The Photography thread!

[rj144]

And these:

What kind of feedback?

 

[Andy Capp]

The main shift I would say is that you need to bring something more than technical know how, just treating photography like a service is a naturally shrinking market were armature use is chipping away constantly. Most successful wedding shooters these days seem like they offer rather more than that and I can say from selling landscape work as well there is the expectation of some artistic skill/taste rather than the kind of postcard shots that could have made money 20 years ago.

Do you have any tips on getting into that market (whether or not my work is anywhere near good enough being a separate question of course)?

 

[Andy Capp]

What kind of feedback?

Any honest opinion really, good/bad, interesting/boring, tips for better composition/cropping/touchups, and whatever else comes to mind.
Edit: please note these are reduced resolution from the original images as well so the originals may appear sharper and have more vibrant color.

 

[rj144]

I welcome feedback on these:

This is just my feedback... others can chime in.

First picture I'd get rid of the foreground birch on the right side. It's a little distracting.

For the second picture, the leading lines (the frame of the top piece of wood and railing) are diagonal which gives a sense of dynamics in the image, but your framed image is gives a sense of static. I would have framed the central image more square with what's in the middle.

 

[rj144]

And these:

The first image is a bit too busy and I'm not sure what the subject is in that image.

The second image is composed well but the bird is too dark and out of focus.

What camera are you using?

 

[Andy Capp]

The first image is a bit too busy and I'm not sure what the subject is in that image.

The second image is composed well but the bird is too dark and out of focus.

What camera are you using?

The last pic with the bird was taken with my phone opportunistically. The original is a little better but the bird is still only silhouetted.

The others were taken with a Nikon Coolpix. The reflected image is several old buildings in town here appearing on a rather modern looking building with a wall of all glass. The intent was to show how the old is often reflected in the new. Upon second reading, however, I gather your saying you're not sure what the subject is was a rather more technical comment, indicating a lack of any one centralized focal point. Is that correct?

 

[Andy Capp]

Further pics for anyone who might be interested,

This one is a rather common landscape around here but I thought it turned out well so....

And I've wondered for a long time whether this pic is as interesting to others as it is to me,

This one too, though it was a mistake,

 

[rj144]

The last pic with the bird was taken with my phone opportunistically. The original is a little better but the bird is still only silhouetted.

The others were taken with a Nikon Coolpix. The reflected image is several old buildings in town here appearing on a rather modern looking building with a wall of all glass. The intent was to show how the old is often reflected in the new. Upon second reading, however, I gather your saying you're not sure what the subject is was a rather more technical comment, indicating a lack of any one centralized focal point. Is that correct?

That's correct.

Get a used mirrorless or DSLR. Even a camera that's a few years old takes great pics. I have Sony NEX that's like 6 years old that's my "beater" camera and it takes really good pics.

These were all shot by that camera:

 

[Andy Capp]

That's correct.

Get a used mirrorless or DSLR. Even a camera that's a few years old takes great pics. I have Sony NEX that's like 6 years old that's my "beater" camera and it takes really good pics.

These were all shot by that camera:

Sadly, when I bought it I thought it was a DSLR. Shows what I know, a whole lot of fuckall. I got suckered by this greasebag at Futureshop before I learned that was a dumb place to shop for photographic gear. At the same time, I'm not sure how the earlier comment is connected with the one about getting a better camera. What do you see in my pics that would be solved by better/different equipment?

Anyway, I think these are more in line with what you're saying about having a clear subject,

In this one I'd like to think I can zoom in on that ant without losing too much detail, but I in this case yeah, I probably just need a better camera, as you say.

I am biased, obviously, but I like this last one a lot because of its message. Now, I'm sure everyone wants to hear their work is fantastic and I'm no different, but I really want to get better so be as critical as you want, everyone, as long as its constructive (though merely stating like/don't like is ok too).

 

[Andy Capp]

Throwing this up here just for fun... maybe not special but again, I thought it turned out very well.

 

[rj144]

Throwing this up here just for fun... maybe not special but again, I thought it turned out very well.

Not too bad here. The critique I can make has more to do with your camera than the photo though. Some of your highlights are blown out. A better camera would tame those highlights much better.

 

[Andy Capp]

Not too bad here. The critique I can make has more to do with your camera than the photo though. Some of your highlights are blown out. A better camera would tame those highlights much better.

Blown out as in too much flare/halo? That is, would you be referring to the signs in the lower right and slightly left of center, for example, so bright they wash out their surroundings? May I assume that a counter-example of a better result then would be the vertical blue sign near the middle?

 

[rj144]

Blown out as in too much flare/halo? That is, would you be referring to the signs in the lower right and slightly left of center, for example, so bright they wash out their surroundings? May I assume that a counter-example of a better result then would be the vertical blue sign near the middle?

Yup, that's correct. Basically it means the brightest/whitest parts of the image are clipped and you lose detail there. It's like when you play music too loud and it starts to distort losing detail.

 

[Andy Capp]

This is just my feedback... others can chime in.

First picture I'd get rid of the foreground birch on the right side. It's a little distracting.

For the second picture, the leading lines (the frame of the top piece of wood and railing) are diagonal which gives a sense of dynamics in the image, but your framed image is gives a sense of static. I would have framed the central image more square with what's in the middle.

I just realized I don't really understand this part: I would have framed the central image more square with what's in the middle.
I'm confused by central image and what's in the middle as possibly being different.

 

[rj144]

I just realized I don't really understand this part: I would have framed the central image more square with what's in the middle.
I'm confused by central image and what's in the middle as possibly being different.

That was typo... I meant just framed more square.

 

[Andy Capp]

Yup, that's correct. Basically it means the brightest/whitest parts of the image are clipped and you lose detail there. It's like when you play music too loud and it starts to distort losing detail.

Thanks.

 

[Andy Capp]

This has gotten me looking through my pics. I had forgotten about this one.

 

[Andy Capp]

Throwing this up here just for fun... maybe not special but again, I thought it turned out very well.

I'd love to have a gif of this with each successive frame zooming in on the middle.
Yo, @22k anything you might care to do with that?

 

[HockeyBjj]

Hey, just found this thread. Have a question, how do you know when you’re ready/need to move on to a better camera?

Wife got into photography last year and is using a Nikon D3400 and doing a good job of landscapes (until we all got locked inside) and growing her portrait abilities and using Lightroom to balance things. But when do you know you’re like, at your limit of what the camera can do and need to go to something mirrorless or at least full sized sensor to get it any better? What are your triggers for that?

 

[weed]

I'd love to have a gif of this with each successive frame zooming in on the middle.
Yo, @22k anything you might care to do with that?

sorry bro - I have no idea what that means/what you're asking?