Beginner Photo Help

M

mt50

Messages
59
Name
Wayne
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi i've not long come across this website and indeed just started to get into photograhy (apart from taking pics on my phone that is), anyway we wen't to London and the Harry Potter studio tour recently and i've picked out a few of the only images i like (apart from ones with the kids in etc).
These were taken on a Sony a6000 with a cheap 35mm manual focus lens (also my first time of using this lens, we were also on a bus tour for the london ones, so all in not the best conditions to start with).
I'd like to think these images are ok and would like some pointers of what i could do better (i know being on a moving bus with a manual focus lens doesn't help lol) and what (if anything is good).
I've tried lightroom to edit the images and to my eye they look better now.
Any feedback would be great, please be honest if they are crap tell me, i'm wanting to improve.
1)
https://flic.kr/p/28mhuKf https://www.flickr.com/photos/waynec23/
2)
https://flic.kr/p/28oF52i https://www.flickr.com/photos/waynec23/
3)
https://flic.kr/p/LfQnu9 https://www.flickr.com/photos/waynec23/
4)
https://flic.kr/p/JJDq1v https://www.flickr.com/photos/waynec23/
5)
https://flic.kr/p/271WV5x https://www.flickr.com/photos/waynec23/
 
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ancient_mariner said:
Embedding at a size that permits assessment of the image is a good start. ;)

Welcome to the forum Wayne.
Click to expand...


Thanks Toni :) , can you not click on them to load the full image? i didn't want to embed them at a large size. (or is that ok on here?)
 
mt50 said:
Thanks Toni :) , can you not click on them to load the full image? i didn't want to embed them at a large size. (or is that ok on here?)
Click to expand...

It's just ettiquette really, and is probably why no-one else has commented so far. Otherwise we might just assume you're trying to drive traffic to your flickr page (and it IS a PITA to have to visit flickr every time you want to view an image).
 
Thanks Toni & Elliott, i've changed the size now, i never even thought about driving traffic to flickr.

hopefully these will allow some feedback now.

Thanks.
 
I clicked though!

What is it you're trying to achieve with your photos? If the answer is "don't know", then how do you expect your viewer to know how they feel about them? They look like nice snaps to me. The 1st shows that you've got the hang of manual focus (subject is nice & sharp) and depth of field (background is nice & blurred) and #3 is a nice unusual angle with strong lines in it, showing a basic grasp of composition (esp when alongside #1). #2 looks like you've tried to use the bushes as a frame, but IMO there's too much bush and not enough architecture.

#4 & 5 are suffering from the "what's the subject?" dilemma. 5 less so, but the fountains aren't that interesting for me. 4 suffers from lack of subject and wonky lines.

My advice would be for you to take a step back and think about what it is you're taking a photograph of - as well as why you're taking it. Once you have a plan or an idea, you can then try and translate that into the photograph. If that doesn't work, then we're better placed here to help you with what you could do to achieve it.

Welcome to TP Wayne. Hopefully you'll get some other replies so it's not just one voice. All that stuff above is just my opinion, so please take what you like & leave the rest.
 
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Thanks Ian very helpful, i agree with you tbh number 1 is the one i like the best, i had time to find the best angle imo etc for this one as it was in the studio tour, number 3 was while we were in traffic so again i had some time, i've tried to draw you eye to the centre of the image.The others were all rushed (maybe not the best to ask opinions of then) but number 5 was one the kids wanted a picture of ive cropped it quite a lot, i think for that one the main question is i have over blown anything with the edit i did in lr? (the trees were quite dark) it wouldn't be one i'd print or anything or even take it the kids didn't ask for it, it's too busy for my liking and no real point to it.
number 4 is one of the take a picture for no real reason tbh.
Number 3 i was trying to use the bushes as a frame, like you say not enough architecture, again if i was on foot i could have framed much better. how does the sky look, i really can't make my mind up if it looks natural or not?

i'm happy that you can see some good points from a couple of them, what i really want to start is landscape and architecture. best to get out there with a tripod and not on a bus tour of London.
 
The light balance in 5 is fine to my eyes. But then having a perfect range of tones with nothing blown and nothing black is one of the least important qualities of an image in my eyes. To some people (a certain camera club judge I know!) it's the most important factor. How important is it to you? You can always open your image in the Develop module and click on the triangles in the histogram to see if things are blown/black. The sky looks a bit odd in 2 (too heavy handed with the grad filter?), but there's no point in worrying about it with those bushes in the way. They are what kill things. It's a bit like polishing a t... :)

If you're rushing, then you're not going to get great shots regularly unless you're at a much higher level of experience. Look for the image first, get your composition and field of view right. Decide on a subject.

mt50 said:
what i really want to start is landscape and architecture. best to get out there with a tripod and not on a bus tour of London
Click to expand...
Oh... And this is a great idea :)
 
I know what you are saying about polishing a t... , i don't want to overdo any processing, i've seen quite a few nice images where the sky looks straight out of a movie, that's what i'd like to avoid really.
Time to take a step back go out with just taking photos in mind not doing a family day out and trying to get some good shots.

Thanks for the feedback though, it's helped.
 
There's nothing wrong with what you're doing. When I first got an interest in photography and for a good many years thereafter, I had my camera with me wherever I went and took snap shots. These shots got me comfortable with the camera and taught me the technical aspect of photography. Every year I would have 1000's of okay images.

Once you've got the technical side nailed you'll start to slow down and start looking for composition, colour, leading lines etc and unless you have a natural eye for a good composition it can be hard. I still find it difficult today. I still watch a few vloggers on youtube, see a great shot and think to myself "I would never have thought of that" or "I would never have seen that composition"

Nowadays I very rarely take a camera on family days out. The family aren't interested in photography and I feel rushed. I prefer to go out by myself where I can find a location, take my time and wait around for the right light.

For now, just keep doing what you're doing. There was a famous photographer that said your first 10,000 images are your worst.
 
OK, I have a bit of time now.

1) - Close up shot of a model? Well shot - could just do with a tiny tweak to the left to straighten the tower. I might have also tried to control the magenta/green cast on the front/side of the tower that makes it look like a model in artifical light.
2) - OK, but a bit flat. It would also be nice to have the foreground either sharper or more blurred, but the halfway situation here is, for me, just a little unsatisfactory. It lacks slightly for an object that really captures the eye.
3) - Good angle, again a little flat & lacking lights & darks. I'd probably brighten the image half a stop & then use the blacks slider to brig back the contrast in Lightroom.
4) - Interesting, but not simple enough to be graphic, too simple to find hidden detail. Lacks a place to hold the eye.
5) - The fountains are interesting, but only form part of the background - you need to get in closer, get sparkle, movement (blurred or frozen) shapes from the spray. I find it hard to take a really compelling picture of a fountain.

Hope that's useful.

Re tripods, I only ever use them if taking long exposure images. They just get in the way of creating photographs most of the time, and I find it much harder to organise the camera to be in the right place compared to just simply working freehand. For some, they are a useful tool to make them slow down & think about the image, I find they actually stop me seeing photographs. But yes, do get out and shoot landscapes if that's your thing, but London is an absolute photographers playground.
 
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Thanks Elliot I'll defiantly be sticking with it and shooting as much as i can.

Toni, really good feedback thanks, I'll give the lr changes a try tomorrow. we live in Stoke-on-Trent so will be shooting around here mainly for now (we do have quite a variety of locations which is good) London was just a day trip (i couldn't imagine living there tbh, too busy for my liking, and driving was horrendous but that's another story).

The Tripod would be for landscape only really (I've not looked into getting one yet) for around town i wouldn't want to use one.

1 is a model, it's part of the Hogwarts castle (i think), really dull (blue/purplish artificial light from what i remember)

I feel the fountains would have made a nice image if you are standing in front of them with the trees in the background (not the road side)?
 
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