tylerwind

I thought this was a very unique arrangement of many assorted things

you would find on a dock/at a seafood company. I'm turning over a

new leaf and trying some shots in black and white--hope it works for

you in this shot. Any and all comments are GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks for taking the time to view my work!

To be honest, I'm with you in that I think the darker one is more appealing. I guess I was just thinking of what would please the more professional photographers on this site and I felt like someone would say it was underexposed. But, I think I'll stick with the darker version. Thanks for the input!

 

I like your attached version--what did you do to it? Sharpening? Contrast? I like how the lights are highlighted as well as the reflections on the water (which along with the clouds, are my favorite part of this shot). I love how the pier lights come out as bright "stars." Again though, I didn't know if that is how (according to the pros) artificial lights are "supposed" to look. I always get them to come out like that but see few other shots with that look so I was kind of thinking I did something "wrong" in making them appear that way. However, I guess since I like them it shouldn't matter if they are perfectly done or a rookie "mistake." Do you have any opinion on them?

Thank you, Lou Ann! I went back for the specific purpose of taking this shot straight on. My point in using the previous angle was to capture this unique cluster of posts, signs, and fishing items but also allow your eye to follow the walkway out to the pier. It was a valiant effort but I didn't think it was remarkably successful--my lens wasn't wide enough (you can't get but a few feet away on the dock) and it was trying to include too much. I thought the 45 degree vantage point may work well but it turns out I prefer the straight on version as well. If anyone is interested in seeing the old image I'll attach it to this link.

 

By the way, there will be much more "life on the docks" to come! I have always loved shrimp boats, fishing nets, crab pots, etc. so the last 3 days I've gone out every morning and spent a total of 11 hours shooting the docks/boats/etc. of 7 different seafood companies. I think I got many great shots--not sure everyone else who doesn't share my infatuation will like them as much but I've loved shooting them and look forward to getting feedback!

Lou Ann-As always, thanks for your comments. I also like this shot for a lot of the same reasons you named. My only question before I post this one for critique is do you think that the image is too dark? To be honest, I'm sure it is underexposed by some amount (I don't have a cable release yet so I can't use the bulb setting on my camera without having to hold it down, which obviously will shake the camera). I adjusted the image a bit--I'll attach it to this link. I'll also apologize ahead of time because I STILL have not found out how to resize pictures! Thanks for resizing and posting my other shots--I really appreciate it. Let me know if you think it looks better--I think the clouds suffer a bit with lightening.

Dave-I think you hit the nail on the head there. I'm not a photography expert but after you said what you did I looked at things again and realize that if the tree trunk were sharp, you would have a lot greater range of shutter speeds that would make a pleasing shot blurring the flowers. I would DEFINITELY go try this shot again. I think you'll come up big with a repeat attempt! As a matter of fact, I'll probably copy the idea sometime if you don't mind and I stumble upon the right scene. Thanks for sharing!

A wonderful shot! I love the colors, the texture, lighting, and shadows. Very, very nice! Last but not least, your composition is very original and extremely interesting--you couldn't have done it much better!

Just fabulous! I love the water and the fury that your capture shows! Exposure is perfect for just about everything. I also like the sky and placement of the sun. You did well...very well!

Dave--I love your idea and like your composition. I think I would prefer a shot with a little less blur. I understand the effect you were going for but for me (and that certainly doesn't make it right!) I would vote for a slightly faster shutter speed to be able to distinguish everything a little bit better. Exposure and composition are great and your idea is spectacular!

Great composition! I love lighthouses and this is a good capture of a very pretty one. The only thing I think would improve the shot is if there was better lighting in order to bring out some of the colors a bit. But, the haze and less vibrant colors give a stormy feel, which I also thinks works well for this shot. Very well done!

Ariel--I really like this shot. Maybe where you live it isn't as special, but to someone like me in the USA this is a very unique shot since I don't see bancas everyday! While kind of nasty looking, I really love the green tinted water. I disagree with the above comment about the composition--I actually prefer this shot centered but I'm sure there are other ways of composing it as well. Overall, a very interesting and well executed shot!

I love waterfall shots but this one is especially good! I love how there are several falls and you are also able to shoot from a spot to allow you to include so much of the surroundings. This is a unique opportunity and you capitalized on it well! It may be a tad bit dark/saturated for my liking but that is minor. Good job exposing/capturing the water in the falls. Great job!

I like it--great job exposing the picture so the snow is white and not gray. I like the contrast between the white snow and the bark on the trees, which came out very natural. Good job exposing a tough shot properly!

Vrindavan--This is one of the most original and interesting pictures I've seen. It also gives you a good "action" type feeling with the milk jet shooting. Your focus and exposure could be a little sharper and I'd prefer to see less shine (which I assume is probably from a flash).

 

In response to your comment, I am very happy mommy cow gives us milk. As to why we want to eat her meat, the first answer is because steak is GOOD! Furthermore, as a doctor I can tell you that under natural circumstances WE WILL DIE IF WE DO NOT EAT MEAT!!! We MUST have Vitamin B12, which is found ONLY IN MEAT. Now, I must say in today's times we can give you B12 supplementation and that is why vegetarians can survive today. BUT, God designed us to require meat for life, so I eat it. I love all animals and would never hurt one unnecessarily. However, if I don't eat meat I'll be unhealthy and may die. In order for me to eat meat the cow has to die so someone has to die! And, while I love the cow, if it's me or the cow, the cow's gonna die! :)

 

Neat idea with the picture!

Ian-This is a terrific composition (perfect to be honest) and I really like the picture. The only criticism I have is it looks a bit grainy or maybe out of focus. This may be because it's a low resolution file, if something was altered too much in processing, maybe it was hazy, or maybe you had a long exposure and the wind blew the vegetation a bit--I can't tell. Regardless, your composition is outstanding and I like the shot very much!

I love it! I'm a big fan of palms to start with, I really like the colors in the sky as well as the storm clouds, and lastly, being able to "see" the movement in the palm branches really gives this image a nice spin. The only thing I would wish for would be to have only the palms and not the other trees but as another person who likes to shoot palms, I realize how terribly difficult it is to find an isolated palm with an open view to the horizon. I'm just wishful thinking--this image is well done. Congratulations!

 

Lastly, one more shot. Please let me know what thoughts you guys have--I value them greatly!

 

Lastly, does some kind soul mind throwing my original in photoshop, adding some contrast, and showing me how you guys are envisioning this picture? Several of you said it needed more contrast and I've never done B&W shots before so I'm having a hard time knowing what the image is "supposed" (I know this is subjective...) to look like. Thanks!

Another shot...

Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate each of them. To answer questions, yes, this definitely required a tripod! Exposure time was 30 seconds (I think that was probably slightly under exposed but since I didn't have a cable release I couldn't use the bulb setting since my XT requires you to manually hold down the shutter button, which obviously would cause too much camera shake). I was using my 75-300 lens at 80mm, F/32, and ISO 100.

 

I will attach 3 more photos to this thread--there is one color shot of this same composition and then another slightly different composition with B&W and then color.

 

Lou Ann, I still haven't had a chance to play with my software to shrink these--probably will do that tomorrow. Do you think you could just save them to your desktop so you can view them without scrolling? Thanks! :)

VERY strong composition, great positioning of the falls, wonderful green colors on the moss/plants, nice job including the walking bridge above, and terrific job doing all that while at the same time creating a perfect blur of the waterfall. What else can I say?!?! You hit the nail on square on the head (HARD!!!) with this shot...a BIG congratulations! I'm green with envy over this shot!!!

Thanks for the reviews and suggestions. I actually have shot this picture from many different angles. You can see the sky on the right because to the left there is another row of pilings like this. I picked those shot because I actually like the symmetry of putting the vanishing point smack in the middle. I see the point about the sky, although if I shoot so as to not include it I lose the symmetry I was going for. I'll try to post a different vantage point later to see what people think--maybe I chose the wrong shot to post. I also have this in color, which gives you a bit more contrast and detail. Thanks again for the thoughtful reviews and suggestions!

Great shot! I love the plant and the color of the water. The rocks also add a little bit of a dramatic touch. I (very humbly) disagree with the previous reviewer--I think the plant is well positioned and may even advocate moving to the LEFT so that the plant is closer to the left side of the frame. I like the vast open feeling you get to the left--I think it goes well with the rocks and emphasizes that you are on a cliff overlooking the water. But, I will be honest and say that all 3 compositions would be worth a shot (plant where it is and also more left and more right). I believe each picture would be different and one may not necessarily be better than the others. The land on the right and the plants are very interesting so I can where showing them more prominently would be pleasing. However, when I looked at this shot my eye was first drawn to the blue water and the feeling of being on a cliff. To sum up, this is a nice shot and I think you could also have made other nice, different shots that may or may not be "better" depending on who you ask.

These boats are a great subject for photography. I like how the fog gives them a ghostly feel. This is especially well suited for the first 2 boats, which look pretty ghostly to start with! Well done!

Come on James, I'm trying to GET AWAY from work looking at photos and you take a picture of my workplace! :( I'm teasing...you did a good job of capturing the loneliness and isolation--well done. And, this is about as "pretty" of a picture as you can make of a hospital lobby. Good work!

I'm trying to branch out and develop my photography skill but taking

non-sunrise/sunset shots. This is one of my first attempts at being

more creative, black and white photography, and a long exposure so

please be gentle. :) With that said, I would appreciate any and all

feedback so I can improve. If you think it deserves a 3 or 4, please

let me know how to improve it! As always thanks for viewing my work

and all the help!

A commonly photographed subject BUT unlike many people, I don't think that takes away from the greatness of the picture! I like this one--interesting perspective, sharp focus, and good illumination! I feel like this one shows the height of the tower better than most. I hope you get many good reviews but don't be shocked if you don't from the people that think sunrise, Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Grand Canyon, etc. are all worn out objects and kind of group all shots of them together. This is a good capture of the tower--strong work!