pictures from Del K

I have put together the start of a gallery, and would appreciate feedback. Except for the following, these pictures are as taken:

For Remembrance is cropped and very lightly sharpened; this is with circ polarizer and +4+1 diopter set
Since Lindbergh Flew is with B300, has white point set in PSP7

The "Hard to Shoot" pics are hard , in my opinion, because:
In the Bath #1 has a ship in a bottle; glass is hard
In the Bath #2 is dominated by blues, so luminance is difficult to judge
Candles was shot in very low light, making the colors difficult to render
All of the "Hard to Shoot" were tungsten room light

See these at
http://www.fototime.co​m/inv/5B0CDA810ABCBB3

I would appreciate feedback.

Del K

Hi Del K,

My comments:

IN ONE BASKET:
The yellowish tint eats the colors a bit. Have you tried shooting in RAW? How the books are connected to the "all eggs in one basket"? It makes you think: if the top book is diary, and the book below it is about the person who wrote the diary, is this photo about that he/she is a careless one who does not have any safety nets in his/her life? Far fetched? Of course, but getting a story like this out of it tells that this photo has substance.

FOR REMEMBRANCE
Again, about something lost. Sad theme, nice photo.

SPRING AT STROM'S
Good. It's a bit colorless and undefined, so I might have got near that bridge and get more of the green grass, water and especially blue sky. This could be a nice place during a sunset.

SINCE LINDBERGH FLEW
Nice subject and a good title. In my view the composition points that the main subject is not the logs but the green on the top right.

TILLMAN SPRING 2001
Nice photo. I just wish it were absolutely straight, now the building is falling to the right.

IN THE BATH #1
This photo lacks a "meaning", although the objects are nice. The horizontal level should be more off to make it look like intended. The lighting is very sharp from top right which blows highlight of the wood globe. To make glass look really "glassy" does not mean you should make it totally transparent, glass should have some highlights and there should be something (lights, objects) behind it to show how it distorts light and bends it. I think the whole scene could be much more interesting if it had less light (deeper colors), some small spot highlights, and a composition which would have something behind the glass (get very close, and have the flower behind there?)

IN THE BATH #2
I like this a lot, the composition is well balanced. The lightness of exposure is good for the subject.

CANDLES
The front of the table disturbs a little, but there is something pleasing in this symmetric composition. Again, a small spotlight and longer exposure (noise reduction) could have improved colors. It seems that there is a lot of noise there (ISO 100, or 1s exposure?). I don't use anything between 1s-1/10 for indoor shots because the camera heats and produces such noise.

---

There is a slight off-color tint in most of the shots, so you might benefit from shooting in RAW and doing the white balance at home.

Keep it up. More please!!!!

Pekka,
thanks VERY much for your critique. You have confirmed some of mine, and offered opportunities for learning as well. In particular, I am learning that one key difference between a shapshot and a high quality photograph is control of lighting and using light to advantage. Some specific replies below:

Pekka wrote:
Hi Del K,

My comments:

[Snip]...[Unslip]
SPRING AT STROM'S
Good. It's a bit colorless and undefined, so I might have got near that bridge and get more of the green grass, water and especially blue sky. This could be a nice place during a sunset.
[Good light color at sunset would be from the left, possibly providing some good highlights and colors in the water and highlights. I have always had a problem of not getting in close enough.
Del]

SINCE LINDBERGH FLEW
Nice subject and a good title. In my view the composition points that the main subject is not the logs but the green on the top right.
[this is one of my wife's favorites. She has a very good eye for composition.
Del]

TILLMAN SPRING 2001
Nice photo. I just wish it were absolutely straight, now the building is falling to the right.
[I should have used a tripod for a subject with this geometry. Straight lines aligned almost with major axes of the picture do stand out when they are off just a little. The garden plantings change regularly, so I will be back with new colors; these particular ones will not show up for another year.
Del]

IN THE BATH #1
This photo lacks a "meaning", although the objects are nice. The horizontal level should be more off to make it look like intended. The lighting is very sharp from top right which blows highlight of the wood globe. To make glass look really "glassy" does not mean you should make it totally transparent, glass should have some highlights and there should be something (lights, objects) behind it to show how it distorts light and bends it. I think the whole scene could be much more interesting if it had less light (deeper colors), some small spot highlights, and a composition which would have something behind the glass (get very close, and have the flower behind there?)
[RIGHT, glass is transparent but it cannot be in a photograph! Need less light from the upper right (which is from a bathroom fixture), perhaps something soft to bring out the highlights.
Del]

CANDLES
The front of the table disturbs a little, but there is something pleasing in this symmetric composition. Again, a small spotlight and longer exposure (noise reduction) could have improved colors. It seems that there is a lot of noise there (ISO 100, or 1s exposure?). I don't use anything between 1s-1/10 for indoor shots because the camera heats and produces such noise.
[This was ISO100 at 1-1/2s. Appreciate your advise on noise and speed.
Del]

---

There is a slight off-color tint in most of the shots, so you might benefit from shooting in RAW and doing the white balance at home.
[I have been using ISO100 mostly and 1024x768 JPEG at fine compression due to space considerations. Partly because of the real constraint, partly to see how good I could do in what I call "vacation mode". With the new software from Canon, RAW mode is easier to deal with, and I just got a 32K CF. I had planned to do more in RAW, might go back to some of the same subjects. I just got a pocket-size 18%gray/95white target, will do more with custom WB as well.
Del]

Keep it up. More please!!!!

I have added a different view of the picture with bell tower, shot from a different angle. Head on buildings with straight lines require care! Angles to the side are easier composition. This one is in RAW, shot at full zoom, 1/400, f8, daylight WB, spot metered on the shaded face of the tower.

http://www.fototime.co​m/inv/5B0CDA810ABCBB3