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Critique the photo above you...

82K views 692 replies 159 participants last post by  D.Rodgers 
#1 ·
This is a spinoff off the Just Photos thread and I figured with the new threads for Nikon and Canon fans, as well as the threads constantly popping up asking how shooting better photos, it would be nice to have a thread to have your photos critiqued. There are some excellent photographers here including some pros, so perhaps if this thread gets rolling, we can get some good tips and tricks and critiques.

Here's the ground rules:

1. Don't be rude. Giver your opinion and offer some advise but don't be ignorant about it. If a picture is not good, say why but don't just say something like "This shot sucks."

2. Don't just post "Nice shot." Expand, say why you think it's nice, or not nice. Offer some advice on how to make it better, including shot setup, camera settings, post processing tips, ect.

3. If you comment on a shot, post up a shot of your own.

4. This is a critique thread. Don't get butt hurt if someone doesn't like your photo.

5. Doesn't have to be fish related but of course it needs to fall within what is acceptable for this site.

6. Lets not turn this into a Brand N vs. Brand C war. Really, there is no need to even post the make of the camera you are using however some info that would be useful would be the lens and camera settings. If you know them, post them. It can really help others help you.

7. Don't post your perfect shots all the time. This isn't an ego stroking thread. This is meant to possibly help shoot better photos. Maybe you have some shots that just aren't working. Post them up and see what help you might get to help improve them.

That's all I can think of. Hopefully this will take off and become a somewhat useful tool for people looking to get a little better at photography. Of course this isn't a photo site, but since people still seek help here and there are good photographers, why not. I would still encourage people to seek out some photography based sites though to get the most help and even check out some instructional books. Get one that is based on your camera and there are numerous books related to the different aspects of photography.
 
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#3 ·
Wonderful picture! I love how you captured the cow butts. I like how your below them, also.



Unknown specs...I can't even remember which camera I shot it on!
 
#5 ·
You may not remember the camera but it's a decent shot. I like the shallow dof and the colors look good. They're not oversaturated as people seem to want to do these days.

Here's a shot of Tampa International Airport from a couple of years ago. I think there's 18 to 20 pictures to get the pano.
 

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#6 ·
Pano shots are really cool when done well. They are a bit trickier than a lot of folks think. Yours looks well done and the subject matter is cool, especially considering it took that many shots to make.

I also agree on the rose shot. I really like the deep almost muted color. I love shooting flowers but for some strange reason, I can't shoot roses to save my life.

Shot of my daughter. Light is natural from the window. Not sure if it detracts or enhances...thoughts?

 
#10 ·
Pano shots are really cool when done well. They are a bit trickier than a lot of folks think. Yours looks well done and the subject matter is cool, especially considering it took that many shots to make.

I also agree on the rose shot. I really like the deep almost muted color. I love shooting flowers but for some strange reason, I can't shoot roses to save my life.

Shot of my daughter. Light is natural from the window. Not sure if it detracts or enhances...thoughts?
You need to control the highlight on the side. Can you adjust the exposure in RAW to see if you can dial back down the highlight? Also, I think there are too much of the yellow in the shot. See if you can adjust the color balance a bit in photoshop.

Here is my 2 year-old niece riding her first bicycle with training wheels.






Some cinematic effect:





First major snow in NYC, Central Park.


 
#7 ·
It's a good shot with the natural light. Just needs tweaking on your daughter though. Create adjustment layer and try to recover the highlight in the right side. It will require a layer mask so the adjustment only affects that side and a touch on her face to bring the color up a tad. And I mean a tad.
On the rose, I don't think the colors are muted. They pretty vibrant without being over saturated. I like it.

Your daughter has beautiful blue eyes. Is the shotgun ready?

Thanks for the compliment also. For anyone who wants to try panos I will say a bit of forethought is needed. Total manual on the camera and dont change anything. Shoot fairly fast. Overlap 50%. Take two shots and step towards the direction your moving the camera. (You will realize how important that is when stitching) Don't use a tripod.
I've got another I shot last year going down the Garden State Pkw in Jersey I still have to put together. Over 100 shots from each of the scenic stops along the Hudson. I figure about a weeks worth of work and I just haven't wanted to start on it.

I've got one more pano that is about 18 shots also of Croton Gorge in Westchester County NY (NYC water supply) that I'd like to put up if it's ok and you'll indulge me.
 
#8 ·
Maybe muted was the wrong descriptor but I think you know what I mean...the color is deep and warm. I think that is more what I was trying to say. Similar to this tulip I grabbed last year.



And thanks for the advice on my last shot. I'll play with it some. I am not very good with PS honestly so I'll have to see what I can come up with.

And yeah...the 12 gauge is locked and loaded...lol
 
#11 ·
Those first two shots are lacking in a focus point. Well she is the focus point, but I feel as though the focus is in the wrong place. The emotion from her is amazing though. That smile and those eyes are just darling.
The door knob affect is just stunning. I feel as though I'm watching a scene in a movie where they are going to open the door to find something terrible.
Theres a sense of motion. Anticipation.
The next photo has amazing contrast. I struggle with contrast so this is really impressive to me. But again I feel as though the focus is off... Perhaps a little cropping could go along way.
I don't have much to say about these last two photos that I haven't already said. The contrast is so impressive to me. But the focus is a little off. I want everything in the building video to be slightly to the left.
And with the final photo I want everything to be a little closer and a little to the left.


My photo's need alot of work and I want you guys to be as harsh as possible. The whole time I've been trying to get better at photography I wanted someone to really tell me how to improve myself. But I keep getting "looks great!". Which honestly isn't what I want.
I don't know the specs, but would love to hear what you guys would have done. Be HAAARSH!!!
This is one of the best photo's I have and theres alot that bothers me about it.
 

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#12 ·
That picture is okay, but could have been ten times better if you had moved up a few steps so that the dead grass was not in the picture, and if you had framed it horizontally instead of vertically.

The sky is really well captured, but everything on the ground is so far away that everything besides the sky lacks interest. The dead grass doesn't help because when people see dead grass they automatically thing "meh" and associate dead grass with "bad". The snow, trees, and deep blue sky are the main attention grabbers here, and it would have been a much better shot if you placed the emphasis on those three elements.

Think how cool it would look from a closer distance, with a low angle looking up the barren tree trunks into the deep blue sky, with a snowy ground creating a rich sense of drama between the contrasting pure blue sky and the frozen foreground.

Take this shot for example, the grass was useless clutter, so I cut most of it out, but not too much to where it would just be a random tree growing out of nowhere. No useless clutter, but just enough to let the viewer know its a tree in grass, with the focus on the intricate bare tree branches and dramatic sky....


The Lonely Tree by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr
 
#13 ·
GREAT critiques!!! That's exactly what I was hoping for.

Your shot TickleMyElmo, while I know you just posted as an example, still deserves comment. I am not following my own rules by saying this, but Nice shot! There really isn't anything to critique, not in my eyes at least. Colors and awesome, contrast between the colorful sky and silhouetted tree is just fantastic. There is a point of interest and there really is nothing that distracts. To me, this is a GREAT shot.
 
#14 ·
This is awesome!
I'll definitely be posting more pics on here in the future!!
Thanks TickleMyElmo!!
It's been so long since I took that photo, you made me remember what I was thinking and doing in that moment. Your totally right.
I need some better lenses for situations like that. I was too far away and my crappy lens couldnt get close enough. I should have ran up and gotten closer...
I wonder why I didnt...
 
#15 ·
Not much to say as the photo above is way above my skill level.
here are a couple of shots from london zoo shot on Eos350D and 24-105L at F4
 

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#16 ·
Very nice shots! I'll say a few things that would make them even better, since I happen to love wildlife and nature photography.

With both pictures, try to capture some sort of behavior. The number one rule of wildlife photography is to capture some kind of behavior, because when you do the interest of the picture increases greatly. Doesnt matter what it is, could be everything from an animal grooming themselves, to just walking, to hunting their prey, anything that tells a story about the animal really. Animals standing still are great, but when there's any kind of behavior the animal is performing in the picture, it draws the viewer in, and creates a sense of wonder.

For the snake picture, a flicking tongue would have been great to create some more interest, as the viewer would wonder why the snake was flicking its tongue and then that would create a sense of anticipation. Also, it would have been even better if it was shot from a lower angle, like the frog picture was. When you photograph animals from human eye-level, it doesnt help create interest as that's the way people always see animals. That even applies to anything above the eye level of the animal you're photographing. Basically, to really create interest and give the viewer a sense of being on the animals level in their environment, you have to be at the eye level of the animal. Additionally, by taking the picture froma lower angle, you would avoid the ground behind the snake being out of focus, and instead the sky/background would be out of focus, creating some nice seperation between the subject and the background...

For the second, you did capture it from the level of the frog, but the lack of behavior causes a lack of interest. Now image the same picture, but instead the frog was in the process of leaping, with its back legs on the ground and the front legs in the air. BAM! You just photographed the behavior, and in the process created interest and wonder in the eye of the viewer (Ex: Where is the frog leaping to? Is he hunting prey?!) which draws the viewer into the picture.

Now this first picture is just a snapshot and I know the background is distracting, which is why I blurred the background out at 24mm and f/1.4....but the point is to show the interest grabbing effect of photographing behavior....


Sometimes I feel so...BLAH! by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

Here's another example. Not a particularly exciting behavior, the bird was just walking and looking directly at me, but even the simple behavior of walking adds interest, and combined with photographing the bird (White Ibis) from the bird eye level, it adds a sense of seeing the world from the bird's eyes. The bad thing about this photo is the harsh sunlight, a result of taking the picture around 1PM in the afternoon, but I didn't have much choice as this was taken on an uninhabited island off the coast of the southern United States, and I didn't have my choice of times where I would be able to get to the island (Tide, weather conditions, etc all aligned at 1PM) Nonetheless, it still has interest....


7542 - White Ibis Reflection by Hyer Expectations Photography, on Flickr

One last note, besides the behavior rule, the other biggest rule of wildlife and portrait/people photography is to focus on the eyes. By doing so, it makes the viewer feel as though they are connecting with the animal/person, and people are naturally wired to first look at someones/somethings eyes, so it only makes sense to focus on the eyes!

:smile:
 
#21 ·
There isn't anyone above me to critique so I will just post my photos. Never mind one was posted. I love the dog pic especially how you set the picture up.a lot of times I see things that distract me in pictures but yours is just right and draws my eyes into the three things in the center of the photo.

I really like this shot and if there are any suggestions please let me know.


This shot is a favorite of mine but I hate how it is not very vibrant. It was taken in a very shaded area. Does anyone know how I could have made this shot not so dull colored.
 
#22 ·
The flower picture looks very generic, but also unique at the same time. I love the contrast between the orange and the green. I believe you should have zoomed in on the second picture. At first I could not tell if your focal point was the branch or the little bug type thing on it. If you don't already I would suggest you shoot in RAW and invest in a post processing programm like adobe Lightroom. If you're a student then you can get it for 80% off. In RAW format you can change every aspect of the image to get it to how you want including making the colors pop.




- Zain
 
#28 · (Edited)
No pic above me!

Here's a few... I do animal portrait photography sometimes...

I wish the focal point on the mouse was more to the flurry side, his nose/face, but I keep finding myself drawn to his huge rubbery furless tail, sucking all the cuteness out of it. The table cloth with the many thin horizontal stripes also feels very busy, but at the same time I really like the contrast with the subject.

And weddings sometimes too.

In the second photo I find that the focal point is also a little off. Initially I'm drawn to the bouquet and the hands, the well manicured fingernails, and the rings -- loyalty, fidelity, purity -- but then my eyes wander to her revealing cleavage and dark prominent bust line, and the image shatters. Should have rotated the bouquet counterclockwise about 3 degrees. However I like the overall image and the blurring of the back, has a very nostalgic feel to it.



Here's one I took of my 20g long from the top-down. Several things wrong with it but I'll wait for a critique :)
 
#29 ·
One thing I see is the inconsistent exposure left to right. Also there is no real focal point.

Here's another pano. Not the original one I wanted to post though. Have at it.
 

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#30 ·
Neat store. Would have been nice to get the shot without the cars but I am sure during the day, that would be near impossible without closing off the lot.

This is a shot I took yesterday. It is a no light shot, my first attempt at long exposure. It was in the basement of my photography teacher's studio. It was a lot of fun and really cool to see how you can get some good pictures in situations with very little to no light. Anyways, thinking about including this one in an exhibition that I will be hanging some of my pictures in....

 
#31 · (Edited)
Thanks Nubster. It was a tough shot. Tourist season in Lancaster County PA. Amish Country. The original file has over 50 layers. Most are exposure adjustments especially under the overhangs. Taken with a Kodak Easyshare 5mp.

I like your shot because you got down with your subject. Most people would have shot from above. Wonder how it would look with a sepia tone to it.
 
#34 ·
Whoa! Nice sunsets. Can't really see much wrong with them...


What do you guys think of my neighbors ass?
 
#37 ·
Very cool, however I think its has a bit too much noise for my taste. Maybe it was just the black and white filter, or what, but it might have been much better in color.

 
#40 ·
Thats a much better photo when in color. :proud:


What y'all think of my long exposure? Part of the C didn't come out. I'll try again tonight but not near that window.

 
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