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New to photography, have been involved for 6 months at university and

enjoying every minute of it. Any opinions and tips would be greatly appreciated! I am only a registered user, so the number of photos i am able

to post are very limited... This is a photo i submitted as part of an

assignment last semester, 'at the wharf' in Perth, West Australia.

This is a good start. But with a little more attention, you could improve your work. Pay more attention to the background. What is that white thing in the top left corner? I suggest you clone it out. The white of the chain is too bright. considering another colour would be better. Hope you don't take my comments personally and wish you all the best. Warm regards.....(Ray)

I like the image in general - there is good detail in everything shown, some interesting lines and textures, and I like that we can get the impression of the whole by being shown only a small part, yet there is still some mystery as to what the whole might be. The line of the wood is countered by the line of the chain, which creates a pleasing balance. That said, I think that there are some things that you might consider here to see what you think.

One of the first things that pops in my mind when I look at this image is that the chain is so bright that it pulls my eye strongly away from the rest of the image, and leads me to the piece of paper (?) in the top left of the frame and on out, rather than keeping my eye in the frame. If the paper were removed, I think that the chain would work much better and balance the line of the wood rather nicely (as mentioned above). I think that more detail in the chain might serve this image well. As it is now, it is rather washed out in the highlights and in real life our eyes would see the detail if we looked at it first hand, so it is somewhat distracting. Generally speaking, I feel that unless you are doing strict documentary work it is fine to remove a distracting bit of something from what you are photographing - in this case I would have removed the paper mentioned above. The other trash, though, adds to the feel, and I think that it should remain.

Think about what you want to say to the viewer, or what you want to present to them. Consider what the message of this image is, or what drew you to this subject. The viewer will not always get the message - we all see differently, and we all have different life experiences from which we form our own way of seeing the world around us - but you should have a reason for making an image, else it will not have the same impact and will often fall flat, even to you, the photographer, when you look at it again later.

When you photograph, try to keep in mind what specifically you like about any given subject and try to emphasize that in your images. Think about what else is in the frame before you release the shutter and consider whether each one of these additional things adds or detracts from what you liked. Somethings can be cropped out by using a different point of view or a different lens, while others cannot. Try to look past the initially interesting aspects to what else is in the frame - you may be surprised to find things that you never noticed before.

Shooting like mad and never considering what you have created will not teach you anything (except perhaps how much batteries cost). Taking a lot of photographs while considering them each thoughtfully is the only way to really learn. And, lastly, always have fun!

- Randy