Brutally Honest Critiques

speedyink

VIP Member
I'd have to disagree on the tree. This is a classic foreground/background shot. Excellent day for clouds. The windblown tree on the right skyline would make a good photo in a totally separate shot especially with this sky.

If this was intended to be arty, I would be inclined to clone out the signs of habitation around the road and the white spot in the foreground woods.

To get a different look you could increase contrast up to white saturation, giving a more dramatic sky. That's not a criticism, a could-do.

I'm mixed opinionated on the tree, lol. Thats a great idea for the windblown tree, wish I took one like that now :p

I dunno what I was going for, just a picture I guess. I could clone that stuff out, and I agree on the white spot, didn't really notice that before.

Thanks for the input :)

Epic shot speedy. It left me wondering if there was supposed to be a castle down in that clearing though. Was anything taken out of the shot?

Thanks man. No, nothing photoshopped out. Just a couple Lightroom tweaks
 

Nanobyte

New Member
I had a lot of difficulty finding anything worth posting. This was taken with a friend's camera and definitely point-and-shoot. Although I had a good idea of what it would turn out like, I was completely blinded.

cfpalightwvang.jpg
 

vroom_skies

VIP Member
Few things that came to my mind.
- Horizon is tilted a few degrees to the left.
- The sun & sun flare detract from the photo for me. I like the highlights on the water, however it's just to much and you've ended up with a lot of clipped highlights. However I understand that's hard to accomplish when you need to expose the rest of the photo correctly.
 

Nanobyte

New Member
Sloping horizon is a correct answer! I like the Sun flare but mixed feelings about the unexpected upward flare off the water.
 

Punk

Moderator
Staff member
Yes the glare is just too burned.

Another thing is that with the sun glare, the eye goes from the highlight of the water to the sun, without looking on the sides... You're only using a small portion of the picture.
 

Nanobyte

New Member
Yes the glare is just too burned.
Another thing is that with the sun glare, the eye goes from the highlight of the water to the sun, without looking on the sides... You're only using a small portion of the picture.
I think the Sun is attractive in itself, especially without the coloured rings/hexagons you often get. Not much could be done about the Sun in the water being saturated white. Although not planned that way, I think the bright water forms a good separation between the lighthouse and the sea it's looking over.

Unfortunately not enough time to wait for the Sun to be directly behind the light, neither to hike to the other side of the light, which would have been preferred.
 

vroom_skies

VIP Member
I just wanted to throw this out there.

It looks like a lot of people feel the need to defend their shots from the critique that is given. This thread isn't here to prove who's opinion is "correct". Everyone has a different idea of what makes a great photo and what might be amazing in your eyes, could very well be garbage for someone else.
This thread is for other members to point out what they would have done differently or change in some form. Does that make you wrong and them right? Of course not, it's just their brutally honest critique... which is after all the thread title.

So if your not open to receiving what could be very direct and potentially harsh feedback, then I'd recommend not posting a photo for review.

Hope that clears up a few things.
 

Punk

Moderator
Staff member
I think the Sun is attractive in itself, especially without the coloured rings/hexagons you often get. Not much could be done about the Sun in the water being saturated white. Although not planned that way, I think the bright water forms a good separation between the lighthouse and the sea it's looking over.

Unfortunately not enough time to wait for the Sun to be directly behind the light, neither to hike to the other side of the light, which would have been preferred.

The reflection near the lighthouse is WAY too much overexposed, I mean very burned. if you shot it at let's say F11 or F13, the sun and it's glares would be smaller.

What I meant is that when you look at your picture, your eye goes to the bright sea, then to the sun, but doesn't go around the scenery, you're only using a small portion of your composition.

I'm gonna try now, open to any suggestion :)

MonteCarlo2011Henninen1.jpg


This is a picture from the IRC Rally De Monte Carlo 2011 (last thursday) :)

The driver is Hanninen :)
 

Nanobyte

New Member
I just wanted to throw this out there
So if your not open to receiving what could be very direct and potentially harsh feedback, then I'd recommend not posting a photo for review.
Hope that clears up a few things.
Putting the valid tech comments aside, the main focus of the photo is and was intended to be the Sun and it's play on the water. I picked a photo with a good selection of flaws other than deleting the main subject!

Incorporating Punk's comment, when you shoot directly into the Sun the camera on Auto, the camera will always be at fastest speed, smallest aperture. The Sun and its play on objects in the sightline will always be the focus no matter what else is in the picture.
 

Punk

Moderator
Staff member
Putting the valid tech comments aside, the main focus of the photo is and was intended to be the Sun and it's play on the water. I picked a photo with a good selection of flaws other than deleting the main subject!


If the sun is the subject, then it should have taken a bigger place in the picture, because when we look at you're picture, the subject is the lighthouse and the rocks.

Incorporating Punk's comment, when you shoot directly into the Sun the camera on Auto, the camera will always be at fastest speed, smallest aperture. The Sun and its play on objects in the sightline will always be the focus no matter what else is in the picture.

Then we agree on what I said. If auto is bad, why keep it? Do it again in manual. That's the point of D-Camera, you can take lots of pictures...
 
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vroom_skies

VIP Member
Putting the valid tech comments aside, the main focus of the photo is and was intended to be the Sun and it's play on the water. I picked a photo with a good selection of flaws other than deleting the main subject!

My previous post wasn't targeted at any single member. It was a general all encompassing reminder. So, lets all take a step back, relax, and start over.

I'll put one up to start fresh.
F2.jpg


PS- Did a little thread cleaning.
 

Punk

Moderator
Staff member
My previous post wasn't targeted at any single member. It was a general all encompassing reminder. So, lets all take a step back, relax, and start over.

I'll put one up to start fresh.
F2.jpg


PS- Did a little thread cleaning.

yeah Thanks for the thread cleaning, I was about to PM you ;).

I like your picture, very good! the only thing I could say is that the green leafs kinda fade into the green background.
 

Rit

Member
PS- Did a little thread cleaning.
Awww.. but the 14 rules are essential! :p Oh well!

Very nice picture, I like how some of the leafs are focused on and some aren't, it's a really nice mix and it's easy on the eyes. Rather than having all blurred or all sharp leafs. For the picture itself, it's fine, but for the cropping maybe do a little more? It feels like there's too much green at the bottom and it takes the focus off the rose itself, but if you do too much then it's just a stick floating in air.
 

Punk

Moderator
Staff member
I'm gonna try now, open to any suggestion :)

MonteCarlo2011Henninen1.jpg


This is a picture from the IRC Rally De Monte Carlo 2011 (last thursday) :)

The driver is Hanninen :)

PS: Rit, we got it, you don't like the black borders.
 

Justin

VIP Member
i see nothing wrong with it. i like the angle that it was taken. i like the composition. maybe if it were exposed a bit more. a bit dark for my liking. :)
 

vroom_skies

VIP Member
I quite like the shot, but I would change a few things.
- I'd personally remove the people, unless you wanted to keep the whole feel of a rally. Though I prefer it w/o them.
- While I like the foggy/ misty feel, I don't like the dingy color to the snow. So I would just fix that to bring a little crispness into the shot.
 

Punk

Moderator
Staff member
I disagree on the people, I'll keep them, they give balance top the composition.

As for the color, maybe I made it too "redish".
 
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