official photography thread

[lexx]

One thing I'd like to improve is that I crop too much. Most of the time the real composition I want is a small crop of a larger picture. I blame this on my lack of zoom range and how I prefer pictures with more empty space, with a context. But I really want to work on doing a better cropping in Camera to avoid reducing a picture's size with cropping. Also I end up with all sorts of weird proportions when cropping, unlike the usual 2:3 ratio of film

In terms of cropping the above photo is either over cropped or under cropped, it is some where in between which isn't right. Cropping isn't something to worry about as long as you've got it right, you've got to learn where to cut and where to not - on people the general rule is not to crop on joints because it looks wrong, that's also true for pets. Remember your rule of thirds which you've used here with the placement of the dog's face, but remember that the thirds are also applicable to every other aspect of your photograph. You should've either left all of the dog in the shot or cropped the hind legs in order to focus on the cute face - empty space can be effective, but here that empty space is wasted space because that empty space says nothing.

Also along my gray scale rant perhaps you could've done with a little more contrast because the dog is obviously black and not gray.

[lexx]

lexx, i actually like accents because they look cool

you asked for critique mate. "accents" are so Schindler's List, - ie, so 1993.

[longboardorific]

you asked for critique mate. "accents" are so Schindler's List, - ie, so 1993.

once i do it for a proffesion ill start caring if it "in" or not
now i only care about it with my longboards
p.s. i liked lexx better before i left, but now he changed his avatar he seems different

[fineout]

your composition isn't bad. That bottom picture is awesome, what did you do to the sky?
The other photos though you need to check your white balance, the first is too blue and the others aren't right either. Got to get your colors right or nothing ties together.

the blue one came out that way, not sure how that happened, and the last one with the sky i just used a gradient tool on it, it was really dark in the first place i just touched it up to make the sky darker and have the cool look it ended up with, thanks though!

[96789carver]

you asked for critique mate. "accents" are so Schindler's List, - ie, so 1993.

lexx you seem to know what your doin.....mind lookin at mine from a few pages ago?

[revelation2]

new rule of thumb for everyone - selective color DOES NOT make a photograph 'arty'.

Thank you.

vivid color ftw

[nothclif]

new rule of thumb for everyone - selective color DOES NOT make a photograph 'arty'.

3rd'd
I think there a few exceptions to this, but in general is a bad idea and rarely adds to the composition.

On the subject of bad choices...over doing HDR anyone?

[revelation2]

On the subject of bad choices...over doing HDR anyone?

right on.

On the subject of bad choices...shooting raw?

[V.B]

...I'm so confused.

[nothclif]

right on.

On the subject of bad choices...shooting raw?

I always shoot raw, unless I'm just doing quick snapshots of friends or random things to put on ebay or whatever.

[leighgriffiths]

you asked for critique mate. "accents" are so Schindler's List, - ie, so 1993.

so true. some people don't take critique well

[pithaya]

Thank you very much lexx to take the time to analyze that shot... The picture was a real quick grab so the legs were cut, I didn't boost the contrast anymore because the white popped out too much. But thank you anyway those were just some random shots, I was in the process of picking out special pictures in my whole hard drive.

here's one I really like.

[Wells]

HDR generally makes me want to kill myself and others. That fake tilt-shift "make everything look like a miniature model" BS that was popular a while ago also makes me want to buy a gun, too. Also, pictures of bicycles, long exposure pictures of traffic at night, roadkill, blurry black and white with weak tones, and most pictures of people irritate me.

Shooting raw, on the other hand, rules if you know what you're doing with it. After-the-fact white balance correction is a lifesaver, and sharpening is the illy.

And selective color still sucks. Take a picture like this, where there's only one color in the composition: http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/WORKS..._MAN_17_05.jpg.

[satori]

this is great motivation for me to keep my camera on me!!! i'd just like to give props to some pics that really 'scratch my itch' and i think are awesome (besides a few of mine which i'm partial to -sorry for making up titles)

9678carver - roots in a glass
Steez police - rusty hydrant
bradleyGT - windchimes
V.B. - lamp
Pithaya - antennas

lexx, if you have a flicker or something i'd really like to browse your stuff. PM me and don't send me to watermarked crap, i promise honesty and integrity!

wells, you give lots of advice which is fine, but let's see some of the work you're most proud of, recent or not!

[sealfishtale]

here are a few of mine...
one is of a bike path on campus that runs under Hwy 1
Then there is a medow that i took some pictures of.
Finally a few of me on my skim board. (i didnt take them)
my camera is a 6 year old Sony powershot...nothing special.

[Shin Chan]

Ok I'll jump in.
Old, going back to 90's UW shots, UW taken with Nikon 8008s in Subal Housing with Fuji Velvia film, may be a Kodachrome in there on the warmer ones. AU, Egypt, Bonaire. Scanned slides pretty much straight on, no push processing at lab, not much tweaking in Photoshop, just resizing mainly, saturation is pretty much from the Velvia shot at iso 40 rather than 50, gives a bit more saturation, pushes the greens and blues, its that good of a film. Anyone still shoots color film try it out. Dual UW Ikelite 200w Strobes all done manually, the old way, no auto anything. Need to have total control UW to get it right. The macros are shot at F16, 22 mostly, with iso 40 in dim UW light 2-8 inches from subject, you need a ton of light.:















And a top side in Maine, could use some tweaking on the rocks for a sharper punch:

[Wells]

wells, you give lots of advice which is fine, but let's see some of the work you're most proud of, recent or not!

That's fair. Prepare to be dazzled by pretense.

"By looking patiently at what others ignore or look away from, interesting things can be seen."

I like to work in series and usually make five pictures about one idea. Recently I've been exploring the social production of space and how things are used versus how they were intended to be used. Previously I've looked at transient spaces (staircases), academic spaces (around campus) and spaces that have a strong relationship with time (a laundry room, a classroom, a frequently traffic-clogged bridge, a train car, and the school library).

I've only just started shooting these in digital; but here are five places on campus where people have semi-public sex:



Upstairs at the dining center.



A private study room in the library.



The campus "spiritual space."



The library lecture room (there's a lot going on here. this one could be tighter).



The TV room.

[Wells]

My work most closely resembles that of a bunch of Germans: Bernd and Hilla Becher (variations on a central theme), Andreas Gursky (strong geometric composition with extreme sharpness and detail), and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (graphic compositions).

Also, William Eggleston's Guide sort of changed my life.

[tomahawk]

random shots from around the world










any comments appreciated. im noob and shooting with a point and shoot, but i love taking pics nonstop!

edit: holy #### the last pic is way to big to embed

[revelation2]

My work most closely resembles that of a bunch of Germans

They just look like black and white pictures of rooms to me.

Raw rules if you like spending more time in the photo lab messing with your pictures and working with akward file types with pictures that are way too large than spending time actually shooting. Jpeg basic ftw.