DigaPixBlog

Our first architecture shot and it’s not half bad.  I like the fact that you were able to keep control of the vertical lines on the building and fence to an expectable amount of distortion.  This can be a trick with a 35mm camera which has fixed image plain and lens plans.  It requires that you keep the image plain exactly perpendicular to the ground.  That is why if you want to keep complete control you need a view camera with swings and tilts.  But I don’t expect you to go that far.  There is a little distortion at the top of the building; I think this is because you were using a wide angle lens.  

The lighting is nice.  Not quite the golden hour but very acceptable.  Graphically you almost have a one point perspective image. 

There is an issue with the horizon, the edges of the pool and patio deck.  They are sloping to the left and you are about to lose all your water.  Again this is caused by the limitations of the 35mm system.  It is very difficult to control both the vertical and horizontal lines.   

I would also suggest moving the chair sticking into the picture from the left edge and not obscure the view of the Jacuzzi.

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This is a well composed and executed photograph.  The layers of fog work well with the monochromatic tone and give the feeling of the damp, cool morning.  The placement of your runners are excellent.  It would have been nice if you could have gotten them running into the image but this works and there body language says running. 

I think this qualifies as a landscape with the runners as the foreground element the fog shrouded trees as the middle ground and the hill as the distance. 

I find the six people in the middle ground distraction.  They are competing with the subject, the runners, and lead my eye away.  Also by eliminating them you will get a greater feeling of solitude and quietness.  

You might also try adding a border around the photograph to separate it from the white background of the paper or double mount it with a very thin black inner mat border.

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There is no doubt she is a lovely little cherub.  With a face like that who could not love her.  I like the dark background it works well with her blond hear.  Her expression is pleasant and natural, I’m glad she does not have a forced smile. 

This was taken with an on camera flash which creates a harsh flat light. If she is like most children you can’t get her to sit still long enough to set up a glamour head shot.  This picture was taken at the strobe of the moment but if you are going to do portraits of anyone particularly children you need to move the flash off the camera and bounce the light off a large white surface.  Or better still if you don’t have a studio setup use window light with fill reflectors.    

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You have a good idea here.  I like the way you have set your focus to the subject, the leaves in the foreground, and let the background go out of focus.  One of the fundamental rules, and I don’t like rules, is that combinations of three are more harmonies that two.  I don’t know why but it seems to work.  Here you almost have it, two and a half leaves.   

I find the background to be distracting.  The tones are very similar to the colors in the leaves.  I would recommend cropping out as much background as possible and underexposing the image buy about two stops.  This should separate the subject from the background.

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                                                                                     Zoo photography, 

                                                                                       ah yes, zoo photography.   

You are working under difficult conditions. As we know the people at the zoo don’t open until mid day and close before there is any decent light.  This lighting is not bad for mid day.  This picture has fairly good detail in the shadows but is starting to burn out on the backs of the birds. 

Let me start by saying I have a hang up.  I am a hard one to please when it comes to animals, children and rainbows.  In other words I like exciting, imaginative and clever photography.  Cute does not do it for me when it comes to subject matter. 

I think you are trying to take in to much information with this shot.  This image needs a stronger graphic element and a more focused subject.  I would recommend using a long lens and getting in tight on the details of the flamingos.  Interpret the subject don’t record it. Try a number of shots and edit.  One of the most important tasks of photography is editing. 

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Over the years I have been to Monument Valley a number of times but never from this vantage point.  Please tell us how to get there.   

The tree in the foreground is stunning.  Again a good example of the three planes of landscape photography (foreground, middle ground and distance).  The tree root in the foreground creates both an ‘S’ curve and a leading line into the image.  The broken clouds add a nice texture to the sky. 

I would like to see you play a little with the colors, particularly the reds.  I know this may be true color to the scene when you took the shot but it could be a more exciting image with a little more saturation.  That’s why in the dark ages of film Fuji 50 over took Kodachrome.  Kodak was true to reality but Fuji was better than the real thing.  If the photographer prefers reality to more enhancement that’s OK.  It’s just a suggestion. 

Overall this is a very nice image.

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There are interesting muted tones in this image.  It appears this picture was taken early morning after the golden hour.  What I like about this image are the yellows and oranges in the foreground foliage, giving soft pastel hues to this high California desert landscape.The rich blue sky complements the colors in the flowering plants. 

I think I would have liked to have seen this shot taken a couple of hours earlier in the day, about one half hour after sun rise.  The distant mounting would most likely have taken on a golden hue that would have continued the foreground color.  The composition is nice but there are no strong elements that standout.

It’s interesting with the muted tones that the foreground, middle gournd and distance all blend into one continus tone.

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Midday sun is an interesting choice of light, but tricky. This type of light generally works with things that you want to bring out the texture.  In this case you appear to be trying to capture the light passing through the gauze texture of the plant.  I like the way you have placed the dark plant in front of the lighted surface.  This makes your subject just that much more actuated. 

There is an axiom I preach: “Decide what turns you on and then take everything else out.”  In this case I believe you are showing a little more that necessary.  Scattered through the image are extraneous twigs and branches that add unnecessary geometric lines which distract form your subject, the light and texture of the plant.  In the field the photographer either needs to remove these distracting parts of the scene or crop tighter in camera. The other alternative is to use the tools in you photo software. 

Also the highlights are starting to burn out and could be taken down a bit without hearting the shadow areas.

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Ah yes fly fishing in the fall, the time to capture the fisherman capturing the fish. 

This image has a very strong horizontal graphic element of the river and both sides of the bank.  I like the fact that you captured the near side of the river to give us some perspective of the width of the water which adds scale. 

There are a couple of graphic issues that you need to keep in mind.  First the background is very busy and brightly lit.  This caused the fishing pole and line to disappear in some areas as they cross the background.  For these small details you need a dark background with light on the line and pole.  I would like to see this as a stronger graphic elament.  It is difficult to find just the right combination unless you have a setup shot with a cooperative model.  

Another suggestion I would make is to pan the camera to the right so the disturbance in the water where the line enters could be seen.  This would also move the fisherman to the left which could be of some value to the graph layout.  Also it might have been possible to capture the fisherman in a position where his arm is not covering his face.

Nice nature action shot but needs some work on the composition

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Here is a photograph that illustrates one of the fundamental principals of most landscape images.  There are three elements; Foreground, Middle Ground & Distance.  As you see there would not be a true foreground if not for the rock in the water. The reflections alone would not have done it.   The lighting is good, early morning golden hour.  There is just enough movement in the water to give definition to the surface while allowing the reflections to be sharp.  The mountain in the distance is still in shadow and has a blue tint that works well with the gold of the middle ground trees. Overall a nice shot.

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What I first noticed about this image is the interesting framing created by the trees in the foreground and the two thirds – one third proportions of the sky to the subject. The placement of the golf cart is also one third from the right hand side adds a great deal of interest to the scene.  These factors are giving us a nicely balanced image.  There are just enough clouds to give texture and interest to the sky.  If this sky were gray I would not recommend this proportion but what you have works very well and gives the photo a very open feeling. You get the impression that the buildings are look at the golfers. This photograph was shot late in the day; the light quality is very good.  I feel this image would work well in a real estate brochure. 

There is something I would recommend.  In the foreground there is a white object between the trees in the center and a street sigh in the lower right hand corner.  I think these should be removed either by cropping or by using a cloning tool in photo editing software.

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Oro Valley Sunset

Here is an excellent interpretation of a sunset in the southwest.  The photograph captures the quit atmosphere that falls over the desert at that time between daytime nature and the oncoming world of night.   

The exposure is excellent with good definition in the shadows and rich exposure of the hills.  The placement of the Saguaro in the lower left foreground tells us eminently we are some where in the Sonora desert.  The building in the middle distance leaves the impression of a quit village.  The graduated colors in the sky add interest to the negative space while the half moon draws your eye without distracting from the landscape.  Considering that you did no computer manipulation of this outstanding image I find it quite refreshing. 

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  This is a picture that was used in an article about cotton production I saw essentially.  For that purpose it is quite a nice image.  I like the nice graduated blue background.  If it had had clouds they would have conflicted with the subject, the three cotton balls.  The foreground subject is sharp with a nice out of focus background that sets the environment, the cotton field, without distracting from the primary subject.  

However there are a couple of issues.  First is the cleanup of the subject.  The photographer should have removed any clutter from the surface of the subject such as the leaves sticking to the cotton balls and small spider webs or perhaps they are cotton strands at the top of the pod.  Another thing to watch out for is the sloping horizon.  Generally you want the horizon to me straight unless the photo artist intends to deliberately add tension to the photograph. 

These issues can be corrected with a little judicious cropping and cloning in the computer. (See attached cropped photo)  However it is always best to address these at the time the picture is being taken.  This helps to develop an eye for detail. The last point I would like to make is that the overall subject and image are excellent for what they were intended, an article on cotton.  But as with all flower photos intended for display on a wall or in a gallery the photographer needs to show us the subject in a new and interpretive way.  The photographer needs to make the subject his / her own and make us see it in an unexpected way.  One method of doing this would be to crop down to interesting details within the original subject. (See attached cropped photo)

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What I like about this image is your attempt to layer the landscape using colors.  This must have been taken on an overcast day because of the lack of brilliant color.  This is a good example of foreground, middle-ground and distance.  Shooting fall color is one of those times when full sunlight can work for you if you can keep the shadows to a minimum.  The color is the subject here and you need more punch.  Perhaps you can do something in your computer to liven it up.  The snow capped mountings in the background are nice but again the color is off and they are tending to blend into the sky.  Try to get more contrast between them by darkening the sky.  I am a little concerned by the presents of a  partial buildings in the picture.  Not a major issue but in this case best to eliminate it. 

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