Your photos (135)


Hints and tips
by Philip Grosset



If you'd like to submit photos for criticism,
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with comments from Philip Grosset




"I am Romy, from NY, trying to concentrate more in to landscape and portraits. I am attaching four of my photos for your crticism. The two landscapes didn't absorb the same light from the sight. why? Please crticise the other two portraits too. thanks and regards ( Romy Sreedharan)
Girl cropped
Girl walking
You did well to grab your photo on the left, but, as so often, it might be improved by coming in even closer, as in my version on the right. It might have been even better, though, if you'd been able to include just a bit more of the hand that the girl was holding on the bottom right of the picture. It helps explain why the girl is looking happy, but, as it is, it is almost out of the picture.
Sky and water
Sky and water lightened
Your photo on the left is underexposed. My version on the right compensates for this. It is possible that your camera meter may have been misled by the sun shining directly onto it. This can happen with against-the-light shots. The cure: take a reading from further away from the sun, then keep the camera button half-depressed until you have swung back to your original position to take the picture.
House by water
This photo is slightly less underexposed than the one above. Is this what you mean when you say that the two landscapes didn't absorb the same light? This may be because less direct sunshine was picked up by the meter. It's a pity that the building is so near the side of the frame, with nothing to balance it on the other side, as this gives the picture a slightly lopsided appearance.
Girl
Girl cropped
I like your photo on the left. It's great fun. But its long thin shape produces a cut-off sort of effect, so, on the right, I've tried coming in just a little closer to give it a more conventional appearance. I think both versions work very well, with your one being the more amusing!




"I bought a digital camera (Olympus C200 Zoom) 3 months ago and I try to improve my landscapes pictures using it. I join you 2 pictures taken in French Britany : one from the Roscoff harbourg, and another one from Plougastel with the blue boat. Let me know what do you think about these pictures and how can I improve them. Thanks." (Sylvain Quack, France)
Boats
Boats cropped
Your photo on the left might gain from having more emphasis on one main point of interest, perhaps the boats, as on the right. As it is, the large area of empty sea rather distracts from them.
It's a good idea to use foreground framing, but here there's not really much in the background to see, so it might have been better to have included the whole of the boat in the foreground - assuming it's interesting enough to deserve a photo!
For some really good ideas for landscape photography, you might like to have a look at the Better Picture Guide to Landscape Photography, recommended on my Useful Books page.
Seascape

Reply from Sylvain Quack: "Thanks for your comments. For the first photo, your picture looks better, but it does not respect the proportion of a standard photography (10 cm * 15cm) so it can not be printed on a standard photo paper without distortion. For the second photo, you are right , some point of interest is missing in the background, it is more obvious when you see the picture in a little format like that.
I join you my last 2 pictures. One that has been modified with a Sepia
effect and another is from a church in Crozon. Many thanks for your great site."
Sea
Sea straightened
The sea in your photo on the left leans down to the right! On the right, I've straightened it out and also moved in just a little closer so as very slightly to reduce the black mass of the land. I also slightly reduced the white area at the top of the picture because I felt that too much of it distracted from the scene below. I agree that the picture looks very attractive in sepia.
I've been able to retain your proportions this time - but you don't have to restrain yourself to this shape. In the boats photo (further up the page) you don't need to distort anything to print the amended version - all you'll do is waste a bit of your paper! In fact, the amended version is the standard H shape used by APS, so is quite commonly found.
If you intended this to be a picture of the church, to have all that boat in the foreground is a real distraction: the eye just doesn't know where to look. You've got to look twice to recognise that it is part of a boat, and the lettering on it (much more visible when the photo isn't reduced in size) diverts attention too. I'm afraid I find the result rather confusing.
Church and boat




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