Critique me!

[x3ro]

http://www.phoenixcis.net/~x3ro/library_gallery/index.html

Hope you guys enjoy :)

Just some random pics I took today while we were out near the library. Pics were taken with a Panasonic FZ5, in Program AE mode, and post-process/edited/cropped in Photoshop :) Please feel free to offer constructive criticism!

[x3ro]

27 views and none of you have anything to say??

:o

[Cold Snail]

There are some nice shots in there, but the biggest problem is the layout.

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/8775/screen3nh.jpg

You need to resize the layout so it works with 1024x768 or even 800x600 monitors.

[x3ro]

There are some nice shots in there, but the biggest problem is the layout.

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/8775/screen3nh.jpg

You need to resize the layout so it works with 1024x768 or even 800x600 monitors.

I agree :o

When I did the PS gallery last night, I was working in 1600x1200 @ home.... Once I got to work and viewed the gallery @ 1280x1024, I realized the problem :)

I'll correct it at lunch time! Thanks :)

[x3ro]

Cold Snail,

I updated and changed the gallery so its MUCH easier to use/see pics :)

Hope you guys enjoy!

Make sure you guys refresh the page or it might not be updated (mainly for you guys that dont have your cache set to recheck pages every visit)

[Phill D]

x3ro I looked at them earlier but didn't have time to reply then, they are much easier to view now. As for critique I'm not sure I'm all that qualified but purely a personal opinion I think they are all pretty good sharp shots but many have the same neutral almost clinical quality that a lot of my shots have. I use a Pana FZ20 & have many shots that I feel just miss that certain something i.e. they come out sharp but with not very vibrant colours, similar to your first shot for example. Others you posted are fine, such as the pink flowers & the reservoir. This may be a Panasonic trait as I have seen many excellent Cannon superzoom shots posted recently that were very vibrant, perhaps others could comment. I have been trying to compensate -1/3 or -2/3 on exposure recently to see if it helps the colours. First few tries it does seem to help. I do like the B&W ones you did with the colours added, the dragonfly is excellent. I intend to have a go at this soon. Thanks for posting your pictures, if Jeff doesn't set up a critique forum then I will probably follow your lead & post as you have.

Phill

[x3ro]

Thanks for your input, Phill!

I agree, some of the shots come out very desaturated. Also, shot's I'm more in love with I tend to pay a little more attention to post processing! Some shots I take are just poorly framed/lighted/etc.. If I think a shot is going to be genuinely good, I spend a little more time making sure it's right. Some shots I just snap to see how they turn out once I'm done for the day. :)

[Phill D]

Sounds pretty much as I operate only with me it's the family who get fed up with me lagging behind taking photographs & hurry me up so I end up snapping away too. Mind you occasionally some of the pot luck ones do suprise me so it's always worth just clicking away.

[x3ro]

Sounds pretty much as I operate only with me it's the family who get fed up with me lagging behind taking photographs & hurry me up so I end up snapping away too. Mind you occasionally some of the pot luck ones do suprise me so it's always worth just clicking away.

I hear ya! Most of the time it's myself, my fiancee, and her 4-1/2 year old... Those two are so impatient :o

[erichlund]

One thing that struck me was the shot with the columns and another with the fence of the bridge. Both of these items are vertical and the eye expects them to be vertical. When they are not, you get that feeling in the photo of somebody about to lose it off a bicycle, if you know what I mean. It's the view just before the crash. The columns aren't very interesting columns to begin with, but try to get them vertical in the frame and you will have a much better photo.

Cheers,
Eric

[SamPhilly]

I think it would be fun to post-process the photo on page 2 and 3 of the old cabin/shack into sepia and add a glaussen blur and some noise to give it a nice old-time feel. I agree I really like the dragonfly.

[x3ro]

I think it would be fun to post-process the photo on page 2 and 3 of the old cabin/shack into sepia and add a glaussen blur and some noise to give it a nice old-time feel. I agree I really like the dragonfly.

hmm.. kinda like this?? :o

http://www.phoenixcis.net/~x3ro/old_house.jpg

that is kinda neat, isn't it? :)

[SamPhilly]

Yes, like that. Very nice. :)

[x3ro]

Yes, like that. Very nice. :)

I added too much grain to it, but i was having fun, and that's all that mattes :p

[x3ro]

Here you go sam.. I tried to make it a little more "vintange" with some tips from a photography buddy of mine... like?

http://www.phoenixcis.net/~x3ro/old_house2.jpg

[SamPhilly]

Yes I like. :)

[x3ro]

Yes I like. :)

I'm glad you like it Sam. It was a learning experience for me, as well as quite fun trying to imitate the old. Funny how that works, eh? New technology to make super crisp pictures with nice exposure, and sharp colors, and we go and take out the colors, make the image blurry, and add in noise new tech tries to take away :p

[nwpoland]

XR30...I really like the effect you put on that photo. Is the sort of "glowy" look that you can see on the bottom part of the structure due just to the gaussian blur filter or did you do some "dodging" as well to bring that out?

thanks...great picture! it is great to use new tech to add age to something! :)

[gary_hendricks]

Some of the shots are indeed very desaturated. What settings did you use on the Panasonic FZ5?

[x3ro]

nwpoland -- I used the "diffuse glow" filter to get the glowy effect on the highlights :)

gary -- the camera is set to standard mode... should I try vivid? Oh, and some of the shots I did desaturate ;) Also, it's summer here in texas, with temps in upwards of 100 degres faranheit each afternoon, so a lot of the greenery isn't so green with the hot hot temps and lack of rain :(

[nwpoland]

nwpoland -- I used the "diffuse glow" filter to get the glowy effect on the highlights :)

Good tip. You ought to put that pic and your description into the "Tips and Techniques" (or whatever it's called) forum. I bet a lot of readers would be interested.

Thanks!!

[x3ro]

Good tip. You ought to put that pic and your description into the "Tips and Techniques" (or whatever it's called) forum. I bet a lot of readers would be interested.

Thanks!!

Thanks :)

I was thinking of doing just that, a small tutorial on making a "vintage" photo. I think it turned out well, personally, and I have a buddy that's an avid photographer that has a very keen eye that helped me create just the right photo.... Not everyone is so lucky, and I think a tutorial would be neat, and open up a lot of doors for other people :)

[Warin]

I have never understood the attraction of "vintage" photos. What it really is is trying to approximate a poorly printed photo which has been incorrectly stored, and degraded to a fuzzy mess! A properly toned and treated print that is stored properly should be as sharp today as it was 50+ years ago.

Why do people like the grainy sepia look?

[gabo234]

Probably because just that, it's just a look...

[x3ro]

I have never understood the attraction of "vintage" photos. What it really is is trying to approximate a poorly printed photo which has been incorrectly stored, and degraded to a fuzzy mess! A properly toned and treated print that is stored properly should be as sharp today as it was 50+ years ago.

Why do people like the grainy sepia look?

Same reason people like abstract prints; clear, well exposed, super-sharp prints; colorful, fun, high-spirited prints; dark, gloomy, sad prints, and I could go on and on.. Photography is an art form, and has a variety of people that have a variety of likes and disklikes, not to mention a variety of tastes and fullfillment, that's what makes this art so beautiful. It's up to YOU, the photographer to portray a feeling, an emotion, a mood, whatever fancies him/her. It's up to the viewer's senses to pick up on that mood, that emotion that the photographer is trying to portray. Each individual is different, and each interprets a piece in his/her own way, and their minds all tell a different story. It's quite wonderful. Some people dont see photography that way, and that's fine. As in fine art, sculpture, woodworking, and any other artform, each person is different. Because you dont like something, doesn't mean that another person can't enjoy and let their senses tell them a story.

Personally, vintage photos give a sense of warmth, a sense of easy-going times when they didn't have the awesome technology we have today. They had to work harder to make beautiful pictures, they had less to work with in the way of auto-flashes, and digital film/media, autofocusing lenses, image stabilization, etc.. etc..

Some photos are suited best to bright, powerful colors; Some are suited to toned downed black and whites, and some make powerful, intriguing "vintage" photos (dont forget, back then they didn't have the acid-free mats and holders, and all the nifty stuff we have today to help preserve photos, and a lot of people didn't even know HOW to properly preserve photos, just like non-true enthusiasts today dont know how.)

Just my 2 cents :)

[John_Reed]

27 views and none of you have anything to say??

:oGenerally, I'd say your photos are slightly over-exposed. Not by much, just a little. Some of the whites are blown out in many places. I also found that many of your horizons aren't level, which bothers my eyeball for some reason. Here's the one I liked the best:

http://www.phoenixcis.net/~x3ro/library_gallery/images/9j.jpg
I like how the line of the tree trunk defines an interesting path through the photo, and the colors are nicely saturated, exposure good for this shot.

[x3ro]

Generally, I'd say your photos are slightly over-exposed. Not by much, just a little. Some of the whites are blown out in many places. I also found that many of your horizons aren't level, which bothers my eyeball for some reason. Here's the one I liked the best:

http://www.phoenixcis.net/~x3ro/library_gallery/images/9j.jpg
I like how the line of the tree trunk defines an interesting path through the photo, and the colors are nicely saturated, exposure good for this shot.

Thanks.

A lot of the horizons dont look level because the place I was shooting at was very hilly :)

[SamPhilly]

Same reason people like abstract prints; clear, well exposed, super-sharp prints; colorful, fun, high-spirited prints; dark, gloomy, sad prints, and I could go on and on.. Photography is an art form, and has a variety of people that have a variety of likes and disklikes, not to mention a variety of tastes and fullfillment, that's what makes this art so beautiful. It's up to YOU, the photographer to portray a feeling, an emotion, a mood, whatever fancies him/her. It's up to the viewer's senses to pick up on that mood, that emotion that the photographer is trying to portray. Each individual is different, and each interprets a piece in his/her own way, and their minds all tell a different story. It's quite wonderful. Some people dont see photography that way, and that's fine. As in fine art, sculpture, woodworking, and any other artform, each person is different. Because you dont like something, doesn't mean that another person can't enjoy and let their senses tell them a story.


X3ro, very nicely described.