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

I rest my case :-)

 

Oh go on then, I'm ready for some healthy criticism !

 

I've brought the picture over from the previous page.

Now this is where my son criticised Armandii, he said the opposite. He thinks the eyes lacked sparkle and that was down to me not focusing the camera on them properly. I've discussed it with him today and he says there are focusing points on my camera. I know that now because I put my glasses on! For some reason I just can't get on with looking through the viewfinder with them on. So yes, I'm taking most of my pictures blind, it's just as well I use automatic focusing most of the time.

I take your point on this but I think it only applies to a shot that is head and shoulders only, which wasn't my aim with this picture.

Again I take your point but this picture wasn't about catching the character in his eyes but about the meerkat's way of life, hence me taking the full shot of him sitting on the log.

As I said in my earlier post I don't make any adjustments/processing to any of my shots. It's not because of lack of ability but because I prefer them 'naked' if you like, just as they were taken. In my mind if a picture can't stand alone and needs adjustments made what is the point of keeping it, it's not what was seen through the combination of viewfinder and camera lens.

Can you explain what you mean about "no movement in the subject" please Woo? Yes, tail distraction has been noted and the subject looking towards me was not a possibility in the circumstances. Having said that, I prefer animal subjects in there natural state, a perfect pose is neither what I'd expect or want from them.

I agree totally Woo. Photography is an art form and each one of us sees the subject before us in a different way. If we were all given the opportunity to take exactly the same picture there would be no two alike because of our own ability to interpret those rules in different ways.

 

Sorry @wiseowl I'm still trying to grasp this. Are you talking about the Meerkat or the photo itself?

I think it was also helped by the fact the Meerkat sat perfectly still for some while, when they are keeping watch only their heads are moved.

I will have to consider how I'm going to get round the focusing point issue and I will start by re-reading that section of my manual.

 

A photo from last week in Prague. A mate taking a photo of the clock in the old town, and me taking a photo of him, taking a photo of us.... A bit if a mind numb shot.

 

I think this photo above has real good potential, but it's too cropped.. is this the full frame of the photo or did you actually crop out parts of the picture. I think if you were to expand the photo on the right this way ---> and perhaps align the image of the mobile phone in the bottom left hand corner... revealing more of clock face and the decoration under it, it would perhaps be better in terms of composition. In an ideal world, were you to take this photo with a DSLR cam, the phone in the image would be tack sharp, the background clock would have some good quality bokeh.

Technical details aside (just my opinion of course), I like the thought behind the photo.. it's confusing.. because you expect a picture of the clock on the phone.. the main camera is pointing to the clock, and it diverts your attention to the clock, so when you see the photo on the mobile, it throws you a little bit, but in my opinion this is a good thing.. it's just about how to get that without fighting for attention - which is why I think good bokeh in the background would allow the mobile image to the main subject, meaning the photo would not be cluttered. You would need a DSLR for that though.

 

For this image, to my eyes the composition is fine, we don't need rule of thirds here, because the subject is the main subject and there is no real background subject that would provide any interest, like a hill, a field, or a city for example... however, I feel it need to include all of the tail, (ie not cut off near the end).. and perhaps just slightly sharper.. but I think aside from the tail, it's a good photo, I can't see any reason to crop it or change it greatly.

 

It was just a snap from my phone, but turned out ok.... Not intended as a good image..but I liked it.

I didn't take the 5D3 along with me, it would have been so much better, but for a snap shot it gives the image good thought.

Cheers!

 

Absolutely Simon, I love the idea behind it, really do.. it challenges convention which I like.

 

Birkenhead Park.