tylerwind

Well, as one of the people that takes those boring, worn out, over produced, easy to shoot sunsets pretty often, I must say I like this one! :) There are great colors and the silhouette of the Jefferson Memorial makes it interesting (I admit though that I'm required to say that as a 2x graduate of Jefferson's University of Virginia). Did you consider trying to make the memorial more prominent? I'm from VA so I know what it is and what is looks like but it's sort of small in the composition. I think this still works, but zooming in on it more may be an alternative, pleasing composition. Lastly, I sympathize with you because you are from Northern VA, but as a country boy I must say that you are missing the best parts of our state walking around the doggone CITY!!!! :) I'm teasing--I'm from Tappahannock, a beautiful rural area and went to school in Charlottesville so I'm biased but there are great shots all over Virginia. I can't wait to finish residency down here and get back up there! Good work on this shot and thanks for always being so amusing in your introductions/critiques of yourself--on the computer screen you are one of the funnest people I know!

Sylvie-I'm no expert on photography, much less snow shots. Plus, I don't even know how to white balance my camera but I must say that as an objective person looking at this shot I think it would benefit from some white balancing. Your snow looks a bit gray, which is to be expected if you don't let the camera know that 90% of your picture is (literally) snow white. As I said, I'm no expert on things like this but it's just a suggestion from an objective person. I think this composition is interesting and pleasing how it is, but if you could whiten the ice/snow a bit, I think it would be more striking.

Peter--I like this shot a lot--good job! My only subjective suggestion would be to consider trying the shot with less sky and more water. The reason I say that is your reflection is wonderful and I would like to see it more prominent in the picture to attract your attention AND the sky, while a pretty blue, does not have clouds or other colors to make it interesting. I would also consider cropping in (or in the future, composing differently) to capture just boats and reflections, especially if you don't have puffy white clouds or a sunrise/set. I think that would make a great picture. That is not a suggestion "instead" of this shot, rather another composition that I think may be pleasing. Overall, this is a very pleasing shot--you can't go wrong with boats and reflections!!

I like this shot--very, very peaceful with great color. The one thing I may suggest is to compose with a bit more of that tree limb in the picture. I admit I'm not pro at this and have tried to do it may times with varied results but just looking at things objectively I would think a tad bit more limb may benefit the shot. Overall though, I like this shot how it is and think you did an excellent job--congratulations!

Lou Ann-This probably sounds VERY rookie-ish, but the only thing I've used is the zoombrowser program (that comes with Canon cameras). It is the viewing program that opens automatically after you load pictures from the camera. It does cropping and has brightness/contrast/saturation which is everything I've even played around with using. I know I do have another, more advanced editing program but I'll have to find out exactly what it is. It's not photoshop, but I opened it up the other day and it has a substantial number of tools that I was playing with. I'll let you know what programs I have later when I get home to my computer--to be honest, I can probably figure it out if I play with it for a while. Since I'm just starting out so am not "used" to anything, do you have a recommendation of a program I should use until I get a photoshop? Thanks!

Lou Ann--That is not at all "asking a lot"--after all, you are trying to help me! But, on the other hand, it kind of is asking a lot because I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know HOW to resize them! (So, you know I'm not lying about not manipulating any of my pictures!) All I did to these pictures was open them in zoombrowser and hit save and save them as low to medium resolution JPEGS. How do I shrink the pixel size? I'm sorry I'm so ignorant--I really know computers pretty well but have just never really done anything with digital pictures. If you can point me in the right direction, I would love to resize things so ya'll can lend your expertise to me. Thanks and sorry for being so difficult! I appreciate your efforts to help me--I hate scrolling to look at the pictures too--I usually just save them to my desktop and open them from there where they come up smaller for some reason. Any help is appreciated!

One more shot...

Here is one of the shots that I cropped where the boat was higher in the composition.

Ken-I REALLY appreciate your comments! I understand what you are saying and realize your idea is probably the best. The ironic thing is that I intentionally shot it with the boat there because I wanted a distant object to be out of focus. I kind of stole the idea from a shot I saw of a pile of fishing nets on a dock with shrimp boats in the background. I was hoping to imitate something similar but saw when I got home that it wasn't the proper lay out for it. I have a few more shots that I'll add on--will you look at them and give any feedback that you have? I would really appreciate it! I feel like I can take decent sunset shots but I'm getting tired of only being able to shoot a few minutes out of the day. So, I'm trying to learn some tricks and develop a better eye for what works when you don't have an obviously colorful sky. The shot attached to this is the same one in color. Next I'll attach a couple of shots that I cropped--the boat was also in them but was much higher so if I made a square composition it was almost cropped out. I'd be interested in knowing your thoughts. Once again, thank you VERY much for taking the time to help me!

I'm not sure if you want more input from me or not but I'll give my 2 cents for everyone else from my perspective if you want it. First of all, I don't know how much you have used this site but 3/3 and 6/6 on the same pic are not unusually. As a matter of fact, on my best shots (many of which are beach/ocean/etc.---similar subject matter to this) there is a 2 peak distribution. There are the 3/3's (some 4/4s) who just don't like beach scenes or think that I'm unoriginal because I didn't take a picture of the toe nail on my little toe instead. I know several people feel that some of my pictures are really good but they just don't rate them high because they have seen others like it (ie-beach scenes are common, even though I believe that even the same scene on different days is unique). Then there are people who give my shots 6/6 or 7/7 because they appreciate a great shot, even if someone has shot it before. On this site you have a mix of people--some like reality, some like a fairytale land created by photoshop. Some like abstract, some like landscape. Some appreciate intrinsic beauty of a beach, while others have to have a picture of something that has never been photographed before to think it's great. The point is there are so many different ideas and opinions that you will ALWAYS get a range of scores. And, often I find there will be several low ones and several high ones on a good photo. Plus, some people put little thought into their ratings or take out their frustration on your photo. With this photo, I think your creativeness in tilting may cause some to turn their nose up with others appreciate the thought that went into the shot. I have never seen a picture here get all high scores OR all low scores--there is always a mix.

 

I share your frustration with little feedback, which is why I've tried to do my best even though I'm a beginner to provide feedback to others. It is frustrating to put up a shot you and have it get 4 ratings of 3&3 and no comments. Keep posting and keep shooting--my philosophy is that over time I'll accumulate enough reviews to actually make me better. You can't tell anything from 5 or even 10 ratings anyway---if the wrong 3 or 4 people come along your average goes down the drain but hopefully overall it will give you good feedback and helpful comments. Lastly, remember, I'm convinced that for EVERY photo in the world, someone thinks it is great and someone thinks it is bad (and this site proves that fact) so in the end, please yourself! Let me know if I can be of any assistance to you in any way!

Krzysiek-Once I get past the utter grossness of that woman, I can see that this is a rather nice, and more importantly humorous capture! What a unique shot! There is more character in this shot than all the other ones posted today combined. Congratulations and thanks for ruining my appetite. :)

Pino-I like this shot showing more of the blue boat (and other boat) in the foreground over the one you previously posted. Again, the rays are spectacular! Did you consider letting that boat in the distance get to another position to spread the boats a bit? Just a thought. I love this shot though--even better than the last one (which was great!).

John--I do like this one MUCH better! This is a great shot! The only suggestion I have for making it better would be to get higher so you can shoot directly down on it--but I realize this is likely impossible due to it's location and how high you'd have to be. This is pleasing as it is though--good job! And, thanks for your input on my shots!

Richard said what I thought better and in less words. Thanks Richard! :) I agree wholeheartedly! If you just described this shot to me I wouldn't think it would be great but it just works--you hit the (rusty) nail on the head!

You know, I'm more a fan of pretty sunsets than taking something everyone walks by and doesn't notice and making a photograph of it BUT I must say this one caught my eye and is absolutely SPECTACULAR! I love the depth of field on the hinge to the right. Furthermore, not only the rusty objects, but the background objects (wood, etc) of each go well with the object, with each other as a series, and with your black frame. This is one of the best photographs of "ordinary" inanimate objects I've ever seen! I'm jealous of this shot...I'm going to be taking pictures of rusty objects for the next month now! Congratulations--well done!

Very, VERY, V-E-R-Y good shot! How wonderful is the color of the sand and the color of the water? And, even better, is the combination of them together, especially with the white foam in between. The boat is well placed and very interesting. The limbs in the sand add an extra item of interest. By the way, what a cool boat to photograph!

 

Lastly, I don't think the water comes up on the beach at that angle--it's usually horizontal. :) I'm teasing...the only thing better than your photograph is your sense of humor with the title and your "I know it's not horizontal" comment. Don't you love it when you do something creative only for someone to point it out as an error? Like taking a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa only for someone to say that it's not vertical! :)

 

 

Terrific colors! I love how this shot gives a feeling of a wide open space and vast perspective. The sky is wonderful. I'd also like to see a close up of that tree and the birds--I can't say it would be "better" but at least would be a "different" and (most likely) very pleasing composition. Good work!

A fantastic shot and even better considering the circumstances! I love the sharpness of the animal and the environment. Also, it looks like it is staring right at you and is VERY well placed in the composition. I can't think of a single way to make this better--very well done!

I absolutely LOVE IT! A PERFECT job of freezing the action, perfect and sharp silhouette, and a talented skier to be able to create that smooth spray (which makes for a great photograph). Also, as a skier I can appreciate the talent this person has as well! This is one of the best (and most creative) skiing pictures I've seen--a big, huge congratulations!!!

You shouldn't have to worry about a below average rating here! This is well done! I love how you are looking into the dogs face--I think that is the best rule for animals--get on their level and/or look eye-to-eye with them. You did well--congratulations!

Very nice and interesting shot! I like the different colors on this twig. On one hand I like how the sun only hits one side but on the other hand I wonder if it may look better if the right side of the twig had a bit more light. Just some food for thought. Well done!

Strong colors and good focal length! I think this is one of your better photos! The colors are bright and crisp and jump out at you--strong work! I'm not sure if you did, but always take shots for different angles too! This shot may also turn out well if you take it from directly above the flower. If you get a good, colorful scene like this, really get all the pictures out of it that you can!

Ahhh...I love pictures related to the ocean and marine life! One different way you may try this shot is to zoom in on the shrimp (much like you did on the "salt fish"). Or, maybe include multiple racks of shrimp but have one that is in sharper focus to attract your attention.

John-Wonderful colors on this one! I love the reflections too--well done! As always, I try to give alternative ways of shooting a picture which may or may NOT turn out "better" but at least it is some food for thought. For this shot, I'd like to see you try it on a full moon night or else shoot it at dusk. Your colors are great but I think you may have a better shot (or at least different) if you could see more details in the buildings. If you had either a full moon giving light OR if you shoot it just after the sun goes down, when there are reflections and it looks like a night shot BUT at the same time there is still enough light to bring out a bit more detail I think it would be another nice shot. Again, I like this shot and I know many people PREFER a shot like this with less detail so you can highlight the "city lights" better. I do like it and am glad to see it got good ratings. Try it at dusk or on a bright night and see which one you like better--you may find you like both and they are simply 2 different but equally impressive photos!

John-First of all, don't worry about the ratings! EVERY PICTURE you post will get at least one good score and one bad score--there is too much subjectiveness to get all 7's! About this shot, I don't think it's "bad"--you have an interesting cat with pretty colors and the title goes well. I'm no expert on animals but I did get one piece of advice one time that has served me well and it may work here as well--whenever you are shooting an animal, GET ON THEIR LEVEL!!!! Look eye-to-eye with every animal you shoot. For this shot, I would envision you flat on the floor point the camera directly into the face of the cat. Maybe you could adjust your focal length to creatively blur the body and highlight the cat's closed eyes and sleeping face, which is what I gather from the title was your goal. I didn't think that advice would matter that much but it does. Take a picture of your cat standing up and then lay on the floor and take an ant's eyeview of it and you'll see the difference. True, it is a different picture but I think often it is more interesting and will most definitely gain wider acceptance. I think animals are like people in the sense that people want to see their face and while you can see the face of this cat, it is not what jumps out at you and is not the highlight of the picture. I found this out the other day--I saw a neat crab at the beach and squatted down and took a picture. It turned out ok but it was just like looking at a crab in a tank. BUT, the next picture I laid on the sand and shot into the crabs "face" and it turned out wonderfully! Get on their level!!!! Look up some pictures of animals and I *think* you'll probably find the advice I was given is true (go to like a National Geographic website or something and see their vantage point). In the end, if you think the cat looks best from a human viewpoint then GO FOR IT and don't worry about the ratings! But, I thought I could shed a little light on why some people didn't jump at this shot and also, how you could do things differently--that does not necessarily mean "better," but I am always looking for alternative ways to shoot something.