Your photos (141) |
||||||||||||||||||||
 Hints and tips by Philip Grosset If you'd like to submit photos for criticism, click here. |
||||||||||||||||||||
with comments from Philip Grosset "Hello, I'd really appreciate some feedback on these pictures...My husband and son went out for a walk and we took a bunch of pictures. All the pictures submitted are from that day. I used a digital camera, and this was the first time I'd ever taken nature shots (usually I'd take pictures of my son around the house). The first photo is a close-up of a flower, I just thought it was really pretty... The second photo is of a bridge along the path...wanted to get the bridge and also the trees in the background. The third photo is of my husband and son...trying to get a nice picture of the two of them along with some of the background. Thanks so much for your time! Will you email me or do I need to check your website periodically for the critique?" (Karen Echols, Phoenix, Oregon) |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| In answer to your question, I email people as soon as their photos are on the site. It is often surprisingly easy to take really good macro pictures with a digital camera, but your photo on the left rather lacks detail. On the right, I've moved in closer and slightly darkened the picture. The darker background also helps the flower stand out from it. If you think I've exaggerated the colors too much, you could always darken it less! |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| This photo is roughly divided into two by the top of the bridge. It might have been better to have emphasised either the bridge or the trees, rather than divide our attention between the two. It might have added to the interest, too, to have seen someone on the bridge. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| This is potentially a very pleasing picture on the left, but I don't really think it helps it to leave in that extra bit of background on the right of it. I've cropped this away in my version on the right and put the emphasis firmly on your son whose eyes are now near the interception of thirds (see below) rather than right in the middle of the picture. This seems to work very well. Congratulations on a very effective portrait! Reply from Karen Echols: "Thanks so much for taking the time to look at and comment on my pictures! I agree with you that picture #1 is a little plain, and like the added color..looks way better. I'll play around with it in Photoshop until I get to a brightness level I like. I never noticed the bridge was cutting the picture in half...I'll have to keep a look out for that in the future. I still really like the sense of solitude in that empty bridge. And picture #3 you're totally correct about, it looks much better without having the extra background. It almost looked as if my husband were about to fall out of the frame! Thanks again for your time and ideas! "Please comment on these pictures. I appreciate your site." (DC Foster, Rector, Arkansas USA) |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| On the left: your dramatic eye-catching picture, with a very effective use of the largely silhouetted trees. I'm not so sure about the mauve coloring, though, as it makes it all look unreal. On the right, I've experimented with a b&w version that reduces the trees to complete silhouettes and also concentrates more attention on the jetty and the trees immediately around it. I find this rather more arresting. |
||||||||||||||||||||
| This photo looks over-enlarged as the photographic quality leaves a lot to be desired. A pity, because it makes a fine bold close-up. | ||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||
| I can't see why you left the empty space down the right-hand side of your photo on the left. The man seems to be looking towards our left, so in my version on the right I've reversed the picture so as to leave more space for him to look into. It's often a good idea not positioning the subject dead central - but there should be a reason (as in my version) for any empty space. |
||||||||||||||||||||
| This is a very attractive photo with imaginative use of backlighting to produce the halo effect around the hair, and effective use of a simple background. The pose works well too.
This photo and the one at the top are so different in style and technical expertise from the middle two, that I 'd be surprised to hear that you took them all! |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Reply from D C Foster: "Thank you for your reply. I understand your issue with the validness of all four shots being my me. In fact they are #141. The first one is at our Honeymoon, it was a walk out on the deck and shot, it was there, no work. The Pic of the child and mother I took at our family reunion, and the man skinning the beaver is a former co-worker on a trapping trip and the lady at the end is a friend with a make shift studio in my den. I feel my biggest issue here is proper scanning and croping and uploading techniques. Because the pic should not have been mauve, not others blurred or distorted. But yes they are mine. Do I know what I am doing yet, of course not, thanks why I am seeking knowledge from a pro, you,, :) Thanks again. and thank you for your profession input. Take care." Go 0n to YOUR PHOTOS (142) NEXT PAGE PICKING THE BEST VIEWPOINT |
||||||||||||||||||||
