2013 1:16 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
It's just kind of boring. Not sure why you would take this shot.

afterdark 


Location: Oxford/Indianapolis
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Miami of Ohio

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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 2 on 6/19/2013 10:25 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
yea i realized that. i was hoping to find an abandonment but after walking through the city for half a day with no luck i just climbed a hotel and started shooting. cityscapes are definitly not my forte

MU
www.mattrivasphotography.com
RunkPock 


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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 3 on 6/23/2013 4:34 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
The foreground gets in the way, and it's crooked.

tiffers 


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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 4 on 6/23/2013 4:41 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Well, at first glance...your leading lines lean away from your focus. ...and the sky is EXTREMELY blown out. Otherwise, it's not garbage...

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Therrin 

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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 5 on 6/23/2013 4:44 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
You shot this using a potato, didn't you?

Give a person a match and they'll be warm for a minute, but light them on fire and they'll be warm for the rest of their life. =)
afterdark 


Location: Oxford/Indianapolis
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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 6 on 6/25/2013 11:41 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
as i said cityscapes arent my forte. i appreciate the critiques though. ive shot artistically for a number of years, but ive just recently become interested in ue photography. the main problem i have is finding abandonments to shoot. i have a couple lined up for when i get back to the states though.
edit: and therrin, useless troll posts aside, i specifically posted the worst photo i took that day in order to gain useful information on things i can do better. granted i use a kit lens and nikon d3000, but if you happened to click on the link in my signature, you might find that i am in fact a decent photographer.
[last edit 6/25/2013 2:44 PM by afterdark - edited 1 times]

MU
www.mattrivasphotography.com
Lasso 


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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 7 on 6/25/2013 7:32 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
You're trying to cram 2 subjects into one, which isn't always a bad thing, but I don't think it works here. The pipes on the roof are pretty interesting and the cityscape is pretty interesting but together it confuses what you're trying to show as your subject. Also, maybe more of a personal preference, but I think I would rather see it in high contrast color or high contrast black and white. The sepia tones don't work for me. The sky is blown out but that's not really a huge deal... maybe if you removed the clouds it would help a bit?

The one part of the photo that I think is interesting that maybe you could play with more if you went back up there is how the curvy building runs parallel to the edge/pipes of the building you're on, maybe from a slightly different angle you could play that up.
[last edit 6/25/2013 7:33 PM by Lasso - edited 1 times]

aurelie 


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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 8 on 6/26/2013 4:16 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
To start, I really don't mean to be harsh. I hope this comes off as constructive criticism.

I don't consider myself to be an expert on photography by any means, but I looked through your portfolio and a few things caught my eye. Some of them may just be a matter of personal preference, but here are my thoughts. (Again, this is just my opinion, and many people may consider me a bit nit-picky). These are just some things that I've learned over the years that have improved my shots vastly.

I'm going to go ahead and assume that you don't do very much post-processing work. Everyone has different thoughts on the importance of it, but I'm of the opinion that if you aren't focusing on getting the photo as perfect as possible in-camera, anything that can be done to make the photo look more realistic, balanced, and of solid composition should be attempted in post. It can be quite easy and even fun to spend time playing around in photoshop or in the darkroom to figure out how to fix your images or make them more appealing.

There are certainly a lot of photographers who disagree, but I think that, in general, most professional and well-regarded photographers use one or more methods to correct their images, whether they shoot film or digital.


-Most of your images seem to be slightly overexposed or have the highlights blown out, especially the skies. This causes you to lose a lot of detail in the image and can look a bit amateur-ish. This can be fixed either with bracketing and blending, or by shooting in RAW, exposing your images a little less. and adjusting in an editing program.


-There are multiple photos with what I consider to be distracting elements to the composition (little cut off pieces of objects off to the side of the photo that do not add to the subject matter). I would advise working on your framing, removing these in post, or cropping them.

- A few of your images are rather noticeably out of focus overall. I would not include these images in your portfolio. It does not appear to look deliberate. Other images have blurred objects in the foreground and the subject in the background, throwing off the composition. I believe that this style can be done well, and is done well in some of your images, but others look a bit sloppy or have poor compositions.

-Your lines are crooked in many photos. It's quite hard to take a photo perfectly straight, especially without a tripod, but this is something that can be (in most cases) corrected in post. Crooked photos can be distracting and disorientating. I have a lot of trouble with this myself!

- As others have stated, I also feel that many of your photos are lacking that "interesting-ness" that makes people remember them or enjoy them. This is totally okay, because not every photo you take is going to be fascinating, riveting, heartbreaking or badass. But, just as something to think about, if you are trying to market yourself, or merely want others to be inspired or intrigued by your art, you ought to perhaps try to develop a unique style and subjects. By all means, take any photo that you are drawn to- some photos are just for yourself, or for documentary purposes, or for learning new things and experimenting. These sort of photos should probably be weeded out of your portfolio, however.

Lastly, for cityscapes specifically, I'd focus on not blowing out the sky. Here's a few things that I've found can add interest to a cityscape/rooftop photo:

- people on the roof usually make for a more interesting photo than the skyline itself, especially if they are doing something odd/out of place/dangerous. Be sure to take calculated risks, though!
- take shots from all different sides/corners/areas of the roof. The best rooftop photos are those that give a sense of scale.
- shoot near sunset or sunrise to improve the colors and tones of your images.
- rooftops almost always make for better photos at dusk/night time.



reckless thoughts abide; anachronistic and impulsive.

loosely jacketed against the cold and ten thousand worlds for the choosing.
afterdark 


Location: Oxford/Indianapolis
Gender: Male


Miami of Ohio

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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 9 on 6/26/2013 2:31 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
thanks for the indepth critique aurelie! Alot of the photos on my website are from a while back. i have just recently started posting photos to it again and i know alot of the photos need post work. I just havent take the time to take them down/correct them. i usually do very little post processing, however, im trying to learn more and more about it.
As for the blurriness of my photos, Im a sucker for short depth of fields and the majority of my photos have them because i want peoples eyes to go straight to the subject of the photo. that said i think i overuse that technique quite a bit and am working on using other means of drawing attention to the subject.
I agree that my composition needs work. When i started i would shoot anything and everything, and i took an entire school year off of photography because my parents paid for my camera and didnt want me to take it. Im trying to make myself pay more attention to composition. Ive noticed the crookedness in my photos too and agree its something that needs work.
I still dont have the eye for knowing whether my camera is selecting the correct exposure. I usually shoot using the aperture priority setting but im slowly easing myself into manual.
as for the website itself, its mostly something i set up for myself so i can judge how im progressing as a photographer. im not really trying to market myself, but i feel that i can better judge my progress by putting the photos i take onto a website where i can see my progress with the click of a mouse. I really appreciate the indepth input. im the kind of person that when i do something, hobby or professional, i wanna do it well and this is exactly the kind of constructive criticism i need to achieve that. thanks much!

Lasso
Yeah, i think this particular photo was the weakest of the set i took on the roof. When i was going back through my photos i especially disliked how the pipes drew the eye away from the cityscape. Im going to try to go back up before i leave and if i do ill post a few more images trying to correct the things both you and aurelie have said.


MU
www.mattrivasphotography.com
Dougo 

Wrong account -- Look for other Doug


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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 10 on 6/26/2013 3:14 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
No peely paint.

Chuck in some parkour.

FacialBook is killing online forums.
fiftyone_eggs 


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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 11 on 6/26/2013 3:18 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
For all intensive purposes, that is a picture of nothing, and the sepia can't hide that fact.

Plus, you're ugly and your mother dresses you funny.

(you said to tear you a new one)

afterdark 


Location: Oxford/Indianapolis
Gender: Male


Miami of Ohio

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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 12 on 6/26/2013 3:24 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by fiftyone_eggs
intensive purposes,


intents and purposes

i stand with a freshly torn new one

MU
www.mattrivasphotography.com
fiftyone_eggs 


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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 13 on 6/26/2013 3:51 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by afterdark
intents and purposes


Well I'll be. I are a college graduate and have been making that mistake my whole life.



tiffers 


Location: Texas
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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 14 on 6/26/2013 6:48 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by fiftyone_eggs
For all intensive purposes, that is a picture of nothing, and the sepia can't hide that fact.


It is a picture of bird poop, obviously...on a ledge, bird poop on a ledge. ;)

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relik 


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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 15 on 6/28/2013 3:17 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I clicked your link to take a look at your material, and it redirected me to a site which completely bombed my work computer with pop-ups and tried installing trojans. Geez louize.

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


Location: Boston




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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 16 on 7/2/2013 10:20 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by fiftyone_eggs
Well I'll be. I are a college graduate and have been making that mistake my whole life.

That's because no one reads books anymore, including college graduates. Books still have editors who are literate, for the most part. CNN does not.

mhester 


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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 17 on 7/8/2013 3:06 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
The spider is neat, at least I think that was a spider.

Long time Urban explorer, who wants to push my love for the abandoned world into the art community.
afterdark 


Location: Oxford/Indianapolis
Gender: Male


Miami of Ohio

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Re: 1 photo. tear me a new one please.
<Reply # 18 on 7/10/2013 8:56 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
actually not sure what it is. dont think it was a spider lol

MU
www.mattrivasphotography.com
UER Forum > Archived UE Photo Critiques > 1 photo. tear me a new one please. (Viewed 746 times)



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