Critique Beginners C+C On My Top 10 Images

R

robgooch

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Edit My Images
Yes
I'm new to posting on the forum, I normally only lurk, but I thought I would make myself known.

3 Years ago my wife bought me a Nikon D3100 in readiness for out honeymoon to Florida. I don't normally enjoy lugging about a camera and seeing my holiday though a lens but I thought I ought to capture the moments on our honeymoon and hopefully just enjoy taking photographs.

Below are my top 10 photographs that i have taken and would be interested to here your comments on the images. Turns out i couldn't choose 10 so here's my top 13.:). I don't take photos of anything specific subject just whatever I like to look of.

My kit consists of my kit lens 18-55mm and a 55-300mm.















 
Too many to respectfully ask for critique really. 1 or 2 at a time would be nice.
 
Ok i see, sorry. Perhaps you could give your opinion on say two that you feel could have been better?
 
robgooch said:
Ok i see, sorry. Perhaps you could give your opinion on say two that you feel could have been better?
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Well, I think the Tiger is a nice shot but needs tightening up and lifting a tad.
DSC_0385edit.jpg

Think I've overdone the sats a little but you get the idea.
 
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Exposure is spot on on both of these. Just needs a little thought on composition, (you chopped a rhinos head in half) and a little contrast.

DSC_0255edit.jpg
 
Wow, the tiger looks so much better, I'm not into editing but after seeing what you have done to the tiger it certainly makes me want to have a play.

I see what you mean about the rhinos. However, at that point we were at Disney's Animal Kingdom travelling in the back of a lorry on safari, so it was pretty much grab what you can while you can. Having said that by cropping the rhinos it completely transforms the image. Thank you.
 
robgooch said:
Wow, the tiger looks so much better, I'm not into editing but after seeing what you have done to the tiger it certainly makes me want to have a play.

I see what you mean about the rhinos. However, at that point we were at Disney's Animal Kingdom travelling in the back of a lorry on safari, so it was pretty much grab what you can while you can. Having said that by cropping the rhinos it completely transforms the image. Thank you.
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You're welcome. Editing can be a conscientious issue and we all do it to our own tastes which invariably doesn't suit everyone else. However in the age of digital some editing must take place if you are serious about getting the best from your camera. Shooting in RAW gives you so much more opportunity to get the final image you want. To me, clicking the shutter is only part way there. (And don't forget to sharpen when you've finished;))
 
Perfect, thanks for the info. At present I'm pretty much a point and shoot in auto mode, hopefully that will change with the help of this forum!!
 
robgooch said:
Perfect, thanks for the info. At present I'm pretty much a point and shoot in auto mode, hopefully that will change with the help of this forum!!
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Glad to help. You'll soon be off that Auto setting. Just ask away if you're stuck.

Craig
 
Its a good way to start, but to understand the shots you are taking and why some are more successful than others it would be helpful if you also tried some other modes too. A lot depends on your subject so don't listen to those who say everything should be on Aperture Mode; it varies. Using Manual will teach you a lot but might be overcomplicating things to start with.

I would suggest using all modes, possibly of the same subjects, as a project, to allow you to see what the camera 'sees as correct' and what you may think is correct.

Watch your backgrounds and always be mindful of where the light is coming from and how it illuminates your subject, as that is the critical part. The light meter will not always be correct. It is a good indicator most of the time, as long as the meter reads directly off your main subject..
 
Thanks for your input, I'm quite impatient which is why I use auto mode. I want every picture to be perfect without the faffing about, but I guess I should enjoy playing with the settings to truly get the best photo possible.
 
robgooch said:
I'm quite impatient which is why I use auto mode. I want every picture to be perfect without the faffing about, but I guess I should enjoy playing with the settings to truly get the best photo possible.
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Auto mode doesn't know what image you are trying to capture, it just guesses a 'reasonable' exposure based on settings it chooses. Of those above, the rhino and the transformer toy are the best of the bunch, but both need a bit of TLC to improve them (most pics need a bit of 'improvement". Backs of animals rarely work, and patience is a virtue! Except the OH usually gets fed up if you take too long! And since she bought you the camera, no real excuse! LOL
 
The main problem for me is that these are digital negatives, not developed images, per se. The great thing about digital photography is the ability to quickly change the composition and details of a shot far more easily than back in the day when I shot an FM2N and a Leica M6. Your negatives all have good potential, though. My favourite is the Rhino shot and being as someone else has also chosen that one, it will help to illustrate what I mean.

Here's your negative:

rhino-orig.jpg


I haven't spent too much time on this but a quick "develop" from me would take it to here:

RHINO.jpg


and Craig posted his edit here:

dsc_0255edit-jpg.55825


Much is a matter of taste re. composition but notice that mine and Craig's colours are very similar? Learn to use Photoshop or LightRoom or similar. Without that knowledge you simply can't develop your digital negatives. I do like your shots, though. Well done.
 
Wow, thanks very much for your input,very informative. I now see the importance of shooting in RAW so that they can be edited effectivly. I will look into a photoshop program and have a play with a few images and post them up.

I take it, you don't edit every single image you shoot just your favorites? How long would you spend editing one photo?
 
robgooch said:
Wow, thanks very much for your input,very informative. I now see the importance of shooting in RAW so that they can be edited effectivly. I will look into a photoshop program and have a play with a few images and post them up.

I take it, you don't edit every single image you shoot just your favorites? How long would you spend editing one photo?
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No, same as in the film days, you'll shoot 36 shots and maybe get 3-6 that you'll want to keep and develop. I probably spend 30 mins developing an image, sometimes a tad longer. I spent about 6-8 mins on your examples.
 
That's good to know, I think I have always feared that I would need to spend hours editing one image but I guess less can sometimes be more.
 
robgooch said:
That's good to know, I think I have always feared that I would need to spend hours editing one image but I guess less can sometimes be more.
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Some can take a while but those, for me, are usually macro shots where I need to clean off dust particles one by one. It helps if you have a stiff drink before beginning. :) Google a program called Gimp before spending too much. It's free and will allow you to do a lot of what you need and in some ways is similar in layout to Photoshop.
 
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