Newbie looking for Critique!

Hello! Newbie here... have loved photography as long as I can remember, but have just recently decided to get a little more serious and really learn all I can. Learning a lot here, and finally got up the courage to share some shots. Would love some input on any of them!

IMAGE LINK: http://s31.photobucket​.com …feet_zps502c555​d.jpg.html

IMAGE LINK: http://s31.photobucket​.com …0431_zpsb02b3ee​e.jpg.html

IMAGE LINK: http://s31.photobucket​.com …ola1_zpsf5788b2​6.jpg.html

IMAGE LINK: http://s31.photobucket​.com …pes1_zpse152f08​b.jpg.html

hello newbie ...welcome.

Pleaseee don't let what I'm going to say discourage you.


The first one is more of a personal photo. It may mean a lot to you..but I don't know who is in the photo so it does nothing for me.
The second one is another snap shot....of what..I have no idea. Most of it is covered by rays and I have no idea what it is..or what your trying to portray in the shot ...again...I don't know the subject area so the photo says nothing to me.
3rd shot...a family photo snap shot. Cute...add it to your family photo album. Somethings could be cloned out as in the trash on the ground...but I wouldn't worry about it so much for a family album.

The 4th shot...you got a bit of an artistic view going on. however the bright round dots get my attention first.
The green grapes blend to much with the green background. The stick that is in front of the bunch at the top..is in the way...and the stick that is behind the gapes but lined up with them, it makes my eyes focus on that as well.

the grapes would be a hard setting to work around..but I'm sure you could work something out and get a better capture of them. Just have fun with it...and take lots and lots of images with different settings...and angles..and holding things out of the way. you'll find something to jump out at ya and says.."wow this is a good image".

#1 Is nice and colourful. But as an "artistic" shot - if you were after that - it has several weak points. The strap of the top shoe is worn and dirty at the end (can be corrected in PP) and there is too much dark shadow in the bottom right hand corner.

#2 Glare can be a nice element in a photo but here you got too much of it. Apart from that: the scene is too much cluttered with distracting signs.

#3 Nice shot of the kid - bit cluttered background that cold have been blurred more by using a wider aperture. The angle is still fairly high although I think you stooped a bit to get at the kids level.

#4 is nice but agree with the previous poster that the composition could be improved by removing the stick in the top right-hand corner and shooting the grapes at an angle where they run from somewhere upper left to somewhere lower right. Bokeh and light is nice!

You got an eye for things, keep shooting and practicing.

Thank you. I have mostly just been shooting my family (and backyard!), and working on technical skills, so subject matter is mostly my kids! haha. We're doing a camping trip this weekend to our favorite spot in the mountains... so I'm hopeful to get some solo time to see what I can find. I'll share the results when we get back!

picturepages wrote in post #16180551
hello newbie ...welcome.

Pleaseee don't let what I'm going to say discourage you.


The first one is more of a personal photo. It may mean a lot to you..but I don't know who is in the photo so it does nothing for me.
The second one is another snap shot....of what..I have no idea. Most of it is covered by rays and I have no idea what it is..or what your trying to portray in the shot ...again...I don't know the subject area so the photo says nothing to me.
3rd shot...a family photo snap shot. Cute...add it to your family photo album. Somethings could be cloned out as in the trash on the ground...but I wouldn't worry about it so much for a family album.

The 4th shot...you got a bit of an artistic view going on. however the bright round dots get my attention first.
The green grapes blend to much with the green background. The stick that is in front of the bunch at the top..is in the way...and the stick that is behind the gapes but lined up with them, it makes my eyes focus on that as well.

the grapes would be a hard setting to work around..but I'm sure you could work something out and get a better capture of them. Just have fun with it...and take lots and lots of images with different settings...and angles..and holding things out of the way. you'll find something to jump out at ya and says.."wow this is a good image".

I wasn't sure about posting #1 because it is a more personal shot that may only be understood if someone is a baby wearer. But, I liked the perspective. I was worried about the bottom right corner.

I liked the feeling of #2, which is why I posted it. I may need to learn to be more objective instead of allowing a picture to give me the same feelings I had while shooting (if that makes sense!).

I was also worried about the stake in the background of #4. I'll keep working at it! Thank you so much for the tips!

vk2gwk wrote in post #16180963
#1 Is nice and colourful. But as an "artistic" shot - if you were after that - it has several weak points. The strap of the top shoe is worn and dirty at the end (can be corrected in PP) and there is too much dark shadow in the bottom right hand corner.

#2 Glare can be a nice element in a photo but here you got too much of it. Apart from that: the scene is too much cluttered with distracting signs.

#3 Nice shot of the kid - bit cluttered background that cold have been blurred more by using a wider aperture. The angle is still fairly high although I think you stooped a bit to get at the kids level.

#4 is nice but agree with the previous poster that the composition could be improved by removing the stick in the top right-hand corner and shooting the grapes at an angle where they run from somewhere upper left to somewhere lower right. Bokeh and light is nice!

You got an eye for things, keep shooting and practicing.

VELKOM!

I'll be short :] As per pics you've shared, it's obvious you're still exploring your own likes and dislikes. Thus - keep it up! You did well.

As for a critique - I see there willingness to overdo colours in post processing [3rd img] and just let emotions or whatnot make a judgement - don't do that :] don't try to "save" the image - it just means it's not good enough in the first place. we all do that :] it's a constant learning curve :] cheers.

Thank you!

This is the original of #3. I'm new to that bit, too... just felt it needed "amped up" a bit. All in learning!

IMAGE LINK: http://s31.photobucket​.com …0187_zps4d72541​a.jpg.html

osh_sekta wrote in post #16183272
VELKOM!

I'll be short :] As per pics you've shared, it's obvious you're still exploring your own likes and dislikes. Thus - keep it up! You did well.

As for a critique - I see there willingness to overdo colours in post processing [3rd img] and just let emotions or whatnot make a judgement - don't do that :] don't try to "save" the image - it just means it's not good enough in the first place. we all do that :] it's a constant learning curve :] cheers.

I agree with the others - but hey, its your first shots posted and you've asked how you done.

I think you done pretty ok !! in fact, I think you probably just need to think of some interesting subjects to get "good photographs" - nothing wrong with what you've posted, they're nice and as others said, they mean more to you than they would the general public.

The grapes shot is great. Your focussing in all of the shots is fine.

When you photograph something smaller than yourself. Get down to its height - or lower.
i.e. with the little girl (I presume your daughter), get down to her height and shoot photographs. They will look 100% more interesting. In fact, most things do, because its a view we're not used to, so its something <different>. Keep on shooting, will be good to see more of your work and progress over time.

Another thing to learn is turn on "image editing ok" and others will show you some different takes on your photos.