Can I have a critique please?

[LifeIn35mm]

Some of these seem to be casual snapshots and do not really follow any concept for an image.

Assignment (make the best image that you can).

1) "Still Life" Make a still life image with some sort of artificial light source. This could be a bowl of fruit, flower in a vase or anything else that you want.

2) "Portrait" Make a portrait of yourself or of someone else. You can use artificial or natural light. Try to make a posed or at least semi-formal sitting. Keep sharpest focus on the eyes and work to capture some emotion or sense of the individual. Sometimes people photography is out of your "comfort zone".

3) "Landscape" Make a landscape. Sometimes the quality of light is more important than the location. To add interest or a focus to the image, put something in the foreground.

General tips: Try to tighten up your process. If you are really interested in a critique of your work, make the images the best work that you are capable of. If you are printing in the darkroom, work on contrast control and keep all of the technical variables under strict control. No dust on negatives, and work as clean as possible. If you are just scanning your negatives, it can be hard to visualize what those negatives are really capable of. Some of these sort of ideas can provide a focus to your photography. Last but not least, have fun. Enjoy what you are doing.

I was just going to put my favorites in but then I thought, "I want to know what I did wrong on the ones I don't like". You know? I greatly appreciate the assignment. I will do it for sure. But I have a question, why?

 

[LifeIn35mm]

Then in your own words:- "And please be as brutally honest as you can". They don't convey that emotion to me, but some of the shot angles are interesting.

I do appreciate the honestness. I was wondering why you don't feel anything? Is it something in the image that kills it or did they just not have it to begin with?

 

[LifeIn35mm]

One word themes can certainly apply to those photos, but so can others. Just because you want to express those things, doesn't mean the viewer is going to hear see them. You might want to dig deeper. WHAT about the buildings express loneliness? WHAT about the clouds express uncertainty? See if you can capture your answer in the frame. Try to build a body of work around one "expression", but with different subjects, and hopefully the viewer can see the common thread that binds these differing subjects together.

I will definitely keep what you said in my head and will be putting much thought toward it. I appreciate your comment.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

What do you consider your strongest image in this series?

For me it's #2, the old truck. What distinguishes the image from the rest of your series, is we see the truck on its own, without a lot of distractions. It's well known that automobiles due to having headlamps which stand-in as eye and the grill or bumper which is like a mouth, are perceived as having a bit of personality due to these face-like features. I think this comes across in the image, the truck appears to be facing a direction, rather than merely pointing. So we see the truck as an individual, rather than just an example of a truck. We see the truck from a low vantage point, it looms over us.

For the majority of the images, I feel like I'm far away from the action. I remember waiting anxiously for a telephoto lens so that I could get close to the action, but for some reason, zooming in really doesn't work. I'd suggest getting closer to the subject, so that it fills the frame.

I actually received the same advice from another user on my intro thread. I will for sure get closer to what I want in the image next time. Thank you for the comment.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

For a beginning photographer, this is a strong group of images. They suffer a bit, I think, from too many clichés... old abandoned cars and buildings, but the second picture of an abandoned car has a nice dynamic quality. I like your cloud texture picture quite a lot. It's a frequently photographed trope, but you've done it well here. And just because something's been done a lot, doesn't mean you shouldn't. Find YOUR way to do it. There are some technical issues that I'm sure you can resolve with practice. I would just keep shooting... keep it loose, like you've done. Lots of subjects, and you'll see yourself improve as you make more pictures. And with practice, you'll start to see your photographic voice emerge.

As an aside, it's always a good idea to study the history of photography. Look at the work of lots of different photographers. See what you like, what inspires, what moves you, and try some of those ideas for yourself, in your way.

What do you mean by technical issues. And good idea to look at how other photographer became what they are and why. I will look into that this weekend. Thanks for the advise.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

If you've got a whole class staring at your work, why would you care what anyone here thinks? :confused:

Well unfortunately it's summer vacation right now so no photo class. I didn't receive any partially good advice in class either.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

its hard to just critique images that are loaded to a website like this.
pick the 3 or 4 that you like the best and continue in the vein of those images you like
its like anything, the more that you practice the better you will get ... don't forget to keep having fun.
john

I will definitely keep shooting, maybe one day I will be an amazing photographer. One can only hope.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

Would you prefer brutally honest, or honestly brutal?

Which ever one makes me a good photographer lol.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

Those were the two I was going to comment on as well. The clouds got my attention, and the shot with the outstretched hands was interesting. On that one, I'd prefer to have seen different framing (pan the camera to the right), but a great idea none the less.

Not really sure what the OP is looking for here. The analog prints look better than mine, so my compliments there. Of course, mine are really pretty lousy (just figured out why, btw, so there may be some hope...).

In the spirit of brutal honesty, I'd be pleased to never see another photograph of a rusted out hulk of a pickup truck. It was probably cool the first time it was done, but its hopelessly over-done by now.

If you don't mind me asking what was wrong with your photos and how did you figure it out?

 

[LifeIn35mm]

I would suggest telling us a story with the photos. Keep on aiming for that emotion in each photo, but let that be implicit in an explicit story. Where did you find the truck? How did you get there? Can you see it from far away or does it surprise you all of a sudden?

The truck was in a mountain town so I didn't think the shot would be as good if I took it from further away. It would have been too crowded. I am confused when you say to tell a story with the photos. Please explain. Thank you from the comment, it will keep me thinking.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

#1 is lacking in contrast.
#2 is better. unusual, but effective, composition.
#3 has a problem with perhaps a light leak on the left, and needs spotting. Check your camera for a hair intruding into the upper left of the film gate, which gives that black line in the lower right of your prints. I don't find the composition interesting. Prints like this should never be exhibited.
#4 has an intriguing subject. There is little reason to crowd the lights towards the left. Shadows should be darker.
#5. Intriguing. More contrast might provide more impact. It may be the best of all of the 15.
#6 is an uninteresting snapshot with flash. There is a problem with flare or a light leak along the left and a third of the way in from the left.
#7 may be better than #6, but still not good.
#8 This effectively shows desolation. The person who did the graffiti added much to the photo.
#9 is an uninteresting record of what must have been an interesting cloud formation. The viewer of a photograph sees only that photo, not the subject as you saw it. It is up to the photographer to present that subject in the strongest possible way.
#10 The graffiti alone might have been a better subject.
#11 Flash doesn't provide good illumination for this subject, and causes horrible flare on the right 2/5.
#12 has much better lighting to show the desolation of the subject.
#13 has better graphic quality than most of the other B&W photos. A few words of explanation might help us who aren't familiar with racing. Are they sharing thumbs up?
#14 is another good auto racing record photo.
#15 is a better cloud photo than #3, but also needs spotting.
Posting JPG prints rather than BPP format would speed up downloading with little loss in quality. Also, downloading the B&W photos as greyscale would be faster. Expressing emotions in photos works best with appropriate subjects and good technique. As JCC suggests, different people may see different emotions in the same photo. If these comments sound harsh, your work is better than what I was doing at the beginning.

I would like to start off by thanking you for the time you put into this comment. I actually did not use a flash on #11, it was just a sunny day and the sun was shining in. I had to open up the aperture because it was so dark inside the building. Could I had done something to avoid this brightness?

 

[LifeIn35mm]

I'm walking down the street one afternoon. Suddenly, I look up and see you running toward me, a look of angst on your face. You stop, staring at me with obvious agitation.

"Are you OK?" I ask with some concern.

"NO! I'm not OK!" you reply breathlessly.

"What's wrong?"

"Look. Over there. Do you see that?"

"See what?"

"That! Don't you see it? Look what they did."

"They who? I don't see anything."

With your irritation rising to fury you scream back at me,

"What's wrong with you? Are you blind? Look right where I'm pointing! That!! I can't believe you aren't seeing what I'm seeing!"

The thing you are pointing at with your trembling finger? The thing I am so maddeningly oblivious to seeing, but desperately need to see without even realizing it?

THAT is the thing you should be pointing your camera at...

Ken

Got it. So if I take a photo of something that is obvious but at the same time not many realize it, it could be a decent photo?

 

[LifeIn35mm]

Thank you all for the thoughtful comments, I was surprised to see that I got 2 pages of comments. I have not figured out how to quote multiple people in one comment so please excuse the excessive amount of comments. And please, keep giving me more advice. Again thank you everyone and I look forward to improving my photos.

 

[omaha]

If you don't mind me asking what was wrong with your photos and how did you figure it out?

Cloudy, no contrast. What I realized is that it takes fluorescent lights a REALLY long time to truly turn "off".

 

[Bill Burk]

I'm walking down the street one afternoon. Suddenly, I look up and see you running toward me, a look of angst on your face. You stop, staring at me with obvious agitation.

"Are you OK?" I ask with some concern.

"NO! I'm not OK!" you reply breathlessly.

"What's wrong?"

"Look. Over there. Do you see that?"
...

THAT is the thing you should be pointing your camera at...

Ken

Ken, this is a great illustration.

LifeIn35mm don't take it literally.

I think Ken is suggesting that you should work to be aware and sensitive. That when you do you will see things other people overlook or are oblivious to. And you should take pictures of that.

 

[yulia_s_rey]

From the images posted I'd say you are developing your composition skills nicely. Keep shooting, as I often say "break a lens" (versus "break a leg" in the theatre world, naturally )

 

[LifeIn35mm]

From the images posted I'd say you are developing your composition skills nicely. Keep shooting, as I often say "break a lens" (versus "break a leg" in the theatre world, naturally )

"Break a lens." I like that.

 

[dehk]

- As a group, incoherent.
- #13 is my favourite.
- Rest doesn't quite speak to me (not necessary bad photos).

But I always thought, as long as you are happy with your photos, don't overly worry about how other thinks. First thing first, you have to be proud of them.

 

[Bill Burk]

I liked the first one.

Wonder, do you know the people who own the property or was it a happenstance that you walked by and saw the derelict (beauty)?

It would be interesting to actually meet the people who live there, spend time with them, and involve them in the photo - as their life must be very unique and local.

But suppose they were strangers and you have no way you would overcome shyness to approach them (assume nobody was there anyway)...

Do you know anybody with a property like that? Or is there a special place you know that is messy, but full of stuff that you know exactly what it's good for. Maybe your family has a cabin in the woods that isn't always neat and tidy like your own home and you go up every summer to spend a week... I had one growing up and wish I'd taken interior shots with family... Well I DID take them and the shots are precious to me but some are so dreadfully flawed that I wish I'd exposed them more fully. But mostly I wish I did take more pictures inside the cabin.

That was a bit of a side excursion... But it's from the perspective of an older (55yr) man looking over his youth (the time you're in) and thinking "What would I do in your shoes?". So... I'd have taken more personal photographs. I'd include myself and the people I KNOW... And if I had the guts, I'd take time to get to know people I run into and photograph.

You will just have to wonder how I got all that out of your photograph #1...

 

[LifeIn35mm]

I liked the first one.

Wonder, do you know the people who own the property or was it a happenstance that you walked by and saw the derelict (beauty)?

It would be interesting to actually meet the people who live there, spend time with them, and involve them in the photo - as their life must be very unique and local.

But suppose they were strangers and you have no way you would overcome shyness to approach them (assume nobody was there anyway)...

Do you know anybody with a property like that? Or is there a special place you know that is messy, but full of stuff that you know exactly what it's good for. Maybe your family has a cabin in the woods that isn't always neat and tidy like your own home and you go up every summer to spend a week... I had one growing up and wish I'd taken interior shots with family... Well I DID take them and the shots are precious to me but some are so dreadfully flawed that I wish I'd exposed them more fully. But mostly I wish I did take more pictures inside the cabin.

That was a bit of a side excursion... But it's from the perspective of an older (55yr) man looking over his youth (the time you're in) and thinking "What would I do in your shoes?". So... I'd have taken more personal photographs. I'd include myself and the people I KNOW... And if I had the guts, I'd take time to get to know people I run into and photograph.

You will just have to wonder how I got all that out of your photograph #1...

I was walking along a side road when I spotted the trucks. It was around 8pm on a Friday night (What can I say, I do what I love on a Friday night, who needs parties when you have a roll of film and a camera). I will consider taking more personal photos next time I go up to the mountains or even if I just find a cool place somewhere.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

- As a group, incoherent.
- #13 is my favourite.
- Rest doesn't quite speak to me (not necessary bad photos).

But I always thought, as long as you are happy with your photos, don't overly worry about how other thinks. First thing first, you have to be proud of them.

Thanks for the wise words.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

#1 is lacking in contrast.
#2 is better. unusual, but effective, composition.
#3 has a problem with perhaps a light leak on the left, and needs spotting. Check your camera for a hair intruding into the upper left of the film gate, which gives that black line in the lower right of your prints. I don't find the composition interesting. Prints like this should never be exhibited.
#4 has an intriguing subject. There is little reason to crowd the lights towards the left. Shadows should be darker.
#5. Intriguing. More contrast might provide more impact. It may be the best of all of the 15.
#6 is an uninteresting snapshot with flash. There is a problem with flare or a light leak along the left and a third of the way in from the left.
#7 may be better than #6, but still not good.
#8 This effectively shows desolation. The person who did the graffiti added much to the photo.
#9 is an uninteresting record of what must have been an interesting cloud formation. The viewer of a photograph sees only that photo, not the subject as you saw it. It is up to the photographer to present that subject in the strongest possible way.
#10 The graffiti alone might have been a better subject.
#11 Flash doesn't provide good illumination for this subject, and causes horrible flare on the right 2/5.
#12 has much better lighting to show the desolation of the subject.
#13 has better graphic quality than most of the other B&W photos. A few words of explanation might help us who aren't familiar with racing. Are they sharing thumbs up?
#14 is another good auto racing record photo.
#15 is a better cloud photo than #3, but also needs spotting.
Posting JPG prints rather than BPP format would speed up downloading with little loss in quality. Also, downloading the B&W photos as greyscale would be faster. Expressing emotions in photos works best with appropriate subjects and good technique. As JCC suggests, different people may see different emotions in the same photo. If these comments sound harsh, your work is better than what I was doing at the beginning.

And to answer your question on #13. This was taken at the end of the PPIHC (Pikes Peak International Hill Climb), it's a big race up Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. This race was unfortunately purchased by The Broadmoor (A fancy golf resort) and they ruined the race with restricted areas (like 6k people framed into 6 small view points that are fenced off by 8 foot fences). So I don't see it lasting much longer. Anyway, at the end of the race all the cars, motorcycles, and ATVs come down the mountain and gave the viewers high fives. This drive saw me taking a photo of him so he gave me a thumbs up.

 

[mopar_guy]

Why?

I appreciate the assignment. I will do it for sure. But I have a question, why?

The way that I look at it, a lot of people think of Photography as art. Photography can be art. I prefer the term "Craft". I think of my Photography as mostly craft. The more that I put into something, the easier it gets and the better the results. There are people that have made a good living by making portraits. They study lighting and can do all of the technical tasks without thinking until it is second nature.

I think that you have made some nice images. You can make them better. You can work to improve the things that could be done better. Experiment with different lighting conditions. Learn how to control contrast. Composition can be improved by changing the depth of field to show the subject apart from it's surroundings. It is OK to come back to a photograph that you have already done in the past and then try different things to make it better. The three parts of the assignment that I listed are all classic fields of photography. If you continue to make images for another 50 years, you can always come back to these three ideas and you can always come up with something new.

There are many other types of photography. Some people work at photojournalism. Others shoot wildlife. Some make street images. Find something that you like and work at it. Practice, practice, practice.

I strongly agree that it is good to look at as many different images as you can and read about the technical aspects and read about famous photographers.

Remember that as long as YOU are happy, then you have accomplished something.

 

[LifeIn35mm]

The way that I look at it, a lot of people think of Photography as art. Photography can be art. I prefer the term "Craft". I think of my Photography as mostly craft. The more that I put into something, the easier it gets and the better the results. There are people that have made a good living by making portraits. They study lighting and can do all of the technical tasks without thinking until it is second nature.

I think that you have made some nice images. You can make them better. You can work to improve the things that could be done better. Experiment with different lighting conditions. Learn how to control contrast. Composition can be improved by changing the depth of field to show the subject apart from it's surroundings. It is OK to come back to a photograph that you have already done in the past and then try different things to make it better. The three parts of the assignment that I listed are all classic fields of photography. If you continue to make images for another 50 years, you can always come back to these three ideas and you can always come up with something new.

There are many other types of photography. Some people work at photojournalism. Others shoot wildlife. Some make street images. Find something that you like and work at it. Practice, practice, practice.

I strongly agree that it is good to look at as many different images as you can and read about the technical aspects and read about famous photographers.

Remember that as long as YOU are happy, then you have accomplished something.

Sounds good. Gotta love them old Mopars, 1969 Road Runner/Super Bee is where it's at.

 

[Bill Burk]

I was walking along a side road when I spotted the trucks. It was around 8pm on a Friday night (What can I say, I do what I love on a Friday night, who needs parties when you have a roll of film and a camera). I will consider taking more personal photos next time I go up to the mountains or even if I just find a cool place somewhere.

8pm? You must have used a tripod then?