First post. How am I doing so far YANAP Community?

[Gilluminatii]

Sup guys. Im new to the site and just wanted to get some opinions. I have been taking pictures for almost a year now since I got my camera last summer around this time. But i’ve always loved pictures and art in general. Give any advice and critiques you want.

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

[Worst Case Scenario]

It looks like a good start, but there are two many pictures to be able to give advice on. Maybe  create an online album with your favourite 10 and then ask for help. Two things stand out as general problems, first your black and whites are very muddy (greyish) do you  have any form of post processing? And all you pics are in landscape format – turn that camera for better cropping.

[cameraclicker]

Sup?  Is a good question.

Check out these:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968583680/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968592718/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968573689/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/14175307693/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/14155389454/

The EXIF data suggests the exposure settings were the same for the whole group, yet exposure is certainly varied!  It also suggests you are shooting in full manual mode.  You are working too hard!  If you are shooting in manual yet centre the meter on most photos, you could use Aperture or Time priority and let the camera vary the other variable, which would be faster and more accurate while being less work for you.  If you are not trying to control depth of field or freeze action, you could even use Program mode.

In

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/14175351473/

you chopped her feet off, but there is room over her head and it is shot landscape, so you were not trying to fill the frame with her.  Some cameras have a 95% or 97% viewfinder, which means the viewfinder shows less than the sensor sees.  It also means that limbs don’t get cut where you expect them to.  Since she has the sun to the side, her face is in shadow, so she might have benefited from fill flash or a reflector.  Fill flash is easier because you don’t need an assistant to hold the reflector and steady it in the breeze.  A CP filter could cut down the reflection from the hedge in your background.

The next photo

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968629029/

is the same scene but the life has gone from it.  Shutter speed is a little faster, but I’m not sure that’s the problem.  I think there is failed post processing.

 

 

 

[cameraclicker]

Separate topic, still your photos,

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/14131895346/

What am I supposed to be seeing in this photo?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968710829/

Same question.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968752860/

We see many Check In signs, but those photos don’t really seem to have a subject.  They could work well in a coherent group.  “This is the event, and here it is being set up”, but they are not really portfolio photos.

Way too many photos to critique, and it looks like you have multiple photos that are almost the same, but with different processing or slightly different exposure.  As an exercise, you might want to pick a few you like and point us to those.

[Gilluminatii]

Okay cool thanks guys! I’ll try and remember these tips the next time I go out shooting! *Edit added more info* I will also work on creating more of a portfolio of what I feel are my 10 best shots instead of the smorgasbord that my Flickr is.

[IHF]

You are really good at seeing interesting things to shoot, and finding good elements, lines, composition and locations.  You’re seeing them, but not quite getting them.  The shot is there in all of these locations.  It’s there!  But, they all need to be explored more. Find them, find the shot and make it happen.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968462430/

I quite like this one.  I love the lines and the light is pretty good too.  It’s a good clean composition.

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968462588/

It’s here!  It’s here…  It’s almost it.  I don’t know what you would do to make it, but go back to this if you are able and get the sucker.  You see it I know you do

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/14132606096/

I really like the geometrics of this shot, but I think it would have worked better if… I’m going to try to explain as best I can without being able to use my hands…  Ok cut the scene in half, then tilt to your side making the wall the ceiling.  Do you see it?  That beautiful perfect square of shape and line?  the shot is there.  Go back, get it.

 

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13969087499/

Yes!  That symmetry is wonderful.  Level it, center it, get it in focus, shoot at a different time of day so the light plays with it, and casts long shadows, and this shot could be a wonderful one.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/14152368031/

There’s a shot here too.  You are so stink in’ close!  So close

 

I notice too that your black and whites needs some help.  They are a little muddy. They look as though You just clicked on black and white, or just desaturated.  There’s more to a good black and white than that.  You need to be sure you have true white, black blacks, and beautiful grey tones in-between to add depth and dimension to your photos. Look up “black and White conversions”.  Looks like you may need to calibrate as well.  Your colors are a bit off.  Here’s a good example of that

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968899187/

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacgill/13968986009/

You need to look at the light.  A lot of your pictures have very harsh light and shadows.  See how the light is way too high and casts shadows in an unflattering way?  Her brows are casting a shadow over her eyes, and the shadow her nose is creating a shadow that striped across her mouth.  Her right cheek is also making an unwanted shadow, as well as her head’s shadow striping across her neck and chest.  Shooting at a different time of day would help, along with learning flash and/or using light modifiers.  Google “golden hour” and go shoot during that time.  “Magic hour” or “golden hour” creates wonderful soft light, and long desirable shadows.  Shoot architecture, people, landscapes, whatever and make it all about looking at the light and watching it play with your subject, and create interest.  Remember that photography is all about recording light.

 

After going through your stream I think you would really dig Zack Arias’ photo assignments, and get a lot from them.  We have already finished assignment 2 and are waiting for assignment 3, but I think if you were to take on 1 and 2 and 3, and spend a couple weeks on each of them, and still catch up with us, and get the benefit of peer input and possibly a critique by Zack as well.  It’s important that you do each assignment because they play off each other and the exercises are meant to be repetitive and practiced.  Here’s the first assignment

 

Here’s our group critique (BTW two of mine were picked to be critiqued, so it can happen)

Assignment 01 :: Group Critique

 

Here’s assignment 2

Assignment 02 :: Shapes

 

the critique hasn’t came out yet, but when it does, assignment 3 will be ready

 

When you are all caught up, you can add your pictures to the pool along with everyone else and get feedback and whatnot. Here’s the depxl flickr pool https://www.flickr.com/groups/dedpxl/

Don’t add to the pool until you are caught up with the rest of us, and posting pictures that pertain to the current assignment.  You can only upload current work shot during the assignment (OH lord people catch hell for not following that rule, so don’t do it)

 

You can find all the assignments and other information, educational material, and good stuff here

http://dedpxl.com

 

Gillum, I really hope you choose to take these assignments on and learn from Zack.  I can really see the potential in your shots, it’s just a matter of finding your groove, and learning to see the light and subjects in a photographic story telling, pleasing way.

 

and I agree with everyone else… culling/editing your images down would be a wonderful practice for you to start now.  Get rid of duplicate shots altogether and really pay attention to what you want to show people.  You don’t want the good stuff getting lost in the so so, or not so great stuff or among a whole bunch of repeats.

 

Keep shooting… I can see you really doing well

[Gilluminatii]

Thank you! I appreciate your comments and will definitely check out The Zack Arias’ photo assignments.

[cameraclicker]

Reading through Zack’s stuff at the link above, I see it says:

“Check out the next assignment here. It’s due April 25th, 2014. BTW – No more lines photos. That assignment is done and we are moving on. Feel free to jump in on assignment #02. If you didn’t participate in the lines assignment, take some time to look through those photos on the flickr community and takes notes from this critique and jump in now to shape and form.”

 

You should do the first assignment for yourself, but not submit it.  That might apply to the second assignment as well.  I haven’t read that far yet.

[IHF]

Yes, both the first and second assignments are done, and he’ll have to do them independently without submitting them.  The third assignment isn’t out yet, and way over due, so it should be up any day now.  He may be able to catch the tail end of three, but for sure be right on track by assignment 4 even if he takes two full weeks for each assignment.

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