sallydouglas

Hi...

This is an excellent portrait shot, and speaks considerably to me anyway...

My interpretation is that this woman has known real suffering and anguish in her lifetime, and has gained vast wisdom through her pain... She is a person with a deep thinking soul, and has a very profound way of looking at the world... She is on the surface a simple person, but has many secret layers beneath...

The lighting, colors, depth of field, composition and overall ambiance of this shot are remarkable... I have added it to my favorites and given a rating of 7/7... I don't think this shot can be improved... Doing anything different would simply detract from its rawness... It is perfect just the way it is!!...

Congratulation on a very different and beautiful image... Sally...

Hi... Any tips?... Thanks...

Hi David...

 

Thanks for your comment... I edited this up from a really, really bad shot, and yes, the photo was certainly not in good focus, but I just wanted to see what I could make of it, as I am only just starting out in photography and Photoshop...

 

As for the low ratings you mention, I am only new here and have given my ratings based on the instructions given by PhotoNet... 4 is for an average photograph, so If I consider a photo just average, thats what I give it... I am certainly no expert on photography, and have not claimed to be, but you have to admit there are some pretty bad shots that pop up in front of you... If its a bad shot, I give it a rating less than 4... If a photo is really good, it gets a 5 or 6, and if its outright spectacular, it gets a 7... Is this not what we are suppose to do?... Am I missing something?...

 

Just because I am not a great photographer myself, does not mean I cannot recognise a good or bad shot, or express my own individual tastes...

 

I do not give below average ratings to be mean or nasty, I am just trying to be as honest as I can... If I put a really bad shot up (which I have done plenty of times), I WANT others to give me bad ratings, so I can get a feel for what is good and what is not... Is that not the purpose of the ratings here?... I have seen some people in here just give 6 and 7's for everything... What on earth is the point of that?...

 

 

Hi Jeanne... Thanks for all your comments on my photo's... I am only new to photography, so I need all the help I can get...

 

This photo is really special to me... This little girl is a stepdaughter to a friend of mine... Her self esteem was extremely low, she really believed she was fat and terribly ugly... I kept telling her she was absolutely beautiful, but she would not believe me... I persuaded her to let me photograph her... After seeing this image of herself, she eventually agreed that she was indeed beautiful, and now holds her head up higher...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi David... Thanks for your advice... I will eagerly await your email to get started on the tutorial... You are such a gentleman!!!... Sally...

Thanks for your comments...

Hi.. This is my little friend Quack... I would welcome any comments...

Thanks...

Hi again David... I have just spent the last hour looking through your entire portfolio, and have to say these are some of the best portrait shots I have ever seen... Your work is truly spectacular and I absolutely love it... I hope I am not being too bold in asking this question, but how on earth do you make these black and white images so beautiful?...What techniques do you use in photoshop to get these amazing effects?... I have tried and tried and tried to create nice black and whites, but they do not even come remotely close to your beautiful images... I have explored every photoshop tutorial available on the net, but nothing gives these incredible results... I am relatively new to photography, and would really, really, REALLY love it if you would be prepared to help me in this area... It is my belief that when you want to learn something new, you go straight to the master for knowledge... I will keep my fingers crossed... Sally....

Hi... This photo is truly striking.... What a beautiful, beautiful baby... I love the far away day dreamy expression... This baby is content, that's for sure... The lighting is so soft and lovely... A very nice capture of this heavenly moment in time... Congratulations...

Hi... I really like this photo... It is something very different... The composition is great... Although to me it is just a bit flat and colourless... I have added my interpretation of it... If you dont like it let me know and I will remove it... Nice work...

This image is really great and right up my alley... I love natural looking photographs of people, without all the overdone and unnatural manipulations... What a gorgeous little baby... Those red rosy glowing cheeks are just divine... The lighting and composition are just right, simple yet stunning... And the expression adorable, he/she is obviously having a very deep think about something... This image makes me want to know who this baby is, where this baby is from, what life is like... It really evokes my curiosity and compassion, and makes me FEEL... Congratulations on capturing such a beautiful moment...

Hi... This photo is really to my liking... I love the apprehensive look on his face... The lighting and shadows are really supurb, and the colours are fantastic... It feels like I can just put my hand up and touch him, he seems so close... I would love to be good enough to take a photo like this... The only thing I would do is get rid of that little red thing hanging from the end of his beak, its a bit distracting...

Hi... I really love this!!!... Its so different and really clever... The only suggestion I have is that the blurring has not been done correctly... It just does not look right... The idea is great, the sharpness of the mushroom in front is great, but the background mushrooms just are not in proportion focus wise... Otherwise, very clever...

Hi Erik... Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it... You are absolutely right, there are millions of photos just like it... I guess I am just starting out, and trying to get the technical aspects of photography right... Just getting the focus correct for me at this stage is a milestone!!... I take your comment on board, and will try harder to think of different ways to capture an image that are more creative... I keep forgetting about the artistic side to photography, as I am so worried about getting the technical side right... I am very pleased to get feedback from photographers of your calibre... Thanks again... Sally...

Erik... I read your critique, and I see your point clearly... It was a comment very well made without being insulting, unlike my own comment... I think I had a moment of complete and utter ignorance... Thank you for pointing this out to me...

 

Birte... I apologise for my ignorant critique and take it back... I still cannot say that I like the image of the tiger itself, but I do admire your photographic ability... This is in itself an extremely unique photograph and concept, and I applaud your creativity and skill... I am sorry that I belittled it... One day I hope to be as good as you are...

Why would want to make such a magnificent creature look ugly like that?...

I actually really like this shot, although find it over edited.... The high contrast colour foreground clashes with the dull sky... I dont know whether you meant ir to be, but it looks out of proportion to me... If it was intentional, I am missing something and would like to know what it is...

Hi... I love animals and this is a great shot... To me it is very flat and the composition is all wrong... The big rock on the right is ugly and detracts from the main subject... If I had lots of time I would remove the background bamboo thingies, as they look like they are sprouting from the top of his head... Anyway, this is just my opinion and I am certainly no pro... Cheers...

This is without a doubt, the best image of a butterfly I have ever seen... It is absolutely PERFECT... The colours are perfect, the composition is perfect... How did you do the background?... It looks surreal... Fantastic stuff...

Hi... This is my first attempt at abstract... I would really

appreciate as many comments as I can get... Thanks in advance... Sally...

Hi Christal... This is what I mean by Gaussian Blur... It doesnt make the photo look blurry, it is just an overlay... But it is a matter of taste, and not everyone will find it appealing... To me it just adds a bit of depth to an image...

Hi... I really like this... Its so simple, yet so captivating and interesting... Who would have thought a half dead leaf and some red gravel could look this good...

Hi... I am after some talented advice for improvement on this one...

Thanks...

Wow... I love stuff like this... Something no one has done before... It really grabbed my attention...

Fantastic shot... Really simple, but it really works for me... I would definetely put this on my wall... Love it...