Canon 10D User Requesting Critique

[DOrtiz]

Greetings everyone!

I hope your new year is going well. I'm relatively new to Digital Phtography (March 2004), and certainly new to this forum. I live in SW Florida, the hurricane state (or is that sunshine state). Here's an image I took during a visit to Manatee County, a place called Hunsader Farms. I welcome any critique you may want to provide.

http://photos.imageevent.com/dortiz/myportfolio/variousimages/IMG_3595.jpg

My equipment at the moment is a Canon 10D, Canon 50mm f/1.4, Canon 420EX Speedlite with OmniBounce device. That's all I have and can afford at the moment. I'm currently in the process of re-building my gallery, so please don't mind the "current" setup.

Thank you (in advance) for allowing me to become a member of this community.

Regards,
Dave

[jmraso]

Hi !!!

I found the picture very well balanced in terms of color and contrast.
I like the foggy background.
Jaime.
http://www.jmraso.com (http://www.jmraso.com/)

[DOrtiz]

Hi Jaime,

Thanks for the critique. The foggy background (although I would love to take credit for it), is actually the smoke from the canons which were fired. This was a enactment of the Civil War, and it was absolutely great.

The rest of the images can be found here:
http://imageevent.com/dortiz/family/travel/hunsaderfarms2004

Thanks again for your valued feedback.

Regards,
Dave

[defordphoto]

Great shot, but try converting to B&W and add in some graininess just for grins.

[psk4363]

Great shot - good expressions on the people in the frame. Consider toning with sepia and adding grain to enhance the 'olde-worlde' feel.

Cheers,
Barry

[DOrtiz]

Hi Guys!

Thanks for the excellent tips, comments and suggestions. However, I should point out I'm not very fluent with post-processing. In fact, where many professionals and hobbyist use (and have mastered) Photo Shop, I'm still crawling far behind them with Paint Shop Pro v.8.10.

I did venture into RAW once, as as a result upgraded my Photo Shop v.7.0 (a gift from my sister who never used it), to PS-CS for $169.00 when it was available. Unfortunately, I find Photo Shop "way to intimidating" for me, so I'm using something far less powerful and slightly easier (for me) to use.

Right now, I'm reviewing the demo version of Paint Shop Pro Studio and considering it for my photo editing needs.

Once again, I humbly appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

Regards,
Dave

[DOrtiz]

Hi again guys!

I'd like you to meet our loyal little friend, Scrappy. He was adopted from the Lee County Animal Control Shelter and has made a wonderful addition to our family. The name "Scrappy" was given him by our children upon his immediate arrival, and it took him all but 3 days to start responding to it.
http://photos.imageevent.com/dortiz/family/scrappysphotoalbum/portraits/img_0079_std.jpg

Since I have 2 treens and a 10 year old, it's difficult to get them to pose for dad, but Scrappy is always ready, willing, and able without complaints. However, something about this photo seems to say, "Get a little closer to me with that camera.." Don't you agree? :-)

Thanks for allowing me to share, but I think composition wise, I could have done better with this shot.

Regards,
Dave

[MackRoe]

Many times a shot just jumps out at ya when it 1st opens. This shot did that for me...even though its got muted light the clarity and color pop ! I like it a lot. Good capture, keep up the good work....Mackroe

P.S. I'm lusting and slobbering to have a 10D...my day is coming soon !

[DOrtiz]

Hi MacRoe,

Thanks for the kind words, I suppose Scrappy can have that effect on people. :-) I've had my 10D since March last year, it was an upgrade from a Canon G2 which is a fine little point-and-shoot camera. Don't get me wrong, the G2 was great ... but I wanted to venture into the world of SLR. In fact, here's a shot taken halloween 2003 at work with the Canon G2:

http://photos.imageevent.com/dortiz/family/dadsphotoalbum/workandplay/halloween2003/17.jpg

Thanks again for the critique and kind words. What camera are you using now?

Regards,
Dave

[colliewalker1]

A wonderful set of photos which say much for the 10D - also for the photographer!

I enjoyed looking at your gallery too.

[smudge]

I'm loving the Civil War shot, very nice. Welcome to the site if you get half as much out of it that I have you'll be a happy man. ;)

[roanjohn]

I like the muted colors on the first shot........dead on AF!!! Like the mood too.

.........that dog is too ADORABLE!!! Nice lighting.........(bounced right??).

Ro1

[DOrtiz]

Thanks guys for the great replies and kind words. Yes, the light was bounced, using a Canon 420EX-Speedlite.

I'm glad I found this site, as I can see many talented folks frequent here. Thanks for the welcome, and I hope I can learn from you guys, and offer something in return as well.

Regards,
Dave