Please comment / advise

Hi; let me know what you think, I know the second one could be better if straight!

Starting to understand the camera and it's abilities more and more. These were taken with the 1000D.

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Exposures look good but the cropping/composition needs work. The first one has no context. I don't know what it is or what the main subject might be. Quite a jumble of lines.

The second is better but the cropping at the bottom has left everything legless. Again, too many intersecting lines for my tastes.

Thanks for the comments; the first one is a roof of a local shopping centre; I just liked it.

I am glad the exposure looks good; I need to think more about the composition or amend them after.

I understand why you like that roof. However, you need to figure out a way to compose that roof so it looks exciting to someone else. The way your pic looks now it seems like you just pointed at the roof and fired away. i think the key is to either really simplify the image and have the roof only, or go the other way and get more into the scene and have the roof as an interesting element.

Your exposure is nice. It's tricky lighting and you pulled it off.

I don't find anything interesting about the first image. With the second photo, you have to keep something in you mind that all photographers should ... the background. Even with all the people around, if you had repositioned yourself, so that the sky/ceiling, didnt conflict with the arts head, it would be a better image, IMO. With the open sky/ceiling directly above and behind, the top of the art kind of gets lost in it. When you take an image, ALWAYS think .. what is behind it? Can you move and elimnated the distraction? Sometimes you can't. But at least let that be on your mind.

Thanks for the comments; glad the exposure was good.

I take your point about the roof; I like it but often it's a personal thing I guess.

With the second shot it is very hard to not get a busy background due to the location; I should have take one of another reindeer; I may do that next week as I work there and post it.

This might be a situation where its better to just point the camera directly overhead to photograph the roof grid pattern and its supports...purely geometric shapes/patterns without the distraction of people, escalators, KFC signs, etc. (not to mention the wide angle distortion of the surrounding structures in the first image). What is a reindeer sculpture in the second image tends to "get lost" with the background clutter as well.

Before snapping away, alter your position while looking through the viewfinder to locate the best position that will help you to get what you're looking for; be mindful of distractions, clutter, and other non-essentials that will draw attention away from what it is you're trying to express.