JerInCanada wrote in post #13892148
Wow these must be terrible.
I am willing to take critique, eh.
They are not terrible...they're actually pretty nice (except for the shots into the sun). I looked at these after you posted them, but didn't offer a comment because although they are nice little snapshots from an outing, the subject matter just isn't interesting/compelling. I sometimes post similar images that don't receive comment for the same reason...they just don't captivate anyone enough to make a comment.
I'll now offer some detailed thoughts about each image for your consideration:
1. The barb wire shot is one of the best, but it suffers from a composition/framing error. The wire nearly coincides with the base of the trees in the background, which actually has a nice golden color that warms up the image. The image should have been framed to avoid those coincidental lines. Besides the silhouette of the wire would be even more effective if it fell fully against a snowy backdrop.
2. Nice detail shot of some wood boards. This detail image would be improved if it were displayed along other shots of the same structure that offered more perspectives. Without those other views, this is just a photo of some wood boards. Nice, but not really that interesting.
3. The foot patterns in the snow are somewhat interesting, but the interesting part of the image is underexposed since you're shooting straight into the sun. Unless you're getting some wonderful back-lighting effects or there is an amazing sunset, shooting into the sun isn't going to bring much success.
4. Same as 3.
5. This comment applies to #1 as well. Another nice shot. Although I typically like detail shots like this that put the background out of focus, there is something interesting in the background: the old car. So the image is a kind of tease...it suggests something interesting in the background, but doesn't deliver. If you want to isolate something in the foreground and blur the background, make sure that the main focus area is more interesting than the background. What's more interesting, an old car or some barb wire and fence post? My eye wants to see that car. So, if you want the picture to be about a fence post, make sure there isn't something competing with it in the view.
6. Nice play of light against the wildlife trodden snow.
7. Nice layered framing. Just not a very exciting subject.
8. Into the sun, but there isn't any good back-lighting or beautiful sunset.
These are generally nice photos of common things. You can make a great photo of common things but there has to be something uncommon happening, such as extraordinary lighting, or the way things are framed. Sometimes photographers bring their own uncommon elements into the scene (crystal ball or red chair or other gimmicky intervention), which can make a common scene an uncommon one.