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Well I don't know if anyone will critique me but I was experimenting

with black and white and thought I would throw this one out there for

your thoughts.

Hello Jennifer,

as far as composition is concerned I like your photo, otherwise I would not comment on it. But I have some suggestions on the technical side. The reflections of the clouds and the waterplants are to likely in their grey tones, so they would seperat better with a slightly higher contrast. And the photo doesn't look sharp on my screen. Maybe just a question of post processing. Keep on. B&W is beautiful.

Stefan

Thanks you very much for your critique. I appreciate constructive criticism. I will try your suggestions. Right now all I have to edit photos is picassa. I am looking into elements or something with more options than picassa offers.

These are all excellent photos. If when you get a high-end camera then get a tripod. Can be like night and day.

P.S.

I tried make one suggestion. Lost the text and it was too tedious to rewrite. No matter.  Great photos. If when

Thank you Meir. I wish I had gotten a chance to read your lost comment. However I appreciate you taking the time to look and comment on my photos. 

Here is the lost comment in short form. This is the way I lighten dark areas selectively in order to bring out detail -i.e. raise from zones 0-1 to zones 2-4. Do this without changing the brightness of the other areas of the image.

I am assuming that the image on your monitor is about the same as on my moniter.

I'd prefer some/more detail in the dark area indicated in the attached image.  I seldom like to see the darks totally blacked out or the whites totally washed out.  

1. select lasso tool in Adobe and set feather to 0

2. lasso an area you feel is too dark -want it dark but see some detail

3. change feather (I use feather=50).

4. Select Enhance->Levels

5. Move the middle sliding bar left from 1.00 to no more than about 1.10.

6. deselect and save.

7. repeat 2 through 6 until you have achieved the brightening that  you desire.

8. My final step is to lasso one more time and touch up with slight dodging and burning it the selected area.

a. lasso an area with lasso set at 50 and you will see why you do the lasso with feather at 0

b. lasso at feather at 0 and leave at 0. Then using the histogram slide the middle bar to the left from 1.00 to a much larger number, say 1.70. Deselect. There will be a noticeable border where the lasso line occurred. Hence you brighten with feather reset from 0 to say 50 and brighten in small incremental step. The lasso border will not be in the exact same place each time you lasso.

c. You can use the same procedure to darken washed out areas.

d. hard to explain on paper.  See attachment.

This is how I would handle the image but of course it is your choice.

In my opinion the result is more pleasing than to lighten than with straight dodging.

I use this same procedure in B&W portraits to achieve natural facial skin tones which are sometimes hard to come by in B&W images.

Have a daughter named Jennifer, named after the actress Jennifer Jones -still living at that time.

I made the above comment because you indicate that you are just beginning and therefore thought it might be helpful. However judging from your work you sure do not look like a beginner.

I am using Adobe Photo Shop Elements version 2.0 from year 1997. Later versions have many tools that I do not have. Therefore, may be better methods than the ones I apply.

Meir,

Thank you so much! what a wonderful detailed comment. It is exactly what I am looking for. I am am very digitally and technically challenged. I have learned a lot on here about composition just from looking at the images of the many talented photographers on here. But most of my images are just instinct. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. A lot of times I feel like I could have a better image if I had  better equipment, such as a tripod and SLR. Or if I had little more knowledge of how to get the most out of my camera and post processing. I am also struggling with how to get good prints. I live in a very small town and can't find anyone who can process a picture that is not a standard size without messing it up. I am able to print some smaller color prints on my own but if I want a little bit larger print or a black and white I have difficulty getting those printed properly.  Compliments and direction from those with such vast experience really give me confidence to keep at it. I am so appreciative of all the time you took to explain this process to me. And knowing I have seen others praise your skills, it means that much more to me that you would take the time to help me.

Hi;

Actually your images are very good as is. You have an eye for composition and post processing. Seems to me that you have much more experience than you claim to have.

Yes you could improve the image quality (most of the time) with an SLR, appropriate lenses, and a tripod for shooting landscapes and formal portraits  (then you can count the branches in the background; the grass blades in the foreground and a person's eyelashes) . I have always been a Nikon user. Nikon sells inexpensive SLRs and Nikkor lenses. The quality of a photo is determined by the lens not the camera body. The very least expensive Nikon body will accommodate the very most expensive Nikkor lenses.

A 50mm Nikkor; 28mm Nikkor and 105mm Nikkor  suffice for about anything I did. Telephotos add a dimension but good and new get expensive. I never owned a zoom nor believe in them. Inexpensive zooms are "slow", and image imo not as sharp as a fixed focal length lens.

I assume you are using Adobe Photo Shop? (since everyone  does). I use Photo Shop "Elements" version 2.0 which was included (the CD) with my first PC purchase in 1997. With this Elements 2.0 I can do anything which I did in darkroom and that is enough for me and I'm too old to learn or want to learn new things. 

Don't understand your stated problem with printing.  If you have Photo Shop (or others I'm not familiar with) and a simple ink jet printer then you can print on your own, any size up to at least 8.5"x11" and no restriction on height to width ratio.

If you show use "ultra chrome K3" archival ink and archival baytra fiber or cotton fiber paper. (I use cotton; I never used baytra). In a frame behind glass maybe no one will know it is not archival but you'll know and won't feel "right".

Even in a small town folks would enjoy seeing your work. It's worth seeing.

Any prints which are not archival ink (if you can afford the printer) and archival paper are a waste of time. Later on you'll say, "why didn't I do that? Now I have to print them over again."

I use an Epson Stylus 3800 (not cheap) which takes paper width up to 17" and I use cotton fiber paper. About a year ago I switched from Moab Velvet to Hahnemuhle Fine Art Smooth.

I don't shoot anymore but I still print and as you see I still enjoy talking about photography :-). Hope I don't sound like a "know it all" cause I don't.

Again, I don't understand what is meant by "struggling with how to get good prints". It is simply having a printer with contrast and brightness matched to your monitor and how much you want to spend.

Bye

You wrote: "But most of my images....Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Well Diane Arbus once said; "I never have taken a picture I intended. They are always better or worse."

Meir,

Thank You for all the information and interest. As to "struggling with prints"

One, I do not have any local printers for prints larger than 8.5x11 except places like Wal-mart. And they tend to not be able to print images that have been cropped without messing them up. Also, basically I don't have a lot of knowledge about paper, printers, settings, ink, etc. Sadly I am extremely ignorant on such things. So, the information you mentioned is very helpful. I may not have the money for a new printer, but it gives me somewhere to start. That will make a huge difference.

"Even in a small town folks would enjoy seeing your work.It's worth seeing."

I am totally blown away that you think my images are worth showing at least around my area. I was really not expecting that. Thanks for saying so. It gives me the confidence to follow through with a few things I had been thinking about. Sorry to hear you are not shooting any more. However I am glad you are still enjoying your love of photography. Thank you very much for your suggestions and comments.

There is photo store on Yafo Street Jerusalem and they do very good "light jet" prints. I guess this is what Walmart is doing.

The options are (1) matte or glossy. (2) borders or without  borders (3) "full frame" or "fit". The correct options for a cropped image is (2) "borders" and (3) "fit". Anything else for a cropped image was usually a mess.

Not shooting but for several months I've been scanning negatives going back over 20 year; printing some; posting some.

The very first comments on your page said something like "you have a good eye." which is what I said.

To take a good photograph is putting one's head, one's eye and one's heart on the same axis (or something like that). Cartier Bresson.

A desktop Epson photo printer is not expensive. I however do not know of any small format printers that use archival ink (something that lasts a hundred years). You do with what you have.

Paper: Paper is made from wood pulp. Wood pulp is not acid free and it has "lignin". You do not want paper from wood pulp. You do not want acid in your paper. Eventually the paper will dry and turn yellow like old, old books. So there is buffered paper made from cotton fiber and also that Baytra that I mentioned which is made from cellulose. 

The same holds for the photo backing and cut mat. Museum board and mat are made of cotton fiber -not wood pulp. You can tell them apart. Look at the cut of the mat around the photo. If it is yellowish it is wood pulp. If it is bright white it is cotton.

Even if we don't know a lot about something, if we just know a little about something we can sound like we know what we are talking about. :-)

You can go to B&H photo video (NYC) and look at all of the fine art photo paper and compare prices.

In SOHO lower Manhattan, long ago, there was a little café with a small empty wall space and they were happy to let me to hang 2 or 3 photos and then change them now and then.

I have one photo net folder with galleries and shows. One of those images is a Miami gallery and the prints are 8x10. So you don't have to have gigantic photos to show.l

The very first comments on your page said something like "you have a good eye." which is what I said.

To take a good photograph is putting one's head, one's eye and one's heart on the same axis (or something like that). Cartier Bresson.

....What a beautiful comment. You are wonderful. Thank you for all your information and support. I will check out B&H and different papers and  some of the places that do prints around here to see if they have the "borders" option. 

A friend of mine once said very emphatically (referring to abilities, life situation and such, but I find it applies to much in life.)  " Go with what you got".  This is some of the best advice I have ever received.  :)

Yep.