Take a look at my photos?

Question

Critique please! Useful tips are accepted as well. All these were taken with my Kodak EasyShare - 12 megapixels (what I would do to get my hands on a Nikon...) Photos are in order of oldest to newest.

http://www.soaphoto.com/contest/gallery/gallery_popup.asp?Number=201575 - One of the first pictures I took with my new camera. A quick snapshot without me adding/removing any elements. '07

http://www.soaphoto.com/contest/gallery/gallery_popup.asp?Number=203431 - The pods amused me... '07

http://www.soaphoto.com/contest/gallery/gallery_popup.asp?Number=216010 - My dog, Todd. He's very photogenic. '07

http://www.soaphoto.com/contest/gallery/gallery_popup.asp?Number=230338 - Again, just something I came upon and took a photo of. Foot print wasn't mine. '07

http://www.soaphoto.com/contest/gallery/gallery_popup.asp?Number=388690 - My father; he didn't even notice me taking this photo. '08

http://www.soaphoto.com/contest/gallery/gallery_popup.asp?Number=307962 - My dog Copper giving me a kiss. '08

http://www.soaphoto.com/contest/gallery/gallery_popup.asp?Number=411878 - Because a sunset is a must. '08

http://www.soaphoto.com/contest/gallery/gallery_popup.asp?Number=431971 - '08

http://www.soaphoto.com/contest/gallery/gallery_popup.asp?Number=479057 - While I was reading at my desk via candlelight in a power-out, I noticed this shot and snagged it. '09

Not the best quality, since the site requires I upload .JPEG files, but you get the gist.

- (Formerly)BigBoobsMcGoo

Answer 1

You are showing potential, especially with your composition. There is a useful compositional rule of thumb called 'the rule of thirds', which you seem to be using instinctively, by placing the key elements off centre. I'd read the link in this post for more info.



The first picture shows you have tried to give a different angle on a relatively plain scene, which is good, although even though you have done this it still doesn't stand out for me. You are going along the right lines with foreground interest to liven up the photo and lead the eye into a shot. Use this for countryside, landscape and beach shots and you could be on to a winner!



It's nice that you have have kept the background out of focus with the hanging fruits (you have a shallow depth of field), which isolates the fruit as key elements in the photo. I have included a link to wikipedia on depth of field for more info. Having a shallow depth of field means you keep the composition simple and prevent distractions- a remarkably powerful technique in photography.



I like the sunset photo, but there are some technical tweaks I'd make to it, and agree with another response that a foreground silhouette would help. Even so, you have put the horizon low, making the sky the most important element of the shot - which is good. I have just written an article on how to take good sunset photos, so if you are interested, take a look (http://cameratrails.com/blog/24-discover-how-to-take-stunning-sunset-shots)



My favorite shot is the one of your dog, Todd. It's taken from an interesting angle and works well in black and white.



Keep up the good work!

Answer 2

The first dog shot is quite good, all the rest are just snapshots. Look at subject matter and composition (read this link)..



http://photoinf.com/General/Robert_Berdan/Composition_and_the_Elements_of_Visual_Design.htm



There are also focus problems and that has nothing to do with the fact they are JPEG!. That is down to you not operating the camera properly. How on earth do you think that because they are JPEG they are bad quality?. Every image on this page is JPEG..



http://photo.net/gallery/photocritique/filter



I think you need to do some more research!. And why the silly comment about a Nikon?. How will that improve your photography?. If you struggle to take images with the camera you have then how will buying a different camera help?. It is you that takes the images, NOT the camera.



Oh and I seem to recall you answering a question a few minutes ago and leaving a ridiculous comment about the person needing a 12mp camera, I suggest you read my reply! :o)



+++

You very obviously have been sucked into the myth that more megapixels=better pictures. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is all about sensor sizes. The 6mp Nikon D40 will produce far better images than a 12mp P&S such as your Kodak because of the sensor being around 15 times as large. I will give you the link again to be sure...



http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm



++++



Oh and one other quick note.. Here is a sample gallery of images taken with a 3mp Canon D30..



http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/canond30_samples1/



and a 1.9mp Canon A40 P&S...



http://www.flickr.com/cameras/canon/powershot_a40/



Maybe now you will get the idea that megapixels are not important..



And that concludes the lesson for today... Tomorrow we look at types of lenses

++++

Answer 3

As for calling the photos snapshots, that's where all photographers start out. In photography lingo, a snapshot really has more of a meaning than what one would think. It actually means a shot that really involved no planning, meaning the photographer just thought something looked cool and raised their camera and took the shot on auto mode. To move your photos from "snapshot" to "photo" level, try shooting in manual mode (if you don't already) because it will force you to make your own decisions about exposure, and once you find an interesting subject, take LOTS of pictures from lots of different angles and lots of different exposures. The first thing you're told when getting into photography seriously is that the thing that separates a pro from an amateur is how many pictures they take. When I find a subject I like, I can take more than 300 photos of it in different ways, and that's only about average for a photographer.



I think your strongest here are the one of your father and your sunset one.



Father - Nice leading lines - the railings lead the eye in nicely to your focal point. I'd have zoomed in more, which would better able you to capture the emotion on his face (which makes an expressive portrait), and you'd have filled the frame more effectively. This would also place his face at an intersection (read up on the Rule of Thirds - Google search it). Right now it's too close to the center.



Sunset - Again, nice leading lines, this time in the clouds, and nice colors. If I were you, I'd include a visually interesting silhouette in the foreground, such as a tree or something else naturey, just to add more depth to the photo.



As for your other photos, study up a bit on rules of composition. You're capturing a lot of nice expression in your photos, which is wonderful, but if it's not composed correctly, it will break an otherwise awesome photo. Keep it up!

Answer 4

They are nice. They are better than most of the crap people ask to get critiqued on this site, but you definitely need more practice. I'm afraid that if you didn't have such a nice camera, these pictures would just be "eh". BUT you definitely have an eye and should keep going with it. The one of the skull could've been so cool if you had gone a direction with it, either super clear or super blurry, other wise the picture looks unintentionally blurry. Nice job though!

Answer 5

First, I love you dog! Your pictures look great to me, looks natural, like something most of us have actually seen before. Really nice, keep up the good work.

Answer 6

2 points!

Answer 7

im not that much of an expert in photography but ur pics are pretty good. some of them need a bit of work but apart from that they are really good. keep up the good and and u will progress as time goes by:)

Answer 8

They are decent pictures, but most of them don't fit their title.

Answer 9

some fun stuff, kool dog, magoo magoo

Answer 10

Great pictures. You should do this for a living.