A few B&W

Aaron1971 · 05-03-2009, 06:15 AM

Please give me your honest assessment, I've am a little out of practice.....These are a few I've grabbed the last couple of weeks....

AlexD · 05-03-2009, 04:22 PM

Well...

#1 Really doesn't do much to me. Sorry. Wish that at least the bird's head was turned to the camera, or even better -- if the bird was doing something, like scratching, etc.. The gull is too far on the left.

#2. Water / land / sky line is too centered in the middle of the frame. I would have preferred more space above the bridge. But it is quite a nice shot!

#3. This is probably my favourite of the set. Nice "depth". Square format might work better? However, this shot (on my monitor) seems to lack "oomph"
, which can be quite easily added using Levels or Curves tool in an image editing program.

OK work overall. Keep practising, shoot a lot and after a while (not hours -- but weeks or months) and you will gradually find yourself taking better pictures. Learning to use image editing programs helps, but getting a good "base" shot is best.

Aaron1971 · 05-04-2009, 09:31 AM

I tried to incorporate your recommendations...how are these? I just realized that there is some dust on my sensor.....so...

AlexD · 05-04-2009, 12:18 PM

Very, very nice.

A little noise in the sky of the last one, but a very good job on all.

axl · 05-11-2009, 01:49 PM

on contrary,
I like the first one, I like the PPing and and the tone. It makes you kind of wonder.
the other two, I like the idea but not the execution. Sorry

*Rense* · 05-11-2009, 01:56 PM

Great shots, I agree with Peter (Axl) on the first one, it's great! And from the second bunch I like the last one very much! Nice constrasty photos, nice job!

foxglove · 05-11-2009, 02:08 PM

This just goes to show how individual taste is...

I really like the first one - I like that the gull is way to the left, and that it's turned away. It does seem terribly noisy for ISO 200, though - was it badly underexposed? But in a way, the noise gives it an interesting film grain quality that works. It's an intriguing image, to me, at least!

The bridge is nice enough, but doesn't grab me (either version) - I want something going on, like a boat passing by, or it needs to be absolutely symmetrical so that it's "about" the symmetry of the bridge structure.

I can't decide which of the versions of the old rail car I prefer - I agree with Alex that the first is flat, but I think you may have gone a little too far the other way on the second. I think I do like the second crop better, it gets rids of some of the busy foreground bushes. In both versions, though, I find the patch of background showing through the car on the far right very distracting. I don't think you'd lose much by cropping that little bit off.

The gull "looking at its reflection" is okay, but like the bridge, doesn't grab me. I like that you've included the entire reflection, though!

Interesting how different everyone's opinions are on these. Just goes to show, in the end, you've got to please yourself.

Julie

kevinschoenmakers · 05-12-2009, 01:23 PM

I also prefer the first shot of the bird. The bridge isn't very interesting in either versions. The picture of the abandoned traincar would benefit from some more highlights (1st version), it looks rather dark now.

axl · 05-13-2009, 04:42 PM

the 2nd version of the vagon is much better than the 1st one IMHO, but I feel there is still something missing...

Geronimo · 06-07-2009, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by foxglove

This just goes to show how individual taste is...

I really like the first one - I like that the gull is way to the left, and that it's turned away. It does seem terribly noisy for ISO 200, though - was it badly underexposed? But in a way, the noise gives it an interesting film grain quality that works. It's an intriguing image, to me, at least!

The bridge is nice enough, but doesn't grab me (either version) - I want something going on, like a boat passing by, or it needs to be absolutely symmetrical so that it's "about" the symmetry of the bridge structure.

I can't decide which of the versions of the old rail car I prefer - I agree with Alex that the first is flat, but I think you may have gone a little too far the other way on the second. I think I do like the second crop better, it gets rids of some of the busy foreground bushes. In both versions, though, I find the patch of background showing through the car on the far right very distracting. I don't think you'd lose much by cropping that little bit off.

The gull "looking at its reflection" is okay, but like the bridge, doesn't grab me. I like that you've included the entire reflection, though!

Interesting how different everyone's opinions are on these. Just goes to show, in the end, you've got to please yourself.

Julie

Not that there isn't tons to learn from others, especially here; but that's exactly what has been crossing my mind over the past couple of weeks. And, I didn't realize [Newb!] that it's ok to re-process and/or re-crop a picture that had been previously submitted. I was primarily focused on just going out and taking pictures

.

MRRiley · 06-17-2009, 10:46 AM

I like the rework of #3. #2 is better in the first version as far as tones go but the crop is better in the reworked version however it still needs a tweak (at least to my eyes). The horizon seems ever so slightly tilted to the right. The visual cue that makes me say this is that the bridge towers seem to be leaning to the right.

Mike

*Jonson PL* · 06-17-2009, 02:46 PM

The first one is great. Noise really looks like film grain.
Second, looks like taken in too harsh afternoon light.
Third one I really like again, can’t quite put my finger on it.

I like your first samples the best. Are they all from digital, and what camera ?

jct us101 · 06-18-2009, 06:54 PM

There's far too much contrast on the Claireborne Pell Bridge photo. You need to make the towers more visible (I know with their color that it's hard to do) but try messing with the exposure settings in whatever editor you use.