[JLiu]

I’ll let others chime in on portraits and whatnot…I’ll focus on the landscapes:

General thoughts:

There’s a lack of foreground interest with the two landscape shots. While I’m sure the view was great and worthy of the share, they don’t necessarily make me want to be there. A strong composition would include something drawing the viewers eyes through the image.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/105757377@N06/10331762255/in/set-72157636662169603 – this shot appears to be a little too blue (but I’m also viewing on an uncalibrated monitor while at work) in the left 2/3’s. The clouds in the upper third have a purplish color cast as well. The overall feel of the image is slightly unsettling, but that might be the angle of the water vs. the mountain ridge – I can’t tell which one needs to be leveled.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/105757377@N06/10331721826/in/set-72157636661220483 – Is your subject the skyline, the trees, or the lake/pond? It looks like you stopped on the side of a walking path and took this shot because it ‘looked nice’ with the trees framing the pond. The sky is bland – this is half the pain of being a landscape photographer. You don’t have the option of choosing when the sky will cooperate with you, so you have to come back another time. There’s also a strong right tilt in most of the buildings.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/105757377@N06/10331790305/in/set-72157636661220483 – now w’re getting somewhere… except the bottom part of the image for the viewer to walk through is cut off. The right wall is also higher than the left, creating a bit of a disproportion in the image. Make sure the horizons are level – the arch and the wire in the upper third are tilted left.

Keep working at it. Read a lot and shoot a lot.

[JLiu]

I’m gonna have to go with the guy that taught me everything I know about post production – Aaron Nace.

His page:  http://aaron-nace.com/
His Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/aknacer/

I took a couple months worth of advanced classes with Aaron and have worked with him off and on regarding other aspects of post production. He’s just a really silly guy.

[JLiu]

@deano – realistically, I’d look into buying used gear. Depending on who you buy from, you might be able to score a solid set of lights (possibly even with stands) at a great price. I recently let go of an older analog set of Elinchrom monos (2x 500, 1x 250) for $900. I threw in the Manfrotto stands for another $200.

@ebi – Now I know who to bother when I’m lost at Lowes! We went to visit B&H one time while we were visiting some friends. I walked out with a full set of Lee ND soft grads and the Lee Big Stopper…and all I needed were some PEC Pads. Dangerous, I tell you.

[JLiu]

My wife has banned me from walking in there…for good reason.

Always piece out your gear – sets are rarely worth buying. I’ve found that this applies to most electronics.

[JLiu]

I used to have to travel to HK for my previous job, but I never took the opportunity to go to Disneyworld HK. I used to stay in Lan Kwai Fong and Tsim Sha Tsui districts all the time. Alas, I have switched companies and I don’t think I’ll be getting the opportunity to go back any time soon.

[JLiu]

I’d have to go to Hong Kong though. That’s kindof a long trip for a ruler.

[JLiu]

I want that ruler…

[JLiu]

I definitely plan on continuing to shoot and learn and grow in my abilities. As far as getting published and whatnot, that’s a different story. Right now, I’ll leave photography as one of my hobbies and keep on being an enginerd (better job security).

One of my many fears of making one of my hobbies my profession is that I will lose that passion somewhere along the way. It happened when I briefly considered life as a professional poker player. While that might seem ludicrous to some, it was very lucrative during the few years I played diligently. I found that when it became a job more than something to do for fun, however, I began to obsess over the swings, which made things worse. While this may or may not have the same effect on, say, moving forward with my aspirations to become a really good landscape photographer with a solid portfolio, I’d much rather know that I can pay the bills and live my lifestyle in my current profession. I feel that it makes my hobby more special since I have less time to do it.

Aaaand I’m rambling. In any case, thanks for the vote of confidence.

[JLiu]

Flickr.

Also, anyone good enough with a photo editing program can make a print screen lie. EXIF information is easily changed =)

[JLiu]

Alright – a confession! Now we’re getting somewhere.

[JLiu]

The ‘2468’ didn’t give it away, did it?

[JLiu]

<img src=”http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/021/347/1248075250110.jpg“>

[JLiu]

No problem.

With regards to what he had to say – the bad news is:  Ebi has a point. I can really only comment on the landscape photos (because I’m shit with portrait and animal photography), but they, more or less, feel like snapshots.

The good news is: You can absolutely improve.

Pick out your faves (with regards to landscape) and I can try to point out areas of strength and areas for improvement. There are a couple common areas that could use some attention:

1)  The foreground is very often a few stops darker than the background. Sunrise/Sunsets will prove difficult to expose correctly without the proper gear. If that’s your niche, invest in a set of neutral density graduated filters – they are absolutely essential. Either that, or get really good at bracket shooting and merging in post production. If either prove challenging, I’ve found that metering for a dark spot in the foreground and then underexposing by 2/3 – 1 1/3 stop will generally yield usable results (with some tweaking). The sky/sun will likely be a bit blown out.

2)  Foreground interest is fundamental in landscape photography. Look at every award winning landscape photo and you’ll start noticing common themes – especially with the “anchor” and the “whatever draws the eyes through the image.” Learn these.

[JLiu]

Ebi – not meant to be condescending at all. I noted that I might have sounded a bit confusing. I originally typed up the response in the other thread to have an asterisk by the word “delivery” with a side note explaining that while I wouldn’t personally deliver news quite as succinctly as you, I do appreciate that you are – without a doubt – honest. That draft didn’t quite get saved before I hit the submit button…I blame the coffee. Apologies.

Thank you for the kind words! I don’t think I’m quite ready yet to move on to that phase with my photography…I still really consider myself quite amateur when compared to the other landscape photographers I know (personally know…not, like, Peter Lik). Hopefully I’ll learn enough along the way that, by the time I retire in about 40 years, I might have a decent enough portfolio that I can set up shop at an art fair or something.

[JLiu]

I’ve been meaning to comment on this thread for a while…trying to come up with the right words or anything really. I’ve sort-of been behind-the-scenes reading all the threads.

All I can really say is:  Thank you for being the voice that few people care to be, and even fewer can appreciate.

[Author]

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