satya_v_rao

On 2/4/2023 at 10:27 AM, Ricochetrider said:

Please give me your opinions about this recently re-found pic. A shot of our friends, from a trip to Cornwall, England a few years ago. Nice flashback! 

Olympus OMD Em1 and the 12-40mm pro lens. 

Thanks very much.

Tom

Hi Recochetrider

Nice pic. Colourful bonanza to the eyes.!! The pic gives a quiet and lovely feel. 

On 1/30/2023 at 11:31 PM, dcstep said:

Color balance is too blue and too much road in the frame. Surely you could have found a better perspective as you drove, pulled off the road, stepped out of the car and gotten a much better shot. Is this laziness, or is this telling a story that I'm not seeing?

Hi dcstep

Thks for your apt  observation. I have taken the shot in 'Auto' colour balance. I thought Auto would be better than 'Direct daylight' but even it turned out more blue. Much as I would have liked to step down and shoot, the vehicles were not allowed to stop anywhere around this road. That was a disappointment for photographers. Rgds

On 1/27/2023 at 4:55 AM, jordan2240 said:

Framing is nice, but it pretty much just looks like a vacation snapshot.  

Yes, you are right. Thks

On 1/30/2023 at 11:26 PM, mikemorrellNL said:

Hi @satya_v_rao,

I personally really like this 'road trip' photo! In the same way that scenes from 'road trip' movies are not always sharp and just give a sense of the 'road trip'. I am aware that - especially on this forum - if (for example) individual 'stills' from movies were (anonymously) selected, they would be 'assessed' as individual photos. So I see your photo as just one 'still' from your road trip.

From this photo (and your other photos), I think you have a good 'eye' for photogenic locations and scenes. I think it's great that you contribute to the 'Critique Forum'!

As others have said, it's very difficult to take a 'good' photo through the windscreen of a moving auto. Sure, I do it too as do many others. They're important to us as a 'reminder' of where we've been on our travels. They're usually not our 'best' photos in terms of things like sharpness, composition, etc. Things like the windscreen, movement and being in the auto get in the way 😉. Focusing through glass is difficult at the best of times!

So please don't stop taking photos in your auto! Just be aware that these might not turn out to be your 'best' photos (whatever the 'content' of the photo might be). But they will be absolutely fine as a 'reminder' of your travels!

I'm not sure whether it was legal or safe for you to stop on the '(hard) shoulder' where you took the shot. Probably not. But maybe there was a gas pump or exit nearby, where you could have briefly stopped, got out of the car and got the shot you wanted. Without a windscreen in front of the camera and without movement.
My 2 cts: Don't sweat it. This photo is a wonderful reminder of this magnificent scenery and your travels. Is it a 'PN masterpiece'? No, for the reasons I and others have given (a quick snapshot through a windscreen in a moving auto).

I'm not sure whether this helps or hinders you but an eye-opener for me some years ago was that it's not the (interesting) 'content' that makes a 'good' photograph, but the 'attention' that the photograph pays in 'creating' the photograph (out of the 'content'). So in this case, stopping your auto somewhere, composing (any) photo with the mountains in the background and taking the time to 'create' one or more 'interesting' photos would IMHO  have deliver you better quality photos than the ones shot through the windscreen of a moving auto.

But photos shot through the windscreen of a moving auto can be 'interesting' too!

Mike

 

 

Hi MikemorreIINL

Thanks for your observations. Yes that was shot from the front window of a moving car. At the most a record shot of the road trip to keep in memory.  As you know, its always fun to keep busy with camera,  while travelling on exotic locations.  As you have kindly suggested, I keep attempting. Also I keep submitting for your critique. Thks n Rgds

On 1/30/2023 at 7:11 PM, Ricochetrider said:

I agree this looks very much the snapshot, like it was s hot through the window from the passenger seat.

Photos of this sort can be puled off without a lot of trouble but IMO require a more deliberate approach to capture a more meaningful view. But your light is nice here and I like the leading lines that sort of flow into the mountains beyond. 

Thks

On 1/2/2023 at 3:26 AM, derrick_sorensen said:

A few shots from my first attempt at street photography. The focus was soft on a few of these, IMO the best remedy is to throw a B&W edit together and give it that more harsh feel? Thoughts? 

Nice realistic shots

On 1/9/2023 at 9:08 PM, AlanKlein said:

Nice shot.  What's pp? 

Thank you AlanKlein.  Its post processing of digital image. Rgds

23 hours ago, mikemorrellNL said:

I really do like this photo! IHMO one of the very best photos you've posted so far. The 'dynamic' curved 'leading lines' of the road lead effortlessly to the 'monolith' of the snow-capped mountains (which are magnificent!). It's a perfect composition!

The one and only suggestion I can make is to consider lightening the 'dark trees' (creeping up the mountains) just slightly in PP. Just to bring the texture out a bit more. Other than that, it's a perfect photo!

 

 

Thank you mikemorreIINL. As you might have observed, I have shot this from a moving car. Its nice you liked it. I will follow your suggestion to reveal the trees.rgds

14 hours ago, RobertWPillow said:

When I get to anyone's Gallery page that appears empty in the latest iteration, which happens often, there always seems to be the header that shows lots of page numbers. I refresh that page and pictures appear. I don't think this behavior has anything to do with the age of my computer or the amount of RAM. My computer is a mid-2020 release with eight cores, 64 GB of RAM, and a video card with 8GB of RAM. My work-around gets tiresome because it needs to be applied more often than not. It's one of three persistent problems. Number two is that since the start of the latest iteration, the process of logging into photo.net has been Step One: Get denied access on the home page and Step Two: Successfully log in on the try-again page. And then there is the problem with the photo.net slide-show functionality in the photographer's Gallery taking a user to the next picture in a Category instead of the following image in the photographer's portfolio. For me, that was the end of photo.net as a platform for sharing pictures with friends and family. I "deleted" my pictures from my Gallery in late November and moved them to Flickr for that purpose. (By the way, my deletion efforts on photo.net resulted in the pictures being transferred to the "Images" tab of my profile page along with other photos that were deleted during the previous iteration of photo.net.) Although the forum side of photo.net works to my satisfaction, I find the site to be lacking overall.

I hope I haven’t bored anyone with my observations. I know they are not news. I just want other users to know they are not alone with the frustration that comes with having to work a system instead of a system working for them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I too face all the problems stated by you and agree with you. When I need to open my gallery, I try to click page no 2 first and it will load quickly. Then I go back to page 1. This way the irritation is reduced and I succeed in seeing the latest post. Hope this helps. Happy New year 

21 hours ago, samstevens said:

If there were reason to salvage this image, with some finely-tuned post processing, the most potential I see is in the young bending girl with the nicely-lit smiling face. More of a story could be created around her as a subject. As for the background, if there were more compelling interest in the foreground, it would simply be a natural street background and wouldn't have to be much of a distraction. If the story here is in the dancers, the lighting is a problem since the main light capturing our eye is way off in the back and the white of the van takes on a lot of prominence. One reason the light on the girl's face might have worked is because it highlights her in an otherwise shadowy foreground. But even with the current lighting, if you'd timed the shot when fewer backs were turned toward you, the photo might have wound up with a bit more interest and good energy. Action shots like this rely a lot on timing, so watch people's movements and consider what's actually going to get stilled when you snap the shutter. While you're experiencing the overall scene, your camera won't necessarily capture that feeling unless you position yourself effectively and time your shot to capture the most of what's being offered. I think it's ok to keep posting whatever you'd like. Thankfully, you have that option as we all have the option of responding or not. 

Your comments are accurate.Except the happy atmosphere, there is not much. But the reviews from each one of you have given me lot of introspection and knowledge.Thanks  and regards

22 hours ago, JDMvW said:

All the same, seeking improvement or not, in shotgunning a bunch of images, the chance of getting useful responses is inversely related to the number and quality of the posted images.

Thanks a lot

On 12/29/2022 at 4:50 PM, T. R. Tinker said:

You're welcome - and if I were to simplify my comment, I'd have left it at "the background detracts from the subject(s)".  Seeing beyond the subject to what's in the background was one of the harder things I had to learn when I started taking candid photographs, and the landfill is littered with the Kodak film prints I threw out.  But I didn't throw them all away because some were good to keep around to remind me of my mistakes.

You are absolutely perfect and right. Yes, there are too many distractions in the background. But then I have not done much post processing.  Thanks for your kind comments.

19 hours ago, mikemorrellNL said:

Hi @satya_v_rao, I apologize for my cynical and negative comment below. It's not typical of my feedback to any post. I must have been in a really impatient and grumpy mood. Unfortunately I reacted too quickly and didn't reconsider. I'm glad that other members gave much more positive feedback. Let me add mine.

First off, I've taken similar photos too,  which I've kept (and not thrown away!). Because they remind me of an event, an atmosphere, etc.  Looking at your photo again (less impatient and less grumpy 😉) I now see many positive points:

- I like the 'action' (dancing) in the photo and the way the young girl expresses 'fun' and 'pleasure' at the event

- I'm not sure if there was any music at the event but the two people clapping on the left show that there's a definite 'rhythm' to the dance

- the two women in the background are fine to show that this was a 'spectator event'

In terms of possible improvements:

- the photo could IMHO be slightly brighter which might better express a 'fun, happy' event

- the two men in the background (far left) are the 'odd men out' for me in that they look less interested in the dance; if you could crop these 2 men out, it would IMHO improve the composition (with the woman and man in the foreground together 'bracketing' what's going on in the middle)

- if you choose a standard 3x2 format, then there's not much could can do with cropping** (unless this is already a crop and you have more room on right); if you choose a non-standard crop, then you can crop more tightly on the woman on the left (to get the 'bracketing')*

* depending on how you post-process photos/images, you may be able to copy/paste or insert a non-standard crop into a 'standard 3x2 blank canvas'; similarly, you might be able to 'blank out' the words '11.30' and 'Calgary' which would make the background less busy

** if this is the original photo, then it might be wise for similar photos to have a 'wider frame' (allowing more room for possible cropping left, right, top and bottom)

Again, I apologise for my 1st comment. This one is more typical of my (generally positive) feedback. I look forward to your next request for critique!

Kind Regards,

Mike

 

Hi Mike never mind. First of all I have not felt bad for you to apologize. I just thought I have annoyed you. But then, your detailed review is indeed very nice. Yes my idea was only to show the happy atmosphere, where people of different ages are dancing and the onloookers are tapping and enjoying. There was music too. Passersby are also joining the dance. Everyone is enjoying and overall a pleasant scene.  All this in spontenity.  All your points are facts and plus one more:: I could not leave any foreground. I am thankful to you for your kind review. Believe me such reviews are a great source of inspiration. Yes I keep posting for critique. Regards

8 hours ago, T. R. Tinker said:

He's requesting critique(s) so he can improve his technique and composition, don't you think?

I wouldn't cull this photo if for no other reason than it might evoke a pleasant memory, but the composition isn't very good.

The background is much too cluttered and very distracting.  If there had been an opportunity to capture a less cluttered background by moving to one side or the other, it would have helped.  Most of the dancers are obscured by other dancers, which also might have been helped by moving off at an angle to whee you were standing.  The clothing the dancers are wearing is unremarkable, the lighting isn't good, and the moment captured in time doesn't create an emotional response.

I'm not sure I would have taken this picture unless I knew someone amongst the dancers; there's not a lot going for it, but it wouldn't be an automatic cull if I'd taken it. 

Thank you for your valuable comments. Appreciate your kind observation. Now on, these points will help me while taking pictures on street and sudden events. 

10 hours ago, mikemorrellNL said:

Why are you requesting so many critiques?

IMHO this photo is a well below average photo of an event. One that I would throw away. I suggest you post only photos that you consider your best or that you would like specific feedback on.

mike

 

My requests for critique is for improvement purpose. Thanks for your suggestion.

42 minutes ago, mikemorrellNL said:

I like the different textures and contrasts in the water (turbulent/smooth/wave, light/dark). Great 'action photo'!

Thanks mikemorreIINL

On 12/16/2022 at 6:35 AM, jfnahas said:

wow, what timing! great catch...

Thanks jfnahas

On 12/21/2022 at 8:36 PM, mikemorrellNL said:

Great photo but as @marc epstein says, just a bit blurry. There are various 'sharpening' programs that you could use to improve the sharpness of this photo. I often use Topaz plugins for Lightroom/Photoshop and usually Topaz Sharpening AI for sharpening photos.
 

I'm not saying you should use the same, but just as an example of how 'sharpening'  could improve the sharpness, I'm including an example:

Original:

 

Sharpend:

 

Very kind of you to sharp the image. Difference is clearly seen. I will try to use the plug ins. Thanks mikemorreIINL