I'm quite new to the fstoppers community, and it seems that of the ~2 people who have so far rated my photos, one is a troll who rated everything as 1. I'm far from mastery of the craft, but I don't think I'm completely unskilled. I'd appreciate some constructive critique so that I can continue to improve. These are a few of my more recent nature photos; all were taken with a Canon 5D classic and any of three old manual lenses.
thanks,
Matt
I think I encountered the same guy you did 'rating' my images. Wish there was a requirement to post your own work in order to be able to rate others because he has no images on here!
I think these images all show a good eye towards compositional elements, but probably need more work to bring it all together. Given the subjects here you might find Adam Gibbs or Nick Page on Youtube worth watching. They both do a lot of woodland and deep forest photography and might give you some ideas on how to find compositions.
thanks, I'll definitely check them out!
Hi Matt,
Further than the quality of the images you posted, i believe you need to find some subject...looks like you like hiking in the nature, right? Finding an interesting subject is very often THE mission, then comes the patience to get the right lighting and composition.
I often recommend an exercise for subject matters, take your gear and don't make more than 5 miles around your home, find ONE subject and practice, different lights, different angles...
I hope this helps :-)
BTW i find the second image interesting :-)
I appreciate the advice! Only having weekends and evenings to go make photos does make it difficult to spend a lot of time with one subject/location; I've been very opportunistic in this style of photography. That'll be a worthy challenge.
Can you elaborate on what you mean about the quality? These aren't full resolution uploads, but I do want to say that all of the lenses used here range in age from about 25-40 years old and have their soft spots which I work to control. I do have new, well-corrected lenses as well, but they lack the character of older lenses, and this is more my style.
Great ;-)
Quality-wise and without trolling i would probably give all 1 except for the camping one (2.5). I can see the quality of the old lenses, the sun flare and nice bokeh but again the lack of interesting subjects makes them snapshots only...to me, no offense ;-)
Welcome to the community, Matt
First of all, on the topic of the community, it seems if it's not an epic landscape or a good looking person with a blank look on their face, good luck getting a positive reception. Every single photo in my portfolio has received a 2 at some point, every single one of them, all without feedback. This part of the website is where you will actually get feedback and human interaction.
1) I like the setting, and I can see some promise, but there's not really an interesting subject in focus. I can see some mushrooms that could have made for some intimate landscape subjects, so if you can go back, it might be worth focusing on those rather than the pile of leaves. The lighting in this one is rather nice, I think you could make a rather moody image with this location.
2) I think the problem with this one is that it wants to be an intimate landscape, but the subject is a little too complex, if that makes any sense. My eyes don't really know where to go, they are just sort of darting around the image.
3) This one is simply too dark for me, almost 50% of it is pitch black. If you are unable to raise the shadows, it's a good idea to try a longer exposure or and blend exposures. The sky is well exposed, though.
4) The only thing I don't really like about this image is the post on the right. Perhaps a different angle and a close shot could focus more on the subject with the yellow bokeh in the back without the pole intruding. Also, the placement of the flower seems a little too high.
A quick conclusion, if you're not already, it's a good idea to use a tripod when using a full manual lens, and zoom in as much as you can on your back display to nail the focus (if you have one), sorry, I'm unfamiliar with your particular camera model. I have a full manual from the 1980s and using it without a tripod and nailing the focus is impossible.
Personally, I'd say these are all around a 2 for me, as I can see you clearly put thought and effort into your compositions, but I wouldn't say they are portfolio worthy. Rather than putting images in your portfolio, I'd recommend continuing to shoot, edit, and then share them here for feedback, no meaningless rating system required. Unfortunately, I can't see any of these subjects getting more than a 3 on this website. The community already seems to have a preconception of what a 4-5 is, and you're not likely to find them in your backyard... unless your backyard is Iceland.
Don't feel too dejected, just keep enjoying what you're doing. I hope that helps!
This was all very helpful, and I appreciate it immensely. Regarding focus, the original Canon 5D doesn't have any form of live view shooting. However, some time after all these photos were taken I did install unofficial Magic Lantern firmware on the camera which provides focus peaking and can automatically zoom on playback, so I can now quickly check focus between shots rather than make a best guess and make small adjustments so that one will turn out. Regarding #3, it's better that you not see what was in the foreground, but point taken.
I hope the Magic Lantern helps you nail the focus on location. Nothing is worse than getting home from a shoot only to find things were not as in focus as first thought, especially during the fleeting fall season.
I don't know why, but when I read "it's better that you not see what was in the foreground" my mind immediately went to "oh my god, is there a dead body in there!" haha. If the foreground isn't super important, it might be worth tilting it up a little more to get the sky. I know it might throw off " the rule of thirds" but sometimes it works out for the best.
Okay, here's my opinion... and I am a novice with old equipment. I don't know all the fancy words for everything but here goes. I like your shots.
The only changes I would have made to photo 1 is I would have tightened the shot, a little less top & bottom. I also would have darkened the shot a bit. I believe your subjects - the mushroom, leaves & moss have a fairyland quality that I get & appreciate. I love the light coming in from the right!
I like photo 2. I believe you're going for the "Who could be living here?" shot? I would have tried to incorporate more of the scenery around your cavernous root while also trying to center it more... make sense?... but with all opinions, it's just mine.
The next 2 photos - in my opinion - just need a little tightening up as far as your subject is concerned. I also think the flower shot is a little too high.
Nice work over all... I've always been more than a little reticent to post my work, good for you!