in the garden

[jacqueline k]

my first set.... please let me know what you think!

[Marko]

Hi Jacqueline K and welcome!

Quite a few things going on here that require attention imo.

Lighting - The lighting here is very harsh and you can see this in the overly dark shadows. These dark shadows are a distraction for me.
Brightness/Clipping - The eye has a tendency to rest on the brightest parts on the image whether you want them to or not. Therefore careful exposure is necessary and ALL images require some form of post processing in my opinion. The Gnome in shot 2 is a good example.
Focal point - This is not a rule, but most images have clearly define focal points. In most of these images there are competing focal points. This can be confusuing for the viewer.
Composition - I'm finding these compositions quite busy. The Gnome is nicely placed in many of the shots but other elements are competing with the gnome.

Hope that helps and this is just my opinion...
Best!
Marko

[Iguanasan]

Hey, jacqueline k

Did you end up with the Pentax?

As for the shots, Marko gave a good critique I think. I have to talk about your first shot though.

Please, please go back and shoot it again with the grass in the foreground moved out of the way so you can see the whole face. That shot looks great to me except for that. It gave me a feeling of neglect to see the broken statue lying on the ground like that but I can't see it.

Keep shootin'!

Cheers

[jacqueline k]

thank you for the feedback!


marko, those are a lot of points to consider! i can definitely see what you mean about the brightness (especially on mr gnome) and how the lighting/dark shadows make the scene look cluttered. i was trying for that "i-spy" look and feel, so i guess that's where the overall busyness of the compositions came from. certainly, they do need some polishing.


iguanasan, i did end up buying the pentax and i'm so happy with it! and i'll see what i can do with my broken angel...


my mother's garden is a little bit magical... the gnomes, statues, broken toys and old pottery just kind of appear during the night. makes for wonderful photo opportunities and lots of practice.