First post, help me improve!

Hello, I'm Veronica I am 17 years old and I live in Canada. This is my first post here and im excited to read your comments!

#2 is captivating - I like it. I can't help but think that if you had a taken say the first one, and show us 2 or 3 in a series, then we could compare and contrast them to give you better feedback. Then in another post give us a train or perspective series, etc.

Thanks Scott, I'll keep that in mind for my next post.

you are welcome, and welcome to the forum. I've not posted much here myself, but I'm hoping that by pouring through the constructive feedback, I'll learn more about giving things a critical once over before I do post, and hopefully I'll be able to post with an "I think this is my problem with this one" and see whether I'm getting it - so I can get past it.

Welcome Veronica! I am by no means a pro...so I'll say what I think and you take it for what it's worth, which isn't much lol

#1- Seems just a TAD bit soft to me, I think maybe a color version would have shown bokeh more too

#2- I dig it, the B&W conversion works well here too for me. Has nice bokeh!

#3- I actually REALLY like this shot, tells a story to me...I hate waking up! Looks fairly soft or OOF

#4- Looks to be pretty sharp, more so than the others. I would like to see some definition in the sky though, just even a little. Your horizon seems off also, work on that.

Very good start though, and again, Welcome

those are all really interesting shots... you just have to work on the technical aspect of exposure... the railway one can be made a little more interesting

Thanks so much for your helpful comment Kyle, I really appriciate it. I will definitely work on what you suggested, thanks again!

Dkorr, thanks for your comment, but can I ask what you mean by your exposure comment?

You're welcome

some of these are a bit too shallow on dof for my taste.

1.. more dof, and color may have been better. also seems a little underexposed/flat.

2.. i like this one. very unique and it works.

3.. i would like to see the dof played with a little more here. i would like to see the whole hand in focus with the clock. as is, it seems soft.

4.. like the symmetry. and, i dont usually do this, but since its the critique forum, i think it's leaning a bit to the right. something small to pay attention to.

This has nothing to do with the photos you've posted: not that I have anything to say about your shots but what I wanted to say has been covered for the most part already - so my advise (to help you improve) is...

...learn even when you're not holding a camera. If at a movie theater, or watching a dvd movie, be aware of the cinematography. If leafing through a magazine or a newspaper, be aware of examples of glamour/product photos, as well as fine examples of photojournalism. And if you are just walking about and if something catches your attention, ask why and how you would go about capturing that why -- unusual lighting, pleasing composition, similar shapes, symmetry/asymmetry, hierarchy, datum, positive/negative interplay, continuity, substitution, illusions... to name a few.

Keep those cogs in your mind working all the time.

Now scram !

#3 has wonderful DOF and is nicely composed. It is either fuzzy or slightly blurry and the color temperature is a little off, otherwise great pics!

I think these are great. You have a good eye for composition. You are very creative. Keep working on metering and exposure. Play around with the depth of field.
#1- Isolate your subject a bit more.
#2- Good shot. I like the crop and the background.
#3- Great idea. Maybe a tad underexposed or it could be my monitor here.
#4- Good perspective, but nothing much going on there.
Great work.

Thank you all for your constructive criticism and positive comments. I really appreciate it, and I'm excited to go out and shoot again with your words in mind.