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Feedback please

Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
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Location
Veracruz
Trying some color for a change, and as usual, I have included some black and white. First time I have purposely shot something in the "golden hour" AM version. Whoa! What a difference! :eek2::sun:

Please take a moment and let me know what you think, I really appreciate it!

And away we go...all lucky 13 of them, a baker's dozen. If you don't like the taste, be brutal. It's the only way I am going to improve!

#1

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#2

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#3

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#4

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#5

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#6

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#7

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#8

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#9

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#10

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#11

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#12

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#13

RockyRoadnearPlandelasHayasloosecropfilteredBW_zps3881a35d.jpg
 
very nice. can no one down there read a keep off sign or are they trying to keep the road from floating away?
 
As a professional photographer who has has the privilege of photographing in some incredible places on this planet, I tell many who ask, what is the best time to shoot and my answer is always the same. Early am and at dusk and beyond. Second question is. What kind of camera do you use and I answer - it does not matter, it is only a tool. Your photos convey the golden hour very well. Nice images.

Photographers create images. Cameras record that vision. Simple but true.
 
I think it's a great body of work....

Yet one attribute puzzles me. Either my monitor is wanky or my eyes, but do you use the a "sharpen" or "clarity" tool? A LOT? They seem pixelated in a high contrast setting indicating either an overuse of sharpen or clarity.

Other than that, it's still a great body of work.
 
Or maybe an HDR setting?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
Good morning, gentlemen, great feedback!

In order...

FocusFrenzy, now that was funny! Good line about the rocks.

fotoTex, thanks for the thumbs up on my getting something from the "golden hour" and your views on photography. I think it means I will be getting up much earlier this winter!

JohnDirt, makes me feel inspired to know that someone would want to hang a print of my work on their wall. I appreciate that a lot!

Trice, take a bow! Trice was the one who inspired me to head to the port a week ago last Sunday in the early AM. He had made a request for a photo and I purposely went to fulfill that. I certainly appreciate the kick in the butt you give me from time to time.

M38A1, Yo Doc, and Achesley, you've got it right. I use Picasa for some basic adjustments. I shoot with a pocket camera, a Samsung WB850F I bought at Costco here in Veracruz. Prior to this I used both a Fuji and a Nikon pocket camera. The little Samsung is not the interchangeable lens type, it is more like a very basic "telezoom" but not like the Canon or Nikon "bridge" types, it is really just a fancy point and shoot.

I usually make prints in the largest size Costco offers, my friends whom have received my prints all like the big size of roughly 18 x 12 with a small white border and a matte finish. I have asked professional photographers here about printing and they all recommended Costco as it is half the price of the other places and better quality according to them. Resources are a little bit limited here, however, I hope to track down a local pro with his own printing set up and spend some time and money with him and check the results.

I do try to shoot taking into account the need for 3:2. I don't know much about this, I have really spent most of my time on trying to get a handle on composition, I especially like black and white and prefer to shoot for monochrome though I do usually shoot in color with settings on auto. Their is two level image stabilization in the camera, I usually use just one (not the digital stabilization as it is called).

I have found that a little bit of HDR seems to make my large size prints appear more interesting. However, the HDR becomes more noticeable when I shrink the files down in order to post them. Am I using too much if it is bothersome to a pro eye? Previously, I had received feedback on this forum that pointed out the "ringing" halo in some of my work, I have tried to eliminate that but it appears I might still be using too much.

I am a little limited as I have not taken any courses, I generally look for info on composition and do try to "think" the shot when composing. What I mean is I am active in composition but passive in the technical aspect as far as white balance, exposure, etc... I hope to try some experiments with settings soon, based on the limits of my camera hopefully I can at least learn something. I do enjoy viewing the work of professionals and studying their compositions. It is amazing to me what I have learned simply by studying the shots of some photographers and seeing "in action", the application of what the articles and books say.

Your input is really, really appreciated. Based on my comments above, any pointers you guys can offer are most welcome! I seem to be reaching people with my compositions but in overall quality I think I need some more guidance. Your help sincerely inspires me.
Thanks, and any feedback on my setup and methods described above????
 
Input? Just keep doing what you area doing, find what YOU really like and stay with that. If YOU like shooting boats, then shoot boats. If others like the way you shoot boats and that brings you joy or cash, keep shooting boats. I guess you just need to shoot whatever floats your boat!
 
:tab If you nail the composition, I think that right there puts you ahead of most people taking pictures. Getting the technical aspects down is not as hard in my view. Perfect technical settings do not make a great picture when the composition stinks. On the other hand, good composition can make up for not so perfect technical settings, especially in the age of digital where so much of that can be tweaked in post processing. This is not to say that the technical settings are not important, but just that the art of "Seeing" is perhaps the foundation and the technical settings are what you use to build on a solid foundation.
 
#1 and #4 for sure.
The others are nice, but the statue just doesn't draw me in.
I wanted to like #12 because they're definitely a story there, but for some reason, it just wasn't clicking for me.
I liked #2, but it seemed overcooked on the saturation for me, personally.
 
Thanks for the input.
#2 does have some saturation, I was trying to bring out the details in the reflection in the water. Point taken.
#12 is...well...number 12. That road was just so odd, I had to shoot it but you are right, there is something more needed, like another rider, perhaps, in the distance, hands off the bars and looking at it like ***?

I should mention that the statue is the tribute to the "Spanish Immigrant" that was erected a few years back in the port. It pays homage to the remarkable numbers of Spanish refugees, economic and political who came to Mexico in various waves, particularly when Franco took over. The statue is discussed in the great documentary, "The Mexican Suitcase" which tells an amazing story that includes the work of a trio of very well known photographers. I won't spoil it for you, but I think anyone will find it a very intriguing story. Worth the price of admission IMHO.
 
I hope this doesn't distract from the pics. But can I ask why not take normal photos and show the original colors? Why do people feel the need to enhance the colors? If you take a good photo and it's clear, wouldn't the colors come out better? Or is that the problem and people are trying to correct it by enhancing a color?
 
I hope this doesn't distract from the pics. But can I ask why not take normal photos and show the original colors? Why do people feel the need to enhance the colors? If you take a good photo and it's clear, wouldn't the colors come out better? Or is that the problem and people are trying to correct it by enhancing a color?

No, no distraction at all, I think that is a great question. Here is my take on trying to explain what I've done. It could be right or wrong or who knows, but it is just my relatively neophyte point of view.

I liken the use of digital post processing to be like the digital filters I apply in post processing to my black and white work. For example, in Picasa you have 3 ways of converting color to black and white. One of these is a black and white conversion with variable filtering. A filter can really change a monochromatic picture. Photographers have been using filters for a long time, the ones that mount on the lens.

Since I shot all of the pics on this thread with a pocket camera without an interchangeable lens and without a way to apply a filter, physically, to the lens, I like to check and see if a filtered black and white process is the way to go. Filters can make the clouds more defined etc...

I don't know much about color, I am feeling the differences between composing for black and white and composing for color, I might be going up a blind alley here, but I do feel that approaching a shot with the end result visualized to be in black and white is different from the approach to a color shot.

An example of this is the statue shot. I was trying to get the placement of the objects to my liking, I was really impressed with the natural light in the "golden hour" and I did try to take into account the colors. I had a hard time trying to get the shot to work in black and white in the digital post processing and I don't think it really does.

The ship was interesting to me as it really was painted an odd and bright color for an ocean going vessel. Usually, you might see some red, black, green maybe, and of course, white and a lot of gray or gray/blue. But that color was the first time I had seen it on a ship. I decided, and likely incorrectly, that if a little bit of that color with that light was good, then a lot of it would be just right. The old "if a little bit is good, then too much should be just enough" idea being applied.

I know there is some controversy over the High Dynamic Range (HDR) being used in post-processing. Again, I don't really know much about this, but I do know that it is fun to play with, especially in black and white. Personally, it appeals to me, but again, I am likely using too much.

Maybe it all comes down to what I am seeing and then, maybe, in the post processing with Picasa, trying to convey or amplify what appealed to me.

What I do know is that it is quite challenging to express sensations when it comes to photography!:giveup:
 
LOL, shows what I know. I didn't get that you were trying to go b/w from color. For the B/W photos, number 4 is the best to me. It seems clear and defined (if I can say that). I like how the sign up front is bright and stands out, yet the building behind it is defined and dark but with good definition. You can really see the corners or outline of the building. But also the very far (rear most building) is very bright and defined as well. It's like it was taken in black and white. Of the black and white photos, I'd pick that one.
 
Having started in photography 57 years ago and always willing to look and swoon over some shots I would say ya done good!
 
Having started in photography 57 years ago and always willing to look and swoon over some shots I would say ya done good!

Thanks, Wanabeguru! That one made my Christmas season pretty darn bright!

Hughes4123, here are a couple of pics where you can see the idea of the filter. Interesting story here, too, about the little chapel in the picture. I was shooting the chapel, playing around with angles and such, and never noticed the palm prints, the 3 of them on the wall, one little one and two adult ones.
There are also 3 crosses on the chapel as you can see. I didn't really see the palm prints at first, but with a filter effect, they became very visible. I lead a dull life, that was probably the most interesting thing that happened to me in November!

Here are the pics in color and black and white. The colors are pretty natural here, it was in the mid-morning, well after the "golden hour" which I was traveling during. This is on the high plain not far from Ciudad Serdan in Puebla, Mexico, just across the state line from Veracruz. It is often difficult to shoot there, on a clear and warm day there is usually a haze, but this day was different, very nice and very, very clear.

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I'll be back to shoot this chapel again, I really want to find out the story of when and why it was constructed, who built it, etc... It is in a location that has an incredible view from the front doorway, below is the view from the front door.

LosPicosdesdelacapillaenelaltiplanoBW_zps50758c30.jpg


Here are a couple more for those who like black and white, I was consciously trying to work with lines both leading and strong diagonals.

Any feedback on these would be most appreciated as I want to really strengthen my black and white skills. Thanks.

ElPicodeOrizabawithsilosBW_zps70bcbae2.jpg


StackstothehorizonBW_zpscb26cf54.jpg
 
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