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[fractionMan]

You've captured the guy perfectly, and I like the way you've got the grass in focus. I just think the photo should focus solely on him. If you were to cut out the foreground boule and remove the person chopped in half, it could be a good character study, with the out-of-focus game in the background to give a setting, just to indicate he's watching something.

...

See what I mean? There's no longer the distracting person cut in half, and there's a single point of focus. Note that there's a loss of picture quality because I've worked on your jpeg and saved it back as a jpeg. There's also an annoying something (a gap in the tree?) which looks like a blemish just above the man's head, and should probably be removed. I am hopeless at painting, so my efforts to correct it in MS Paint were laughable. It likely needs a blending tool.

Thanks for this

Removing the half person has definitely improved it. Removing the boule at the bottom does indeed stick the focus squarely on the person, which is great, but it also removes some of the, I'm not sure how to put it really - the interplay between elements. I was quite fond of the boule in the bottom left, as a sort of context+foreground element. There's still the boulers in the background but I can't decide if I prefer it with or without. For such a small element I think it's a very different photo either way.

 

[fractionMan]

All criticism welcome. I'm a beginner. Cropped from a bigger shot (too much crap in the background). Looks over exposed. Probably picked the wrong day (grey sky) and doesn't look particularly sharp. Suggestions?

Composition wise, I think the main thing is that the figures look squashed into the picture then cut off. My eyes keep falling off the bottom wanting to see where they're standing. Also I feel the background is a bit distracting. This could be down to the grey sky (which I've found really hard to not overexpose in these situations) or the overhead wires. Perhaps a shallower depth of field might help here.

If you do go back, you might find it's not just the type of day or light, but the time of day that makes a difference as the sun will cast more or less dramatic shadows at different times.

Take a few more from different angles, heights, sizes etc. You might find you can place the statue in such a way as it's seen in relationship to it's surroundings or that if you get close and low you can fit it all in and miss out the surrounding shops. I'd also experiment blurring the background out by standing further away, opening the aperture up fully and using a zoom.

 

[Citizen66]

Composition wise, I think the main thing is that the figures look squashed into the picture then cut off. My eyes keep falling off the bottom wanting to see where they're standing. Also I feel the background is a bit distracting. This could be down to the grey sky (which I've found really hard to not overexpose in these situations) or the overhead wires. Perhaps a shallower depth of field might help here.

If you do go back, you might find it's not just the type of day or light, but the time of day that makes a difference as the sun will cast more or less dramatic shadows at different times.

Take a few more from different angles, heights, sizes etc. You might find you can place the statue in such a way as it's seen in relationship to it's surroundings or that if you get close and low you can fit it all in and miss out the surrounding shops. I'd also experiment blurring the background out by standing further away, opening the aperture up fully and using a zoom.

Woo. Nice tips. cheers.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Yeah. And I won't ever be happy until I get the perfect shot with this, either. It's from my hometown/childhood. I like the artistically added red paint though. Need to get the perfect shot before that's removed by the council.

Have you tried it in the late evening or at night?

 

[Citizen66]

Have you tried it in the late evening or at night?

No, just that once. Will have a go at different times of day. The other thing is light. I take some truly terrible photos when the sun is blazing as parts come out well over exposed and the rest in shadows. And there was me thinking good light = perfect photos.

 

[Quartz]

Removing the boule at the bottom does indeed stick the focus squarely on the person, which is great, but it also removes some of the, I'm not sure how to put it really - the interplay between elements.

That's an interesting comment as I see no interplay in the photograph between the man and the boule. If the man had been looking at the boule, I would have left it in.

I was quite fond of the boule in the bottom left, as a sort of context+foreground element. There's still the boulers in the background but I can't decide if I prefer it with or without. For such a small element I think it's a very different photo either way.

I agree. The problem I have is that I wasn't there; you remember the whole scene. For me, the players in the background set the scene.

 

[fractionMan]

That's an interesting comment as I see no interplay in the photograph between the man and the boule. If the man had been looking at the boule, I would have left it in.

To me, he's looking at the people/person who threw the boule. Which leads me to imagine that person. But, as you say below...

I agree. The problem I have is that I wasn't there; you remember the whole scene. For me, the players in the background set the scene.

Which is a very good point. Perhaps it's just me who's using the boule to make the leap of filling in the missing player(s).

I've looked back now and I think you're right, the boule at the bottom is stealing the focus from the man and the pic without it is stronger. On reflection I'm not sure the inclusion of the boule is nescessary to add interest either - anyone looking at the photo is likely to wonder what the man is looking at, boule or no boule.

 

[Citizen66]

I didn't notice the boule at first. Only when quartz mentioned it.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Do I need a specific subject?

 

[Citizen66]

OK, I'm a beginner myself so hope I can still give a view.

The problem is with the composition. I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at.

 

[Citizen66]

OK, I'm a beginner myself so hope I can still give a view.

The problem is with the composition. I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at.

Well there's spiders webs, but they're either side of the shot rather than central to it, and the background presence is distracting. If you want a good spiders web shot, concentrate on that. Widen the aperture if you can't escape the background thus blurring it. Perhaps spray water on the web to get an interesting shot.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Yeah, but I don't like this:

But don't know why I don't like it?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Widen the aperture?

May as well tell me to go to defcon9. What does that mean and how do I do it?

 

[Zimri]

First post in this thread, i've just linked to the image, wasn't sure if adding it as an attachment or anything was the way to go.

Anyways, this is the .jpg version from a much bigger raw image, it's been slightly edited in CS5, but yeah, not sure if it'll resize in my post ok, so url for .jpg is http://www.ranger-danger.co.uk/photography/chain-wip2colour.jpg

 

[extra dry]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/318701_3408196492195_2147317619_n.jpg

not mine of course but a place I visited 100's times growing up, even took a school trip to the farn islands around there..

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/318705_165002866967816_1977106274_n.jpg

 

[Termite Man]

A whole album of photos for the critics

http://s1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii576/TermiteMan/Barbican/

and this is my current favourite from the album

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Do I need a specific subject?

If the subject is the webs, it's overwhelmed by the background. This shot would benefit from the photographer walking around the bush or whatever it is, to find the best angle, preferably one where the bush is highlighted against something neutral, like the sky, or water etc. This might require you shooting from below the subject, or higher up, etc.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Yeah, but I don't like this:

But don't know why I don't like it?

This highlights the web a bit better, but still the background is too evident. Same suggestion as with the other one.

 

[paimei01]

Winter
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paimei01/8336432231/in/photostream/lightbox/

 

[mauvais]

Sepia doesn't do you any favours IMO. It's not a bad composition but I struggle to think about anything in it when its colour temperature jars so much with the actual temperature of the scene.

Edit:

I made it greyscale and I felt it needed more contrast. I quite like it as an abstract shot. There are some nice textures. The lines in the left foreground detract from the image as they're in a different direction to the general flow and interfere with the shadow of the leaves.

If you'd taken a few steps left and turned, lining up the broken snow on the left with the hole in the ice, with the sporadic holes for punctuation, you might have got a more concentrated composition.

 

[teuchter]

Agree with mauvais

 

[jeff_leigh]

Sepia doesn't do you any favours IMO. It's not a bad composition but I struggle to think about anything in it when its colour temperature jars so much with the actual temperature of the scene.

Agreed I would've gone for a cooler filter

 

[paimei01]

Thanks. It was sunny and I thought to show it with some sunset light, even if it was not evening. Yes I could have frame it better.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Thanks. It was sunny and I thought to show it with some sunset light, even if it was not evening. Yes I could have frame it better.

I like it. It's well-composed, and imo, the sepia adds an unexpected but pleasant element.

 

[Miss Caphat]

I like it. It's well-composed, and imo, the sepia adds an unexpected but pleasant element.

I agree...I like it a lot, I think the composition is really appealing. It would be nice to see it in its true colors, just for comparison though.

 

[teahead]

Has my son got what it takes?

http://instagram.com/joshclayton93/

e2a he's just using a phone camera atm, so the colours are a bit meh by comparison with what they might be. And trying to figure a way to fund his continuing travels.

 

[Redeyes]

Just bought myself a Fuji X10 refurb, wanted a decent camera for a while as I like taking photos but wanted to step it up a bit from taking them on my phone. I had no clue as regards taking pics in manual mode and all that jazz about f stops etc so bought Bryan Peterson's book UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE and think I'm getting my head around it. Took this at the weekend on top of Pendle hill, the kids were playing around climbing on the OS thing you find on top of such hills and I wanted to shoot right into the sun to get them in shadow...

 

[Quartz]

Just bought myself a Fuji X10 refurb, wanted a decent camera for a while as I like taking photos but wanted to step it up a bit from taking them on my phone. I had no clue as regards taking pics in manual mode and all that jazz about f stops etc so bought Bryan Peterson's book UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE and think I'm getting my head around it. Took this at the weekend on top of Pendle hill, the kids were playing around climbing on the OS thing you find on top of such hills and I wanted to shoot right into the sun to get them in shadow...

The photo is nicely split into thirds, but the ground is really too dark. The contrails detract from the picture - really they should be in the top third but there's little you can do about them. I wonder if you should try getting the sun out of camera-shot - either zoom in or tilt the camera down? And I don't mean cropping it out. The sun is such a powerful source that it can overpower everything else.

 

[drewg]

Shot this some years ago with an Olympus Trip 35. It's tottenham high street during a reclaim the street party.
Dug it out because it was a hot summer day and I'm feeling cold

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Shot this some years ago with an Olympus Trip 35. It's tottenham high street during a reclaim the street party.
Dug it out because it was a hot summer day and I'm feeling cold

It's a good photo: the man and dog are good. It's a bit cramped in that the dog's nose is right up against the side of the frame, and the man's feet are cut off. The background action is intriguing; it might have been interesting to see the shot taken a moment earlier, when the person with the blue tank top wasn't so close to the woman on the ladder. As it is, it looks like the runner's head is about to go up the butt of the ladder person. Things like that are one of the dangers when figures are overlapped in a photo.