Could I get some feedback please?

[musutu]

Hi,

I have loved photography for a long time and it has always been a hobby for me.  Right now I own a Nikon D3200 and I’m trying to really learn everything I can.  While the idea of being paid to take pictures sounds amazing, I’m really just looking to get to a point where I am able to take the shots I want without a trial and error process.    That being said I’d like to get some feedback on my images, and any suggestions on how I can improve are appreciated.  Thanks!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sznnrttr/

[nesgran]

I think you are off to a really good start, you have a pretty good eye for it. The main problem is that your photos tend to be far oversaturated. If you are aren’t on a colour calibrated or at least a monitor that is vaguely right that would be my first suggestion.

 

Things I think you could improve on is mainly to do with framing. In the shot below you could have used the negative space better and not plonked the surfer in the middle of the shot and the horizon in the middle. Try cropping the surfer in so he is the bottom right rule of thirds intersection. There’s obviously many more ways to frame than rule of thirds but it is a very very good place to start. I’d clone stamp away the bird just over the horizon to the left as well.

The shot below could have used more context. It is implied there is a pool under him but I think it would have been a lot better if you could see the top of the water. Expression, contrast and sharpness is there though.

Shots like the one below aren’t flattering. The short focal length combined with the short distance to the subject makes her nose look very big. Take a couple of steps back and use a longer focal length for headshots.

I love this one but you need to sort the tilted horizon out

Here’s another one that is great but where you could have used the dead space more effectively

If you’d waited until this lady was looking the other way the photo would have made more sense. Now she is looking intently the other way so it feels like you are missing something. Shame you didn’t take this with a better camera. It is over saturated and the skin tones are off.

I like the expression on this one but it is a bit soft because focus has ended up on her hair rather than eyes. Always make sure the eyes are the sharpest portion of a portrait unless you consciously go for focus elsewhere

 

The photos look nice but who is you target clientèle?  At the moment everything is different which is great for learning but who would pay you to take photos? Keep learning from your mistakes, start to learn about augmenting the light available and sort your colour issues out and you will get there one day if you are dedicated enough.

[musutu]

Thank you Nesgran..I appreciate you taking the time to give me feedback.  I defintely agree with your comments.  As I said, I’m not really looking to sell photos or services at this point, I really just want to be able to learn technique and a better understanding of what I need to do in order to execute the shot I have visualized in my head.   If I can get myself to that point, then I can maybe entertain the idea of getting paid.

Also, I do not own any editing software at this time.  I would love to have photoshop but I’m unable to afford it at this point.  I would like to know if Lightroom or Elements are a good start?

[cameraclicker]

Elements is a good start on Photoshop.  Lightroom has its place too.  It depends on what you want to do.  Both will level and crop.

Elements has a stripped version of Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop.

Lightroom has the same Adobe Camera Raw engine as Photoshop, but it is a browser which also lets you do some simple editing and printing.

Adobe Camera Raw has quite a bit of power.  It is designed to work with raw files but it will also work with JPEG files.  The full version has a lot of useful tools.

If you want powerful free software, look into GIMP.

[nesgran]

Download the trials for elements and lightroom and see if it works for you. If you are a student a lightroom licence is cheap and for what you are doing will work for at least 98%* of what you need it to do

 

Obviously my own made up statistic but the times I’ve opened photoshop lately are far between.

[MrsManiak]

Hi Musuto! You said that you were unable to afford Photoshop. I pay $20/month to use photoshop through Adobe’s Creative Cloud. What I love about it the most (aside from affordability) is whenever there’s an updated version you automatically get it. It definitely beats shelling out a lump sum to flat out buy the program, and they have different plans to suit your needs. Just something to consider if you weren’t already aware of it 🙂

[EyeDocPhotog]

not sure if Adobe is still running the promo, but I’ve seen ads in the last few months for Ps & LR CC together (‘photographer bundle’ I think they called it) for $9.99 / mo.

That being said, if you’re not shooting RAW, then Elements is just fine for basic editing.

[Bill]

Photoshop can, for some have a steep learning curve.  With all the potential power within the application, most only use a small fraction of what it can really do.

I would suggest starting to work with RAW files if your not already.  It’s best to capture the best that you can in camera, but RAW allows you some flexibility in saving or enhancing photos that if shot in jpg would be tossed.

With that said, I would start out with Elements or Lightroom, but that is just my opinion.  The good thing about Elements, is that is closely follows the workflow of Photoshop, so making the transition would not be hard.  The real drawback is no RAW file support.

Lightroom on the otherhand, does have RAW file support but the workflow is nothing like any of the other Adobe products.

Maybe you can use a slightly older version of PS that you can get for cheap, just make sure it is not pirated.

Lynda.com is a good resource for learning PhotoShop, Lightroom and I believe Elements or you can go to YouTube and find tons of tutorials.

Photoshop can be expensive, the cloud option is good, but not if you are first learning it. Remember, the cost of photoshop does not include the plugins or actions or anything else that adds functionality to the app.

[musutu]

Thanks to all for the replies and advice.   I will definitely download the Lightroom and Elements trial and hold off on PS.  Being the noob that I am it will be useless in my hands right now.

[terryduran]

Wow it is nice.You took good images and it is clear not shaking.It is a very good work.I like your all images.You can get many tips ,guidelines and information from the internet.I am waiting for your next work.

[cameraclicker]

Just read this now!

With that said, I would start out with Elements or Lightroom, but that is just my opinion.  The good thing about Elements, is that is closely follows the workflow of Photoshop, so making the transition would not be hard.  The real drawback is no RAW file support.

Elements has support for raw files.  It is just not as robust as the Lightroom/Photoshop CS/CC versions.

[Bill]

Thanks for the correction CC. It’s been a while since I used Elements, I must admit.

[KennethJHaynes]

Haii, I use DSLR for my personal purpose and it is a great camera. I love to take pictures when there is a party in my home, however I don’t get time for taking pictures when there are lot of people. This time for my wife’s birthday party I hired professional novelty photographers for taking pictures and it was a good idea. They shared some photographics tactics for better quality of pictures. So I always recommend professionals for best pictures during wedding and party.

[bananaslugs]

I know that short focal length portraits aren’t considered to be flattering but I actually like the picture of the woman wearing the glasses. Your work is good.

[Author]

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