Visual Photo Critique 7

Photo Critique #1

(Photo by Martin Kling)

This photo was really well processed. The details are sharp and the textures have contrast without dominating. I’m a fan of the blue toning, especially because the blacks are still black. What this photo lacks, in my opinion, is a clear subject. The glowing ring of alien abduction is too far away to hold attention, and in general my eyes are searching for a focal point to land on. Otherwise, the symmetrical composition is nearly perfect (at first I didn’t notice that it’s slightly off).

Photo Critique #2

(Photo by Kyle Dyson)

Wildlife photography is a lot more difficult than Christopher Dodds makes it look, well done Kyle. The focus looks right, as does the exposure. Although it’s debatable whether a tighter crop would be an improvement, in the end I think that shot is nearly as good as it’s going to get. Where I think this image could be improved is with a more compelling pose from the duck and a shallower depth of field. Were our feathered friend centimeters from the water’s surface straining to take off with the foreground and background blurred out by a lower f-stop, then I think you’d have a portfolio piece (here’s an example of what I mean).

Photo Critique #3

(Photo by Holger Gräbner)

Everyone look at this shot and note how the sky looks. When the sky is this color, it’s time to take pictures. That’s exactly what Holger did and it works in his favor here. Also, this location is ripe for shooting, great job getting yourself to a prime location. One area that could use improvement is white balance. Currently the image has an orange cast. This is easily fixed by tapping “W” in Lightroom or using the grey eye dropper tool in the Curves Adjustment layer (or Levels) inside Photoshop. Also, be sure to make it clear where you want viewers to look in your picture. Often when I’m shooting, it’s obvious to me what the subject of my shots are. When reviewing on the computer later, however, I realize that I didn’t isolate the subject well enough within the frame. In this case, consider cropping tighter on the tower.

Photo Critique #4

(Photo by Cho Tang)

Somehow I doubt that Cho was unsure about the quality of this image, but still, this is a great example of the kind of photo critique that doesn’t happen enough. There isn’t anything wrong with this shot. If pressed, I might crop it tighter to put the subject’s eye line on a thirds line. Really though, we should take a second to note the things are going right so hopefully they are remembered in future shoots. What drew me in to this shot wasn’t the interesting subject, but the overall unity of the color palette. The light cyans and yellows set the tone well and compliment the rainy atmosphere. Next is the clear, compelling subject. Great expression, cool lighting from the umbrella, not something I see everyday. Finally, it’s technically well executed and processed. The blacks are black and the highlights are bright. Well done Cho.