Experimenting - Feedback please?

[Kehaar]

Hi all,

I'm a complete novice as far as photography goes, it's one of those things I keep meaning to learn more about. That said, I like experimenting occasionally and seeing what I get. Trial and error if you like.

Anyhoo, I'd really appreciate critique and feedback here, although bear in mind that I'm that much of a novice that you'll probably be able to critique in ways I might not understand. Anyway, I'm rambling.

#1

Just experimenting with lighting.

#2

I don't think I like this one. I had an idea of what I was aiming for in my minds eye, but I didn't manage to pull it off in print. I think I'm well wide of the mark as a decent photo too. (And yes, colour is intentional, I got experimenting again).


#3

I just like flowers


#4

Experimenting again. Just attempting to recreate an effect, with not too wonderful an outcome


#5
These last two are the same, obviously. Just experimenting with contrast/shading. Again, not sure it came out the way I wanted it - one seems to dark and the other too light.

 

[Jer]

I really like 1, 3 and 4. The last two just aren't my type of thing. I think it's just the view rather than the colours. The 2nd one is ok, but it just isn't the kind of thing I'm really into. That's a personal choice, and I'm sure there will be other people that like it. Something to consider is looking at magazines and books for pictures you like, and try to recreate them. Maybe change it slighty though if you want.

 

[Stacey]

Hey,
Overall I like your shots a lot. My favourite is #3(The Rose). I just like everything about it! My second favourite is #5b) (Face 2). I liked the lighting in this one... I thought it worked well. #1 may have been a little dark, but I did like it a lot. I also liked #2. The idea was a good one, I'm not too sure about the colour yet, but the sheen on the legs bring a lot of focus there, so it seems like it'd be great for an ad on lotion or something! The cat was neat aswell (#4). I found the eyes might have been a little overwhelming, but if that's what you were going for, than it's perfect. And finally, 5a) I though was too dark, and I wasn't a huge fan of the colour, just because it made the skin look older than I think it is. The face was a bit dark as well (I think there just might have been too much hair in the face). Good work though! I really like it, and can't wait until you post some more pictures!


Keep it up!
-Stace

 

[JoshiesGirl]

I love number 3 and number 2... Veryyy good

 

[JoshiesGirl]

Oooo! four is my new favorite

 

[MadeInOz]

Yeah, I really like number 4, although I thought the tint you chose could have been a bit deeper... I know colouration can be a fiddly thing... but it looks good. I think 3 lacks definition, it's just... too pink somehow? The second one looks like an old photo from the 60s, I expect to look up and they're the legs of Jackie Kennedy (it reminds me of a photo I've seen).

 

[michabo]

Nepenthe,

Can you post larger images? It is difficult to see them with sufficient detail to comment.

Can you also tell us what you were trying to accomplish? I would echo the previous comments and say that I do like these images. Because your photos look fairly skilled, let me make some more detailed comments. Hope that's okay.


Briefly:


1: The highlights on your subject appear very dark and the shadows lack detail. The curtains are well exposed, however. Was this your goal? I would suggest metering on your subject so that the curtains may be a bit overexposed, but the face is well exposed.

The strong eye lines pull us towards the drapes, and especially the very dark drape to the left, but I don't find anything interesting there. The picture may be more effective if you cropped some of the drapes (especially the darkest ones).

2: Not sure what I think in this size. Something about the fringes are distracting. Maybe it was oversharpened, or maybe you'd used an on-camera flash. The angle and the texture of the floor are also distracting to me. In general, rough textures attract a disproportionate amount of attention, so if your subject is smooth, you should try to smooth out your barkground by either moving the subject or by using a very small focal length.

3: Nice, but it looks overexposed. You can try intentionally underexposing which will saturate the colours and reduce the distracting white highlights. Next time, you may try bracketing your photo by one or two stops, just to see what it looks like.

4: As with 2, a distracting background, but I understand how hard it can be to shoot cats!

5: Are you extracting different colour channels? I like the second picture, as the subject's skin looks smoother. She looks a bit disembodied, with the lack of details in her clothes and background.


Good luck, and I hope you continue.

 

[Kehaar]

Thank you to everyone who took the time to give me some feedback and useful pointers, I really do appreciate it.

I'm sorry for taking a while to get back to this post too - I'd added this forum to my Subscriptions (I'm sure I did!) and I only noticed this afternoon that it was missing. Not quite sure how that happened!

 

[fallupchik]

i like one and two because to me they are telling a story

 

[herfaith]

I like 1 & 3. I'm a novice, but 1 seems pensive and like someone said earlier, like telling a story. 3 - I love roses and looks like a good closeup of a perfect one.

 

[madibu]

like no 4, like the way played around with the cat. but the surroundings i would have change.. go you got it in you