ed dertinger

Nice capture in terms of expression and composition. Agree with previous critique that her face is a little too much in shadow. I like the high key background. However, I find my eye drawn to her blond hair more so than her face as the hair is very much brighter. Looks like you did use some fill flash (based on the catch lights in her eyes, but I think another half stop or so would have improved the image a great deal.

Just a detail shot from a recent stroll through the park. Critiques

welcome.

Critiques are most welcome.

I agree on the reflector thing - just threw that in but I see where it was not practical in this case. With regard to the flash - I often just pop up the built in flash on my camera (not sure if your camera has one) for such fill light situations rather than using a shoe mount flash, especially as I like to "travel light" as well. Many times I have already programmed in some negative flash compensation so I can just pop up the flash and not change the shooting dynamic vis-a-vis the subject at all. The catch light in the eye issue is really not a big issue especially as her eyes are well illuminated even absent a catch light - I also agree with you that many times such "rules" take on more supposed importance than they really should. I hope you didn't take any offense to my earlier comments. I'm fairly new to photo net and due to time limitations I have only been writing comments on photos that I am immediately drawn to for positive reasons and that was certainly the case here. Ed

 

Attractive young lady - unfortunately the harsh lighting here is not at all flattering to her. In situations like this it often helps a great deal to use fill flash with the flash intensity dialed down from about -0.7 to -1.3 EV - that way you open up the shadows (without totally eliminating them) as well as throw a catch light into the subject's eyes. Alternative would be to use a reflector to bounce some light back into the shadows. Hope these comments are of value. Thanks for posting.

Bridal Attendant propped this bouquet on the mantle a few minutes

before the bride was scheduled to toss the bouquet to the single

ladies present. Thought it made a nice detail shot with the

fireplace mantle and the candles. Your thoughts much appreciated.

Excellent image - nice use of selective focus with just the right degree of softness to the background (musician's right hand, etc.) Lighting spot on as well. Looking forward to browsing thru your portfolio as time allows.

Pleasant stroll on a chilly winter day - I like the image because it

remainds me of a peaceful couple of hours spent on a nice day.

Looking forward to comments. Thanks

Excellent Image. Photos of this type add a lot to travel photography. The woman looking out the window adds much - a nice human touch that gives a feel of an Old World Europe/slower paced lifestyle. For what it is worth, I don't I agree with others about a monochrome conversion. I think the subtle colors in the original add much and the monochrome version seems to be lacking in enough contrast to really make it an equally strong rendition.

Nice photo overall. Only problem I see is that the hand rail is very dominant where it intersects the lower left hand corner of the image. Obviously this is a function of the wide angle lens used - maybe taking the photo from a position more in the center of the boardwalk would have minimized this issue somewhat. You mentioned the trees leaning to the left or right. Looks to me like you had the camera pointed upward a couple of degrees. Really important with extreme wide angle optics to insure that the camera is level to avoid this keystoning effect. It is not really objectionable here as trees don't always grow perfectly upright anyway. Just my two cents on this all.

Very picturesque. I like the almost monochrome rendering offset by slight colors in roof. Well done.

Thanks for posting - This is a well done detail shot that makes a nice addition to a travel slide show. Colors are nicely saturated and exposure is spot on. I really like these kind of shots as a supplement to architectural shots of entire buildings as they add much interest value. The people looking out the windows add a nice touch also.

Very nice image. Excellent exposure with just a touch of detail in the shadow areas. Especially like the ornate lanterns. I think it would have been a bit better to move a few steps to the right so that the sun beam would not have hit directly on the right half of the one lantern - just my opinion for what it's worth.

 

 

Great shot - caught at the exact right instant. You can really see the intensity of concentration in her face and her pony tail flying out gives a strong feeling of motion. Very soft background really allows the image to pop out.

Good concept - these detail shots add a lot to the wedding coverage. I think the image would have been stronger if you had zoomed in even more on the joined hands (or cropped more tightly after the fact) - the mass of the bride's dress in the lower half of the image really doesn't add anything and since it is the brightest part of the image it can tend to draw the eye somewhat - just my two cents for what it is worth.

Very nice candid portrait - subject just looks relaxed and engaged in her own thoughts. I'm sure she would love to have a copy of the photo as well.

Very elegant - beautiful capture under stage lighting. Don't know what you could have done to improve this image - it is first rate in all regards. Thanks for posting for us all to enjoy.

This is a beautiful image of a striking young woman - first rate in every regard. The only thing I would quibble about is the background - I find it a bit busy and distracting - but that's just a matter of taste and others may not at all agree. Overall, very nice!

Very appealing image - only thing is that the bright patch of sunlight along the right hand border is distracting. Perhaps a square format crop would be the answer here. Other than that I think this is a fine environmental portrait that you can be proud of.

 

Very nice travel/architectural image. Especially like the subtle lighting - much resembles some oil paintings I have seen of structures in France. The square format here works well also.

comments and criticisms welcomed

Well done - I think that it is very important in "travel photography" to include a selection of photos of local people, dressed in traditional clothing and going about their day to day lives. This allows one to capture the feel of a place in addition to the more common images of well known landmarks, etc. This particular image may well have been a posed image - not sure - but I like the fact that she is looking down at the flowers and not simply staring into the camera as may have been more typical for an environment type of portrait. Technical aspects (focus, exposure, composition) also handled well here. Thanks for posting.

Very interesting image - this is the type of photo missing when you look at the travel photos people often show you. They capture all the usual shots like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London, or The Empire State Building in NYC (which should be captured too) but pass right by the more detail oriented shots that really give the viewer a "feel" for the place. For someone "new to photography" this photo is all the more impressive on a variety of levels - nice job!

Overall a nice capture which I am confident the bride will like. I think the image might have been a bit better with a different in-camera crop to provide more negative space in front of her than behind her - that, of course, is a matter of taste and others might disagree. Lighting here is also good. Subtle, and you managed to keep the detail in her dress while not losing much in the shadow areas - the only thing I find disturbing is that the lower two-thirds of the bouquet flowers look almost black.

Nice work - very colorful detail shot. Lighting and focus spot on as well. Makes me hungry - think I'll head out for lunch!