How Good is my Photo..?? Discussion.. Any tips, Criticisms or Ideas Please..!!

Looks a bit grainy.................

 

woo .... I like the picture as such, centered nicely but so boring and drab .... maybe I should have gone and painted the silos beforehand .... :hehe:

Bob, I don't know what your first flower is but I find white is always difficult to photograph, the light never seems to be in the right place ... but a good shot! As for the Tradescantia/Zebrina/Setcreasea whatever .... a lovely shot but a crop of the flower itself would be nicer to show the detail. I have had a variegated one outside for years in the shade but it's never flowered for me. :(

Goodness, and who am I to make comments on anyone's else's photography .... :dh:

 

heres one of my honeysuckle on my balcony

 

heres another pic of my trailing geranium

 

Ok. My pennies worth. I hope you can take the criticism....
I think Wows picture of the silos is a plant on how not to do it.
I assume the subject is the silos.. I would move to left or right and use a wide angle setting, probable to the left to help remove the bright sky.
Get as much of the silos in picture as possible. After all they are the subject.
Take three pictures one auto exposure and then two more at -1EV and -2EV these lower exposures will darken the picture and may appear more dramatic.
If you have a tripod with you shoot at least three pictures at 0EV/+1EV/-1EV. These three exposures will give you the basis of HD rendering if you are into that particular process. I think the silos may well be suited to the HD process.
Ok. now if you are a post production person use grads to darken the sky some more. This will add loads of atmosphere.

OK now flowers
Ask yourself. Do you want a picture of the flower or a picture of the flower in its surroundings.
If your camera has spot metering try this setting, as above with the white flower if your camera is on the normal average exposure settings the flower may be overexposed which will wash out the colours and make details difficult to see.
You could also leave the metering on your usual setting and once again as with the silos reduce the exposure by an EV or two
A spot metering setting will also darken the background with a bright flower and lighten the background with a dark flower.
How about removing the flower and composing it against a dark card. Use spot metering again can be very affective.
Or leave the flower where it is and place a card behind it.
Try misting some water on the bloom. Very affective again.
I have spent ages post removing backgrounds from flower pictures to achieve what I want from an image.

I used to do all my own processing in the days of days of chemical photography
Black and white, transparencies, CIBA chrome etc:
One of the drawbacks for me was knowing the cost of the raw film and restricting the amount of pictures I could take and then spending ages working with the enlarger and dodging and shading prints until I was happy with the result from one or two negatives.
With digital it is all so much easier.
My first rule now is take many many pictures on the day.
You can bin the baddies and work with the good ones.
Its not unusual for me to come back with 100 plus images all ready to look at.
If your memory card cant support that amount. Buy a bigger one and shoot,shoot. Shoot.
But most of all â?¦.enjoy.
Ok. Nuff said from me this morning. Hope my ravings will have some use to someone.
Have a good day every one and remember what robert says.

â??Take a picture a day helps you work , rest and playâ?

 

I don't think it detracted from anything by cropping, Bob, and the flower looks so much better. To me it was too 'busy' in the background. You have now shown it where the dark leaves are still visible but the bloom the center of attention as it should be. I often crop into a flower not only to accentuate the inner detail of the bloom but also often to eliminate a background I don't like. :hehe:

Love it woo! Firstly, the view of the silos is far more aesthetic and interesting with the haystacks on the left (not hiding behind the silos) and the lovely tree to the right. The balance is better. I just love that sky .... makes me want to start painting again! :thumb:

 

Well there you go.....wow
Better angle, more depth and dramatic with the HD process. Maybe a bit over the top for some people but this pictures works for me.
I would maybe crop up a bit from the bottom to remove some grass and make it more landscape.
After all my talk I should post some pictures, I cant at the moment because my main laptop is the laptop hospital having its hinges fixed. With a bit of luck I may get it back later today.
Another tip?
There is a rule of thirds that is as old as photography itself. You may find your camara has a setting that will put lines on your display/viewfinder. These can be used to position your subject in the frame as well as ensuring that your verticals are verticals and your horizontals are as they should be. You will see two horizontal lines and two vertical lines, just like the noughts and crosses game.
If possible try to centre your subject on one of the four points where the lines cross.
So, heres how we do it. Most cameras will have a function where you half push the button without actually taking the picture. What we need to do is frame the subject in the centre, then half push the button, this will set the exposure / speed / focus for your main subject. Now keep the half pressure on the button and re frame your subject onto one of the four interception points of the four lines, or imaginary lines if your camera does not have that option to show the lines. Then pop the button and you have a correctly focused, exposed picture of your subject not in the centre of your picture.
If you are taken a portrait, get your subject in head shot looking to the right and using the above reframe on one of the cross lines to the left. This will appear that your subject is looking into the picture and give facial depth to the image. You can of course do it the othe side as well.
And please .. please please please.. when taking pictures of the family.. dont line them up in a row and move way back to get them all in.
When we look at people we usaully first look at the eyes, so lets see them.
get the group togother in a hug and lets see them eyes.
nuff from me for the moment.
More tips if you want them.
remember
"Take a picture a day to help you work, rest and play"
robert

 

ok I'm just a Lerner at this but a think this thread will be good for us be gentile

 

Reading this with interest Guys.
High Kype I think your too close, should of used the Macro setting...IMO :D
Some great tips and Robert ive been out and took your advice about the Dark Background, A bit difficult with the wind and its dull but here Go's..

Pic 1



Pic2

 

Now HK this a very good example of an out of focus picture.
We have to ask ourselfs why?
Not knowing the features on the camera that took it does not help.
We can see the woodwork behind is in focus at the time of taking the picture.
1st Is the camera capable of focusing down to the close distance required?
2nd Is there a normal / macro setting on the camera that was set incorrectly?
3rd Was the shutter button pressed halfway to focus the camera on the fench behind and then the flowers framed?
I would suspect the first one unless you have a manual focus camera and have not yet got the nack of focusing close.
robert