Sharing Comments and Criticism..

[sharona]

I have one where I would love some feedback to improve it as I am heading back to this spot in a few days and want to try it again. What to do differently???? Ps - I have thick skin so don't hold back!

Feb2016_2289b by SharonCat..., on Flickr

 

[fractal]

I have one where I would love some feedback to improve it as I am heading back to this spot in a few days and want to try it again. What to do differently???? Ps - I have thick skin so don't hold back!

Feb2016_2289b by SharonCat..., on Flickr

Really like this shot. I don't know much I would change. Maybe tighter crop to isolate the tree more. Maybe try taking the shot from a lower angle.

 

[sharona]

Really like this shot. I don't know much I would change. Maybe tighter crop to isolate the tree more. Maybe try taking the shot from a lower angle.

Thanks for your comments. A lower angle may work, I'll try that next time. The bank was wet and muddy and I was on my way somewhere else that day so couldn't really get all dirty. I converted this to b&w because the color version was really drab. I'm going to try for early morning light next time and see if I can get a color version that works. Unfortunately, it's 57 degrees here today and raining so I think my chance with the ice may be gone for this year. But, if that is a sign of an early Spring, I am not complaining!!!

I do have this from a different angle but I don't like it as much. I didn't do much post processing on it so there may be better crops or some edits that could spruce it up.

Feb2016_2268a by SharonCat..., on Flickr

 

[Chernabog1940]

I, too, like the first picture better. The black and white allows the tree to stand out better from the ice in the background.

 

[my3sons77]

LOVE this thread!!! What a great idea! Definitely going to be posting some pictures soon.

 

[Chernabog1940]

I'll open myself again with the picture below. As you all can tell, Pemaquid is one of my favorite spots for taking pictures.

 

[TheBigE]

I'll open myself again with the picture below. As you all can tell, Pemaquid is one of my favorite spots for taking pictures.

Overall I like the image and compositionally I think for me it hits the mark. I feel it could be improved by some additional sharpening in Post Processing, it just feels soft. The sea, the bushes, they could Pop a bit more. Maybe add some Saturation to a few specific colors - REd, Blue.

 

[Spork3127]

Infinity pool at Live Aqua Resort in Cancun taken at sunrise. Used a9 stop ND filter to capture some of the smoothness and movement of the water and also get some of the movement of the clouds. Thinking I should do a slight crop to remove the hotel building on the far left.
Sunrise 2 by Jason, on Flickr

 

[fractal]

I'll open myself again with the picture below. As you all can tell, Pemaquid is one of my favorite spots for taking pictures.

I like this much better than the last one. I now have a nice subject. I like the composition with the house and bell looking over the ocean. How close can you get to that bell? I would love to see a closer shot, from just above it with a wide aperture. Isolate the bell in focus with the blue sky and ocean blurred away.

 

[fractal]

Infinity pool at Live Aqua Resort in Cancun taken at sunrise. Used a9 stop ND filter to capture some of the smoothness and movement of the water and also get some of the movement of the clouds. Thinking I should do a slight crop to remove the hotel building on the far left.
Sunrise 2 by Jason, on Flickr

Very nice shot. I agree with cropping out the hotel. The "hut" in the middle is also a bit distracting. A few steps to the left I thing would due wonders to the shot (assuming nothing too terrible right of the pool ).

 

[sharona]

I'll open myself again with the picture below. As you all can tell, Pemaquid is one of my favorite spots for taking pictures.

I can see what attracted you to this shot but I think that the way it's framed, it lacks a true subject. Am I supposed to focus on the sea or on the bell? My eye isn't sure so I end up focusing on the horizon which is not, I think, what you saw when you took the shot. Maybe with a different depth of field so that the bell is more prominent and the sea is a bit out of focus would better direct the viewer to what you want them to see, or shift left so that the building and bell are the more defined subject? Definitely worth going back to earlier or later in the day for softer light.

 

[havoc315]

I'll open myself again with the picture below. As you all can tell, Pemaquid is one of my favorite spots for taking pictures.

I like it. I don't love the square crop... and the bell is a little high in the frame, so the eye doesn't naturally find it. So I would have gone with a more horizontal crop, with the bell a bit more in rule-of-thirds position. I'd happy with the stopped down aperture, you don't need background blur separation for a shot like this. The light isn't bad, but sunrise/sunset lighting certainly would have made the shot far more dramatic and interesting. But you can't always control the time of the day, so it's a good result working with the light you had.

 

[havoc315]

Infinity pool at Live Aqua Resort in Cancun taken at sunrise. Used a9 stop ND filter to capture some of the smoothness and movement of the water and also get some of the movement of the clouds. Thinking I should do a slight crop to remove the hotel building on the far left.
Sunrise 2 by Jason, on Flickr

I love it. I don't mind the building on the edge of the frame, though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to erase it or photoshop it out. My only minor issue, is that the horizon is a bit too centered. For this type of shot, one needs to decide whether they want to emphasize the water or the sky. Pick one, and them aim the horizon line accordingly. Here, I may have pointed the camera up just a bit, bringing down the horizon line just slightly. You also have some very heavy vingetting, which you can correct a bit in post.
Overall, great effort. Definitely something you can frame proudly.

 

[havoc315]

Thanks for your comments. A lower angle may work, I'll try that next time. The bank was wet and muddy and I was on my way somewhere else that day so couldn't really get all dirty. I converted this to b&w because the color version was really drab. I'm going to try for early morning light next time and see if I can get a color version that works. Unfortunately, it's 57 degrees here today and raining so I think my chance with the ice may be gone for this year. But, if that is a sign of an early Spring, I am not complaining!!!

I do have this from a different angle but I don't like it as much. I didn't do much post processing on it so there may be better crops or some edits that could spruce it up.

Feb2016_2268a by SharonCat..., on Flickr

I like the angle on this shot. I like being led by the tree, instead of just showing it at a right ankle. But all of these shots, IMHO, could have benefited by getting closer and wider. These shots would have really benefited from an ultrawide angle shot, getting in very close to the tree, to almost see the scene from the tree's perspective. Ultrawide, still fully keeping the tree nicely detailed in the image.

 

[sharona]

I like the angle on this shot. I like being led by the tree, instead of just showing it at a right ankle. But all of these shots, IMHO, could have benefited by getting closer and wider. These shots would have really benefited from an ultrawide angle shot, getting in very close to the tree, to almost see the scene from the tree's perspective. Ultrawide, still fully keeping the tree nicely detailed in the image.

Great input, thank you!. The ice is pretty much gone at this point and there's nothing special about how it looks right now with the lake all choppy and no greenery anywhere yet but... the first non windy morning I'll be there at sunrise with my 11-16 trying to get the tree and the lake reflection. Not exactly what attracted me to this shot in the first place but now I'm determined to get something I'm happy with from this spot. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Chernabog1940]

Thanks everyone for your comments. In the past, I have shot the reverse of this with the bell as th focal point and the background out of focus. I had to crop the shot this way because as I took it, someone leaned back just far enough to take up the entire left side of the frame.

 

[havoc315]

Alright, let's try this set.... Did best I could do, with bad mid-day light, playing with my 14mm:

Fields of Leonard Park by Adam Brown, on Flickr

Crossing the lake by Adam Brown, on Flickr

From a bridge in Leonard Park by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

[TheBigE]

Okay, I will give it a go....

Alright, let's try this set.... Did best I could do, with bad mid-day light, playing with my 14mm:

Fields of Leonard Park by Adam Brown, on Flickr

Harsh overhead light, but I think you made the best of it here in this case. Certainly not the best time of day for a "landscape" photo.

What I like - the road coming in from the left and seemingly going out endlessly. The flare from the sun (never can seem to get this right when I take landscape photos)

What is not appealing to me - The colors are bland, I think adding some more blue Saturation and Green may help some. Otherwise, not much of a story here in the photo for me.

Crossing the lake by Adam Brown, on Flickr

I do like this one and the color treatment you have taken. For me this is the best out of the three. I really would like to see a bit more detail in the wood, not sure if some more sharpening could help out here. Sun is coming from high to your right which you did a nice job of taking advantage of the sun light and casting the shadows of the railing on the right. I like it.

From a bridge in Leonard Park by Adam Brown, on Flickr

Again some comments from the first, good work given the harsh lighting conditions. I am not sure the railing adds anything in this photo. For me I think this photo maybe in the details of the tree....the bark, the lines, etc. A tighter crop of the tree and raising shadows might offer some improvement. This would be difficult given the time of day.

 

[dmaxphil]

I'll open myself again with the picture below. As you all can tell, Pemaquid is one of my favorite spots for taking pictures.

I like this shot. It may have been asked, but what's with the blue sky around the bell? Was something chopped out?

 

[dmaxphil]

Infinity pool at Live Aqua Resort in Cancun taken at sunrise. Used a9 stop ND filter to capture some of the smoothness and movement of the water and also get some of the movement of the clouds. Thinking I should do a slight crop to remove the hotel building on the far left.
Sunrise 2 by Jason, on Flickr

I'd perhaps crop the hotel out of the shot. Beautiful sky and I really appreciate the technique. Am I the only one seeing a strange banding in the sky near the vignette?