Around The Barn!

[ChAnTaL]

Would love to have some of your critiques .. I'm just starting taking good one I think but need some advices

Thanks and Enjoy!!

#1


#2


#3


#4

[tirediron]

Some very nice work. C&C per req:

1. Definitely my least favorite of the four images. I understand (I think) what you were after, but in this case I think you've zoomed in a little too far. The exposure is good, but the image overall is rather soft.


2. I really like this image again, it seems a little soft, but I think that may just be Photobucket's compression algorythim, and not your photography. Compositionally, there are two concerns that I have; the right eye of the near horse, and the left eye of the farther horse are so close to each other that they almost seem to be one. Looking at it, it's a little confusing. As well, the horse in the background is very distracting. One of the key differences between a good image and a great image is the background. Try and keep clear, soft backgrounds for images like this.


3. Another nice image; this one has a couple of minor exposure issues, namely the very bright highlights above the nose and the very dark areas around the eyes. That's not entirely unexpected however, and given the difficulties of getting good exposures in snow scenes, I wouldn't worry too much. Remember though that in animal photographs, the eyes are key. They should always be sharp and well exposed.


4. A really nice portrait. I love the composition and you've got the eyes perfectly - the only down side is that you've cropped a tiny bit off of one ear. This one is a bit under-exposed; if you look along the right side of his neck (image left) this area is about 1/2 stop darker than it should be. Your white balance took a hit as well; it's much too cold (blue) and needs to be warmer (yellow). As well, the the bit of bar in the lower-left corner needs to be cropped out.

A lot of niggly points, but they're all fairly minor. Your work is good, and hopefully I've given you some ideas.


Just my $00.02 worth - your milage may vary.


~John

[ChAnTaL]

Thanks for you! That was taken last year with a Olympus SP 500. I now have an Rebel XTI and learn with .. It's always great to have comment so we can learn! Here another one that I love.



And the picture #2 Crop. (This picture was an Accident .. I was trying to shot the horse in the middle but the two others came in the way but It's cool!!)

[Marko]

Hi Chantal,

You'll get the fullest and best critiques by posting only one or two pics per thread. If you are posting brand new pictures, start a new thread with those new pics.This just makes the flow better and will help you in the end to get better critiques.

and Welcome btw!

In terms of the first series of shots, I like shot 4 the best. It's sharp and has very few distractions.

The second set:
I like the chicken but the right side of the image is losing detail and needs to be burnt in a bit. Also the white flowers in the background are also a distraction. The eye needs to be tack sharp and it isn't. I know there's a lot to be aware of.

I like the second crop of the 2 horses. I'd try to burn in the white on the top though.

Hope that helps!
Marko

[ChAnTaL]

What do you want to say by burnt it a bit? I'm new with the whole thing haha.. I'm using digital image suite and photoimpact 12 to edit .. is there any other one that I could use and it's not to hard to learn?

[tirediron]

What do you want to say by burnt it a bit? I'm new with the whole thing haha.. I'm using digital image suite and photoimpact 12 to edit .. is there any other one that I could use and it's not to hard to learn?

"Burning" refers to using a tool which will allow a selected area to be darkened more than the area around it. I've heard of Photoimpact, but I'm not familiar with it.

BTW, I like both of the second pictures; nicely done, and agree with marko's comments.

[Marko]

Tirediron is correct. Burning in refers to darkening a specific part of an image. Dodging refers to lightening a specific part of an image. Hang around for a while and you'll see that we use these terms over and over.

If you want to become a great photographer, you WILL 100% be dodging and burning almost every single image that you feel is better than a snapshot. It's one of the very important keys to a great photograph. This recent thread explains it all quite well and has images as well. The blue nile falles retouched

Marko

[ChAnTaL]

is there a topic here that show you how to use photoshop .. I have this program but never use it.

[Marko]

is there a topic here that show you how to use photoshop .. I have this program but never use it.

There are tips on how to use photoshop scattered throughout this site and the Internet, but photoshop is MUCH to complex to have a single topic to show you how to use it.

Many people buy a book or take tutorials to learn the basics of photoshop.

That said - if you ask a specific question on how to use photoshop, it's our pleasure to help answer it.

Thx
Marko

[AcadieLibre]

If you have Photo Shop is is worth your time to learn it, it is the best photo editing program around in my opinion. That said it does have a steep learning curve, but well worth it. As others have said there are a ton of tutorials online.