Nature lovebirds

summatusmentis · 11-22-2009, 01:50 PM

A few things I see immediately, the rocks are a little bit out of focus, and maybe the lighting could be better.

Last edited by summatusmentis; 11-22-2009 at 01:52 PM. Reason: Adding my own thoughts.

Damn Brit · 11-22-2009, 03:04 PM

Really, the fundamental problem is that they aren't positioned well in the frame. Also, IMO, they should either be bigger in the frame to really focus on them or smaller to make good use of negative space.
Cropping out the rock in the RH corner and cropping from the left to the edge of the rock would help the composition but you've already cropped it so you might start losing resolution.

**Ash** · 11-22-2009, 03:14 PM

The background's well controlled and it's a fine scene.
It's luck of the draw but both being faced away from the camera takes a little away from interest in the image. The cropping as Gary suggested would improve things a lot.

summatusmentis · 11-22-2009, 03:23 PM

I can re-crop, I've got the image in RAW, so it's not a big deal. It's hard to tell birds what to do, they don't often listen :-P Here's a re-crop.

Last edited by summatusmentis; 11-22-2009 at 03:31 PM.

Damn Brit · 11-22-2009, 03:49 PM

That's better but it is bad practice to make such large crops, they don't improve good pictures, they only salvage poor ones. If you want to improve your photography, try getting the composition right when you take the shot and then use cropping to fine tune it.

summatusmentis · 11-22-2009, 03:55 PM

I appreciate the feedback. I'm just starting out, owned my k100 for less than a year. Do you know of any websites/books/classes/etc. etc. that teach good composition technique? I've been going with the "Learn by doing" way of teaching this to myself.

Thanks again for the input. Experience is everything

Damn Brit · 11-22-2009, 04:01 PM

Originally posted by summatusmentis

I appreciate the feedback. I'm just starting out, owned my k100 for less than a year. Do you know of any websites/books/classes/etc. etc. that teach good composition technique? I've been going with the "Learn by doing" way of teaching this to myself.

Thanks again for the input. Experience is everything

To give you a start, Google Rule of Thirds, Wikipedia has a pretty good description.
Go to the library and borrow some books by photographers and look at their work.
Hang out here in the critique forum and take note of what people say. Critique some yourself, if people disagree with you, you get a chance to revise your thinking (if you choose to). It's harder to critique yourself so critiquing the work of others actually helps you take better pictures because you think more about the composition before you press the shutter.

There is a very good book called 'Light and Lens' by Robert Hirsch it's used in teaching, it would be worth your while to obtain a copy. It covers all the bases (technical and artistic) and has exercises that you can practice with.

**Ash** · 11-22-2009, 04:05 PM

An excellent book starting out is Brian Peterson's Understanding exposure.
Consider the references here also:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photography-articles/23232-learning-basic...echniques.html

summatusmentis · 11-22-2009, 06:35 PM

Thank you both for the feedback, and for taking the time. I'll look into the two books, mentioned, as well as checking out other stuff online. I'll be around some more I'm sure.

Damn Brit · 11-22-2009, 07:24 PM

Originally posted by summatusmentis

I'll be around some more I'm sure.

It's ok, we're used to being used, abused and then left waiting for the phone to ring.

11-22-2009, 01:50 PM	#1
summatusmentis Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 52	lovebirds Lens: 80mm (roughly, not entirely sure) Camera: K100D ISO: 200 Aperture: F4.5 A few things I see immediately, the rocks are a little bit out of focus, and maybe the lighting could be better. Last edited by summatusmentis; 11-22-2009 at 01:52 PM. Reason: Adding my own thoughts.

11-22-2009, 03:04 PM	#2
Damn Brit Guest	Really, the fundamental problem is that they aren't positioned well in the frame. Also, IMO, they should either be bigger in the frame to really focus on them or smaller to make good use of negative space. Cropping out the rock in the RH corner and cropping from the left to the edge of the rock would help the composition but you've already cropped it so you might start losing resolution. Last edited by Damn Brit; 11-22-2009 at 03:45 PM.

11-22-2009, 03:14 PM	#3
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	The background's well controlled and it's a fine scene. It's luck of the draw but both being faced away from the camera takes a little away from interest in the image. The cropping as Gary suggested would improve things a lot.

11-22-2009, 03:23 PM	#4
summatusmentis Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 52 Original Poster	I can re-crop, I've got the image in RAW, so it's not a big deal. It's hard to tell birds what to do, they don't often listen :-P Here's a re-crop. Last edited by summatusmentis; 11-22-2009 at 03:31 PM.

11-22-2009, 03:49 PM	#5
Damn Brit Guest	That's better but it is bad practice to make such large crops, they don't improve good pictures, they only salvage poor ones. If you want to improve your photography, try getting the composition right when you take the shot and then use cropping to fine tune it.

11-22-2009, 03:55 PM	#6
summatusmentis Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 52 Original Poster	I appreciate the feedback. I'm just starting out, owned my k100 for less than a year. Do you know of any websites/books/classes/etc. etc. that teach good composition technique? I've been going with the "Learn by doing" way of teaching this to myself. Thanks again for the input. Experience is everything

11-22-2009, 04:01 PM	#7
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by summatusmentis I appreciate the feedback. I'm just starting out, owned my k100 for less than a year. Do you know of any websites/books/classes/etc. etc. that teach good composition technique? I've been going with the "Learn by doing" way of teaching this to myself. Thanks again for the input. Experience is everything To give you a start, Google Rule of Thirds, Wikipedia has a pretty good description. Go to the library and borrow some books by photographers and look at their work. Hang out here in the critique forum and take note of what people say. Critique some yourself, if people disagree with you, you get a chance to revise your thinking (if you choose to). It's harder to critique yourself so critiquing the work of others actually helps you take better pictures because you think more about the composition before you press the shutter. There is a very good book called 'Light and Lens' by Robert Hirsch it's used in teaching, it would be worth your while to obtain a copy. It covers all the bases (technical and artistic) and has exercises that you can practice with.

11-22-2009, 04:05 PM	#8
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	An excellent book starting out is Brian Peterson's Understanding exposure. Consider the references here also: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photography-articles/23232-learning-basic...echniques.html

11-22-2009, 06:35 PM	#9
summatusmentis Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 52 Original Poster	Thank you both for the feedback, and for taking the time. I'll look into the two books, mentioned, as well as checking out other stuff online. I'll be around some more I'm sure.

11-22-2009, 07:24 PM	#10
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by summatusmentis I'll be around some more I'm sure. It's ok, we're used to being used, abused and then left waiting for the phone to ring.