[trigger.happy]

Hi Guys,

Here are some photos of mine taken from a recent trek. All types of critique are appreciated. Thank you.

[Unregistered User 8]

All types of critique are appreciated

Hi trigger.happy. They are all good photographs, but I find the positioning of your copyright watermark very distracting. Just my opinion though.

[trigger.happy]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts pjv. I actually got the idea from photographer Toshiki Nakanishi. Here is his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/toshikinakanishi.official/. Maybe I can keep the idea once I become at least 1/10th as good as him?

But yeah, I'll try to tone it down. Thanks again.

Just one last thing. If it's alright with you. Can you tell me your personal ranking for these images from best to worst? That way I can understand, which subject/setup was the weakest.

[Unregistered User 8]

Can you tell me your personal ranking for these images from best to worst?

1 = D.
2 = C
3 = B
4 = F. Worst.
5 = A. Best.
6 = E
For me, the closer the watermark is to the middle, the more distracting it is. The creative angles ( rather than just horizontal ) are fine, but they should be closer to corners IMO. Also for me, they should be more opaque so my eye is not drawn to them rather that the image itself. The sizing is also important so the watermark is not " in your face." All of the above is just 1 man's opinion and should be judged as such. Good luck.

[trigger.happy]

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts pjv. I'll keep your advice on the watermark in mind. As for your ranking, it is very interesting. I personally thought 5 would be around last.

For 4 being last, minus the distracting watermark, would you attribute it to the subject not being strong enough, not being interesting enough or not being sharp enough?

[Unregistered User 8]

For 4 being last, minus the distracting watermark, would you attribute it to the subject not being strong enough, not being interesting enough or not being sharp enough?

All of the above. Good luck in the future.

[DeadJohn]

1 = D.
2 = C
3 = B
4 = F. Worst.
5 = A. Best.
6 = E
For me, the closer the watermark is to the middle, the more distracting it is. The creative angles ( rather than just horizontal ) are fine, but they should be closer to corners IMO. Also for me, they should be more opaque so my eye is not drawn to them rather that the image itself. The sizing is also important so the watermark is not " in your face." All of the above is just 1 man's opinion and should be judged as such. Good luck.

I'll offer another opinion for the OP. The watermarks can be distracting, but I'll try to ignore them.

It's interesting that you like 5 the most. For me, it's just a jumbled mess of branches.

Images 1 and 6 are my favorites. 1 has an interesting framing of the tree occupying two edges of the photo. The distant haze is okay, but I would experiment with the Lightroom contrast and dehaze sliders, or maybe a B&W conversion, to see what develops. 6 does a good job conveying the altitude of the path above the lower low background terrain. The range of leaf colors and writing on the tree adds interest.

[Jim P]

#6 - I like the clarity of the bench and foreground tree. You might changing the exposure so it is not quite as bright and and might make the picture feel a bit more enticing.
#4 - The reflection of the clouds on the water works well, but it is difficult to see without staring at the picture a while. The haze makes clouds, horizon, and ocean blend together.
#1 - Similar thoughts as for $#4. Nicely framed, My eye is drawn to the clouds, but they are the least interesting aspect of picture. You might try the lightroom dehaze function for both this and number 4 as it might make the city sharp enough so it would be more of the focal point.
#5 - Nice.

[trigger.happy]

All of the above. Good luck in the future.

Thanks for all your help!

---------- Post added 04-12-16 at 06:07 PM ----------

I'll offer another opinion for the OP. The watermarks can be distracting, but I'll try to ignore them.

It's interesting that you like 5 the most. For me, it's just a jumbled mess of branches.

Images 1 and 6 are my favorites. 1 has an interesting framing of the tree occupying two edges of the photo. The distant haze is okay, but I would experiment with the Lightroom contrast and dehaze sliders, or maybe a B&W conversion, to see what develops. 6 does a good job conveying the altitude of the path above the lower low background terrain. The range of leaf colors and writing on the tree adds interest.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I do agree with your assessment of 5. I thought its concept would be a failure. But it seems pjv and Jim at least liked it.

#6 - I like the clarity of the bench and foreground tree. You might changing the exposure so it is not quite as bright and and might make the picture feel a bit more enticing.
#4 - The reflection of the clouds on the water works well, but it is difficult to see without staring at the picture a while. The haze makes clouds, horizon, and ocean blend together.
#1 - Similar thoughts as for $#4. Nicely framed, My eye is drawn to the clouds, but they are the least interesting aspect of picture. You might try the lightroom dehaze function for both this and number 4 as it might make the city sharp enough so it would be more of the focal point.
#5 - Nice.

Thank you as well Jim. I really appreciate the insight. I actually didn't even notice the reflections of the clouds on 4.


One common idea in both your comments was the distant haze. I admit I didn't try hard enough to remove the haze as I thought it to be just a limitation of the kit lens. I'll see what I can do with the raw file again and I'll keep all your tips in mind for future photos. Thanks again.

[DeadJohn]

The distant haze is due to humid air and would happen with any lens. The effect can be reduced with a circular polarizing filter at time of capture, or some sliders in processing software.

[trigger.happy]

Finally got around to playing with image #4 to try my hand at removing haze.

[Jim P]

It certainly improved the picture. It gives focus to the three bands, city, ocean, and clouds instead of the original where it was city and everything above the city. Very nice.

[trigger.happy]

Thanks Jim. I do think I've added a slight green tinge though so still far from perfect.