Wed Dec 15, 2004 12:32 am
I looked through your entire gallery and I enjoyed looking at your work. There are a few shots that I really liked. I left a comment on the ones that particularly caught my eye.
Richard Nadeau's photography is obviously on a different level than everyone else considering the equipment he has and his experience. A lot of the topics I will mention a little later he has already mastered.
Of the rest, I have to agree with bgoding that I think Christine Newman's work is some of the best of the group considering the camera she had to work with. She definitely has an eye for this.
I like Pamela Secci's sense of color. It was one of the few galleries where I didn't feel the pictures were a bit washed out.
I thought the Gallery - The Visions Within demonstrated what good equipment could do. The images there were far superior in their color and clarity.
As a member of a photo club, the most valuable aspect of being a member is the competitions. The judges, who are usually professional photographers, will critique our pictures and tell us what they like and dislike about each. There are a few rules that are often broken (and sometimes should be) that you should be aware of when composing your pictures. These are some of the things the judges mention the most.
First one is what I call "Bull’s-Eye" - putting your subject dead center in the photograph. Move your subject to one side or the other. Also, move your horizon line away from the center.
When shooting people, closer is almost always better. There is nothing worse than seeing this big photograph with these tiny people in it that you can hardly make out unless the focus is not on the people.
Perspective - Unless you planned on an oblique shot, try to keep your cameras level. You can always fix this with a graphics program and a little cropping. This is particularly important if you have a lot of lines in your picture. If you turn the camera on it's side, be sure to reorient the shot before posting it. There are a few shots that I had to turn my head to make out.
Odd Numbers - An odd number of subjects almost always looks better than an even numbers.
Focus. Softening a shot is one thing, but there are way too many out of focus shots here. You might find that artistic, but I think you will be in the minority on that.
Pick the right time to photograph. Often this is at sunrise or sunset. The worst light is generally at high noon. The sun is too harsh and the subject is often bleached out. Night shots are often out of the question with a point and shoot as you have little control over aperture and shutter speed.
Most of all keep shooting. It is the only way you will get better. The great thing about digital is it costs next to nothing to learn by experience. If you see something interesting to photograph, shoot it several different ways. Take notes when you photograph so you can replicate something that came out well.
Good Luck and post again in this forum when you have something new to share. I would like to see what progress you make.
