The "critique my shot" thread

I really like that photo ALXBWSCREWm the tones and simplicity are just perfect. The only problem I have with it is that the four birds to the right are too close to the edge of the frame. If you were to crop those birds out I'd go with a different aspect ratio, perhaps 5x4 or something similar. I'd also consider cropping out the smooth sand in the foreground to give the image an even more graphic feel.
 
I really like that photo ALXBWSCREWm the tones and simplicity are just perfect. The only problem I have with it is that the four birds to the right are too close to the edge of the frame. If you were to crop those birds out I'd go with a different aspect ratio, perhaps 5x4 or something similar. I'd also consider cropping out the smooth sand in the foreground to give the image an even more graphic feel.

Thanks. That foreground is actually ice and I thougt it would be good to leave it there in order to give a sense of perspective. I've also tried out your vision on the image:
https://pic.armedcats.net/a/al/alxbwscrew/2011/03/07/LacInghetat_2_.jpg
Thanks for the advice.
 
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Necessary reboot to this thread.

I think the colors off the building are great, and the boat makes a nice foreground element. Also, dogs! But the image still seems to be a little flat, I'm not really getting the sense of depth in it unfortunately. Maybe some more foreground or a different angle might have helped?

 
^yes but that way you leave the horizon bang in the middle which isn't very attractive. Also, distortions are very, very present on the horizon line which is curved, I suggest you fix that in Lightroom easy and simple. I like the cinematic panorama look of it with the black bars but just don't leave that horizon in the middle.
 
Thanks gentlemen. I really love that movie bar look!

I'll play around with it in lightroom and repost it here when I can! Meanwhile lets get some more shots in here! Cmon cmon :D
 
My biggest problem with this photo is that I'm not sure what am I supposed to take away from it. The pier is nice but there's just not any sort of detail on it to make it interesting. The sky/beach/horizon is nice but then it has a nondescript pier and random people there. The resting surfer is nice but then you're kinda guessing at that. In all there's just too much going on there.
 
I just think it works better in landscape orientation... It also looks better without your buddy in the fram. :p

https://pic.armedcats.net/c/cl/clockwerk/2011/07/07/edit.jpg

You killed my friend! :eek:

I like that actually, it's really nice. Forget my edits then.

My biggest problem with this photo is that I'm not sure what am I supposed to take away from it. The pier is nice but there's just not any sort of detail on it to make it interesting. The sky/beach/horizon is nice but then it has a nondescript pier and random people there. The resting surfer is nice but then you're kinda guessing at that. In all there's just too much going on there.

I accept your opinion but I'm somewhat staggered to think that a simple picture with 1 subject and 2 or 3 other elements is considered "too much going on there".




Moar posts gentlemen and ladies! Post your pictures!
 
My biggest problem with this photo is that I'm not sure what am I supposed to take away from it. The pier is nice but there's just not any sort of detail on it to make it interesting. The sky/beach/horizon is nice but then it has a nondescript pier and random people there. The resting surfer is nice but then you're kinda guessing at that. In all there's just too much going on there.

I think the picture is awesome, simple to the point excellence... Mostly because I can almost feel the surfer lamenting that fact that sun is setting and his day of surfing is done.
 
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I accept your opinion but I'm somewhat staggered to think that a simple picture with 1 subject and 2 or 3 other elements is considered "too much going on there".
The reason I said there was "too much going on" is because while you may indeed have 1 subject and 2 or 3 elements, but looking at it, I can't say which is which.
 
The reason I said there was "too much going on" is because while you may indeed have 1 subject and 2 or 3 elements, but looking at it, I can't say which is which.

I have to agree with this, really. It's a nice shot, but I'm not really sure what the subject is. My eye goes straight to the highlight, which is blown out, and the pier acts as a leading line straight to it. For that reason, the shot doesn't work as a landscape for me; the sunset would have been the 'subject' but has no detail to it. The surfer is too dark and too small in the frame to work as a subject for me also. If the shot had more colour or was brighter, it could have worked. As it is, it's a nice idea but I don't think you've pulled it off this time. Certainly a good effort, though.

I think Clockwerks panoramic-style edit is probably the one that comes closest to working.
 
I think the problem then was that I was using the ND filter to get the water to smooth out, rather than just grabbing the image of sunset and chillaxing surfer.

Honestly, the next time I hit the beach I promised myself that I would take more pictures of surfers and less pictures of the sunset and the pier. There's already 1231082371E+123 of those.

Thanks for your opinions guys, I really appreciate it!
 
I like the concept of light walkway, dark boundaries, but it's waaaaay too dark. The curved composition is great, really leads the eyes towards the dude, but then the dude's dark!

https://pic.armedcats.net/l/lu/lurkerpatrol/2011/07/22/expose_and_crop.jpg

I brightened it up, changed the crop so that it fits the rule of thirds, and the dude is positioned on the top third. Also made it so that the sidewalk/wooden pathway starts the frame on the left edge.
 
Cheers everyone. :) The input was great. I agree, Hari was distracting, but I didn't want to remove him for fear of cocking up. I'm taking these photos to be evaluated by an assessor (DofE) you see, and I suspect that he'll be pleased to see me asking you guys for advice.
 
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