nick_fuegi

Looks like you've rotated a shot of it taking off.

 

Need something else in there o avoid this feeling. Wider lens? Clouds? Another aircraft (that'll show that at least one of them isn't in normal flight).

 

Call me cynical!

Is this the 100mm f2.8 Macro USM, Non-USM macro, or the MPE-65? Any extension? Which flash? Inside or outside? Nice comp, maybe could be cropped slightly (left and top) to provide a fuller frame.

 

Nice shot.

Nice image. I'm just waiting for some dumbass to ask if the mantid nymphs hatched from that egg! I get the feeling that's what you're hoping for too. :)

 

Could have been improved with a more unusual egg. I also feel that the framing could be improved - lower angle and shot to include the base of the egg. Very original though.

 

Nick

Sorry Ian!

 

I must have got out of bed the wrong side that day and got annoyed by the phrase "digital heads"! :)

 

I have looked through your folder even more now and there are several very special photos. I particularly like the "haybale sunset". I appreciate how difficult that shot was to get and I like the effect the long exposure has had on the sky.

This is indeed a superb shot and I also would like to see the larger file. Nice work by the person that made the previous comments too.

 

This could be close to a 7/7 with a large file and some post processing. Let me know if you post it.

 

Nick

Very nice shot but I think it could be improved. I agree with the previous comment about the foreground. Cropping this as much as possible and thereby getting to a more traditional 3rds composition seems to add impact. I've attached an example. The half and half composition is really best avoided. For me this would be a 5/6 cropped.

Your lens is suffering slightly from distortion all around the frame. Look at the nearest part of the structure it is not straight on any side, but curved. Was it a zoom lens?

 

For a black and white photograph, a bit more contrast might be nice, this is too grey. Try to challenge yourself with a more unpredictable composition. Did you take any shots of this from other angles?

 

The average rating you give out is very low. I hope you leave comments for all those low ratings.

Theres a very obvious cut and paste job here and the subject is very tatty.

Superb. Could be brighter and more saturated but considering the difficulty I'd be delighted with this as it is. Nice work. If only we had a multiflash set-up for nicer backgrounds!

This looks like a real effort has been made to use the fence and grass as foreground. I think they only distract as they can't really fit in the frame. I would have aimed the camera up a bit and only used the reflection of the walls as foreground and had a bit more of the lovely background. Still nice though and I'm cheating by using hindsite.

I like this photo immensely as it is, but I agree in part with a comment above that there is too much black. I feel this excellent image could be further improved. How about a portrait format crop for a 6/7 photo? I've attached an example of what I mean. As it stands I'd say it was a 5/7. Still superb work.

 

The crop also makes it perfect for a magazine!

 

Nick

People are discussing the yellow appearance. In the filters list, you say an 81b was used. That'll be why it's yellow. I personally think the 81b was a mistake.

 

Still a nice shot though. There are several of your shots that look like they have been saturated in PS. I have used Velvia, polarizers etc etc, but you just don't see colours like this or those shown in rhododendron fiesta ever. I think you are playing down your PS skills.;)

 

For some reason, some people seem to think that if one shoots on film, one's images can't be photoshopped!

 

As we can all see, the PS'd version of this shot posted by someone (above) is clearly better.

 

Some people also seem to think that ALL digital images are photoshopped! - Why???! The only thing other than a solid long-term crack addiction, that might twist their tiny, closed minds to believe this, is digital envy. And they are right to be envious. I never see an image captured on film that couldn't have been better captured, or subsequently improved by digital technology - this shot is a prime example.

 

I'm not knocking the shot, which is excellent for a film capture. BUT - reeling off 50-100 shots in RAW on a 1Ds, anyone might have done better by accident. With talent like yours, you would definitely have got "the perfect shot" in 10. If you had been shooting on digital, you would have noticed the colour balance issue and re-shot. That way you could have still posted an unmanipulated shot, but with the correct colour balance. If people like it better yellow, they can change it! It is a fact that digital makes FAR more UNMANIPULATED shots possible. It also makes perfecting imperfections far easier.

 

I must admit that digital photography and the FACT that a monkey can reel off 50-100 shots on a 1Ds and come up with the goods, has destroyed the mystique and degraded respect for photography and photographers. However, it's all about ending up with a great image and all you film geeks are living in the past. Think about it, there simply is nothing to debate.

 

I mention the 1Ds and no doubt some will point out that no-one can afford one/justify the spend. You don't need a 1Ds, it was just for an example. Almost any prosumer Digital SLR system will set you back less than a decent medium format system. If you must have medium format, get a digital back!

 

Right, you can all rush out and buy your digicams now. You'll be better for it. In a few years, you'll all look back and be embarrassed by how long it took you to embrace the myriad of digital benefits. :)

 

I think some "film heads" (sarcasm directed at the person who said "digital heads" in their comment above) must have bought a medium format system or an expensive film 35mm etc just before digital took off/before they realized the benefits of digital. They now can't sell their kit without losing a lot of money and are so annoyed about it that they pretend that it's because digital is rubbish. They refuse to admit their mistake and compound their loss as their film gear quickly depreciates.

 

Snap out of it and look to the future.

 

I am gazing in into my crystal ball... the mists part... I see into the future... a small band of people with long beards, all holding empty (originally expensive, but now worthless) film cameras and looking angry. All around them throng crowds of happy people with small, cheap, light, 12MP digicams relentlessly mocking those poor "film heads" and taking photos of their downcast faces due to their lack of film. The mists swirl and close and we're back to the present. Oh dear, I can already hear the sound of angry "film heads" and plenty of mockery from those happy people.

 

Nick

 

I like this shot a lot. The snow really shows off the rock formations. The warm colour of the middleground is a nice complement to the barren greys of the background. I think the foreground is the only let-down. Something large and interesting from the bottom right corner to the lower middle, would have made this even better. Maybe a log/tree/animal/camp/something to add interest in the foreground. Still nice. I understand that there may not have been anything there. I find it very frustrating when that happens!:)

 

Nick

Great shot with the lens and you did well to hide behind the blinds to get close enough for this shot. I assume it's already cropped some. You could use an extension tube for a little more magnification at this range. Shame the subject couldn't have faced to the left and the sun wasn't a little more behind you. It's nice enough that it kept still for a moment! I know how difficult it can be to take this kind of shot with "normal" equipment. Good work.

 

Nick

I like the subject and the composition to an extent.

 

It's not an original composition but obeys the rules regarding subject pacement. Again water lillies can never be called original without a special comp. Some of the plants/leaves (top left and bottom left* are a bit distracting.

 

Would have rated a higher for aesthetics, but this shot is slightly underexposed. This may have been emphasised by contrast adjustment? I prefer the cropped version of this shot in your folder

 

Nick

 

 

I like the subject a lot.

 

It would have been nice to see the horizon level, couldn't you rotate it slightly using software? The half and half and symetrical (attempted) composition isn't original. Try a more challenging composition, this subject deserves it. Maybe on a day or at a time of day which gave more even lighting, this shot could have been better, the blue sky is a little uninteresting. A day with a few clouds and a polariser to enphasise the blue might help. The reflection would probably have been better without the rowboat. Water this calm is a rare perfect reflection opportunity with a subject like this. Did you get a shot before the rowboat too? It would be nice to see. Maybe a portrait format with some forground, the water in the middle and the castle as the backdrop, would make a classic rule of thirds compostion and may improve the overall effect. If you are able to have another go, you have a potential 7/7 here on the right day with the right comp.

Jur,

 

Thanks for adding that information. I hope Csab reads your comments and realises who's the ignorant one around here.;) I just checked and you're right, I did mark it 5 for originality not 6 as I thought. Sorry about that, I've amended it now. I later realised that you had the white balance set deliberately hence me putting "wrong" in inverted commas in my last comment. "Wrong" meaning not what one normally would. I admire your intention with regard to post-processing however, I feel this image would have been improved had it been shot with the correct white-balance with yellow paper for a much more realistic effect. The way it has been shot, the whole picture has a strong yellow colour-cast nothing like that found in the desert. With the sand coloured paper, you'd still not need any post processing and the poor snails would show their true colours for their very real desert crossing efforts. Make any sense?

Tip of pupa badly blurred, subjects lack contrast against similar colour background. Snail's left eye out of focus. Nice idea, technique needs work. As you're on digital try rolling off a few more shots with different composition and background it won't take long to improve the final result.

Very good spot. A fantastic form. Shame you didn't have some sort of reflector to lessen the shadow on the left. Dodgeing'll probably do it.

I nearly forgot to mention the composition. Excellent! Again considering the handheld 1250mm situation it's miraculous. How much did you crop off? Having the kingfisher facing the camera would be asking just too much. Soon photoshop'll do it, no problem. ;)

That's one hell of a shot. Kingfisher WITH fish AND on icy branch, HANDHELD at 1250mm f10!!! Miraculous. Why is it that when I try that sort of thing, the shot is always very shakey? I think I'm gonna have to lay off the moonshine. Excellent work. Lots of nice shots in your folder.

I just hope that poor guy's wife doesn't spend much time on photo.net!!! She'll chop his balls off! And he thought he was in the RIGHT place and the RIGHT time! Great shot. Hey maybe that IS his wife and that's why he's so surprised.:)

Csab,

 

How do you know I'm ignorant? Particularly, if YOU don't know what camera was used either!;| I am informed enough to know that this was PROBABLY either shot on digital under tungsten with the 'wrong' white balance, or shot on the 'wrong' (non-tungsten) film. I did say "this looks like..." not "this IS...".

 

Cameras without white balance buttons? - maybe you just haven't found the button yet.:) If reading's a problem for you, you'll probably find that there's a diagram in your camera manual showing where white balance button's located. D1p5h1t.

 

I did say it's a nice idea AND rated it a 6 for originality. If you're allowed an opinion, maybe I am too?

I can't see the qualities in this myself. It looks like five poor snails drying out on a piece of paper under tungsten lighting and the camera hasn't even been set to the correct white balance to make their suffering worthwhile. It's also underexposed. My eyes must be getting old? But, who am I to argue with the masses? Who indeed.

 

Oh I almost forgot. Nice idea though.

This is a lovely shot and definitely aesthetically excellent. But, I don't think silhouettes of the moon (or anything to do with the moon) are very original at all, particularly if they're photoshopped. Here's an interstellar shot I just knocked up on photoshop which does have an original theme. If anyone else wants to play with the moon or almost any other interstellar object go to http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/ for plenty of good starting images. There are also plenty of cats and trees around on the web (or in real life) if you look hard enough.;)