China photos w/D70

[michaelborger]

Hi. I hope shameless plugs aren't too frowned on here, but I'm new

to photo.net. For that matter, I'm relatively new to photography and

could use some advice. I splurged on a D70 before I went off to

China backpacking solo for the whole month of April. I just put up

my photos on www.mikeseyes.com. Some are keepers while others

are 'regular joe' shots. Perhaps I'll add a 'Best of' gallery. I'm

going to weed out a bit of them and finish putting up the

descriptions. I'm also going to constantly improve the photos that

are there. I got some good recommendations from my local store in DC

yesterday.

 

I'm really posting this because I'd appreciate any feedback from my

fellow enthusiasts since I'd like to improve. I'm kind of teaching

myself right now, learning the ropes as I go along. I did put every

photo through PS, but I need to learn a lot more about color

management, lighting, etc. I've had lots of hits on the site but no

recommendations. I hope this comes across in my photos, but the best

thing about China is not the food, not the Great Wall or the pandas,

but the people. The kid photos are my favorites. Please enjoy!

 

www.mikeseyes.com<div></div>

[admiralblur]

I like them. Interesting subject matter - makes me want to go to China. The best critique I can give you is cut down the numbers. Pull out a small selection, or maybe just individual photos, and ask for a critique. I've never heard of any exhibit with 517 photos. ;)

[michaelborger]

Hi, thanks for the reply. Yes, I know I need to cut down :), but where to start? I'll probably knock off another 100 or so and then make a "Best of" gallery so people can just focus on those. I just have so many shots, especially of people, that I'd hate to cut. I was there for an entire month and came home with 1300! I guess I need to decide what I'm really doing it for and go from there. It's partially for my personal photography development, and partially for friends and family, which is why I have the photos with me up there also (but purposefully separate).

 

But thank you very much for saying they make you want to go to China. I take that is a very nice compliment. It really is a fantastic place.

[olivier_koning]

Clean shots, good composition. You have a good eye.

 

Recomendations? Look more for the not-so-obvious (easier said than done, I know...). Don't you love the D70?

 

 

Regards.

[michaelborger]

Thanks for the kind words. Hmmm, I thought I had a few not-so-obvious shots, especially with the people and kids, but I know what you mean. Of course, I was a tourist so I have some of the 'postcard' shots, too. I need to separate out my 'portfolio' shots from what I have up there for friends and family. But point taken and I'll work on that next time!

 

Yes, I LOVE the D70! It's my first SLR, digital or film. Like I said, I'm new to real photography (beyond P&S), so my learning curve is taking a major turn with my new toy.

[olivier_koning]

"Beyond-the-obvious" can also mean taking chances, that's the great advantage of digital. Shoot against the sun for instance (the spot meter is great for that), shoot moving subjects instinctively, don't worry too too much about blurriness or accuracy - accidental bluriness/under/overexposure can yeld wonderful results. So many times I've seen "so-so" pictures on my LCD screen that ended up being some of my favorites (thank you Photoshop). Once you have a grip on the fundamentals and a good eye, which you have, think outside the box. Nothing wrong with "postcard picures", by the way ;-)

[olivier_koning]

BTW, your kids shot above is a fine example of instinctive photography. it may not be "in-focus" but who cares, it's well-framed and it makes the viewer smile.

[bevan_donovan]

Hi Mike

 

You bought back some great memories. I've been lucky enough to visit China twice, the last time in 2002 for 5 weeks. As you'd know it's such a fantastic place.

 

I agree with Oilver that you've got a really good eye, especially for a newbie. I wish I'd had such a good eye when I started.

 

If I could offer a piece of advice, it would be to get yourself a 50mm prime in addition to your current kit. My reasoning for this is that a prime lens with its aperture range can teach you about depth of field and how you can give more impact to some of your shots. The "punch" of a large aperture (small aperture value) can take a sharp but possibly flat shot and really give it life. If I was starting over again, this is how I would start because it took me a while to really learn the art of selecting depth of field. And as you're shooting digital you can practise to your hearts content.

 

I also look at books (especially ones where the photographic info is given) as I like to know how they've arrived at that composition (from a technical point of view). I'd also reccomend the "Lonely Planet Travel photography" book by Richard L'Anson. I think this is the most down to earth, informative book I've come across. It's in plain language and doesn't leave more questions than it answers like a lot of photography books I've read. It also covers most situations you might come across.

 

I noticed you often had the same problem I found in China, that of the grey, flat smog skies. The first thing this taught me was to be more aware of the background. Sometimes situations can't be avoided but often they can be and you may just need to frame your shot more tightly (e.g. cut out the sky) or perhaps change your angle of the shot.

 

For me the biggest thing is not to be afraid to experiment, and make mistakes. It's by mistakes that you learn. Also, take a note of the exposures of your shots (easy with digital). I still do this today as if a shot works I want to know why, and if it doesn't work I like to see if I could have done anything different.

 

I hope this pointers help you a bit Mike, they're things that have helped me.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Cheers

Bevan

[jsbc]

Other kids from Chengdu<div></div>

[michaelborger]

Thank you to everyone for their input.