Technical: Canon DSLR
I’m guessing lynx. Jennifer did not provide details and she stripped the metadata. It’s a very nice image for a relative beginner. Good cropping and detail. The detail in the eyes is especially good with the catch light on the corneas. People tend to get the whole head or the whole animal. The eyes are the focus. And Jen has done this well.
Technical: Canon DSLR
Jennifer went to the zoo and sent me some early edits of her trip. It was the San Diego zoo. I’m a sucker for deep blue sky. The cactus in the foreground is the main subject. The shadows are a problem. Once again the bright background sky is too much for the foreground shadows. It’s otherwise a nice graphical image. And yes, that bright blue sky….
‘Halloween Walk Night Just started to edit…liked the sky!’
Technical: Nikon D90, 1/30 sec, f4.2, focal length 36
Susan, you have mixed light at twilight. It’s a difficult time of day. You have incandescent light and you have sunlight. The sky is too bright so it overpowers the image. It is blown out. To lower the exposure for the sky you would lose the foreground into deep shadow. It’s beyond the capability of the image sensor. Here’s where you might shoot raw or you do a bracketed series of exposures and use HDR. I know that this is too technical. But there’s no practical way to make this image work in one shot. Aim to the left and let the bright sky go. Or move to the right and get a silhouette.
Technical: Nikon D90, 1/30 sec, f3.5, focal length 18
‘I like the fence framing but I did not focus well and it is blurred a bit!’
This is a shot that makes you pause for a sec. The round fence fools you for a second into believing that this is a fisheye lens effect. The door is nicely framed. It’s a technically okay shot. Susan, there needs to be a stronger image subject. The door… the statue? The fence is a nice touch to use as a frame for your image. You need a main subject. Once again the small f-stop does not give you enough depth of field to focus the fence and the door together. Here it’s not necessary to have the fence in focus.
‘Blurred edges because of electrical boxes but wanted to keep door ajar in photo’
Technical: Nikon D90, 1/30 sec, f4.2, focal length 18
The electrical box is not a bother Susan. It’s at the edge and not really in view. The upper corner is blurred. It is an example of shallow depth of field. The f-stop is 4.2 and not enough to keep focus on the whole gate. You can use this to your advantage. Here it’s a little distracting. The bricks are interesting. The wreathes are interesting. There’s not too much to tie this image together. I’d have focused on the details of the wreathes. Needs…work.
Technical: Nikon D90, 1/80 sec, f9, focal length 18
FARNSWORTH MUSEUM BRINGS LOVE TO ROCKLAND, ME
Susan emailed that she likes the play of the leaves’ shadows over the sculpture. Another recent news story about ‘love’ in Maine revolves around a one woman brothel run from a dance studio in southern Maine near to former President George Bush’s Maine compound. She shot video (of course) and the latest news is about who’s being ‘outed.’ This image is a lot more innocent. I actually like the vertical crop of this square sculpture. The subject is isolated and distracting background is kept to a minimum. The shadows do indeed add some interest. Good job Susan.
iPhone
Flare. There’s something causing it. I can’t quite see what’s giving the circular defects. Julia’s new place again. The thing is that I recognize her stuff. It’s a memory thing. You wouldn’t know. But I do. If you know Proust and his writing of the Madeleine cookie, you will understand. Not an image of any particular merit, but it says a lot to me. Thanks Julia. Some images are about sharing personal memories.
iPhone
Julia’s on the move again. New apartment and she’s letting me have a look. It’s not art. It’s illustration. That’s my photo there in the corner. Julia had it framed and she has taken it to hang in the new place. Thanks. It’s home for now. She’ll be on the move again in a year. Yup, that’s the plan. All the best.
Technical: Nikon D90, 1/200 sec, f14, focal length 200
I believe this is the lighthouse from the movie of the same name. Susan got out of the box and racked out to 200mm on the zoom. Still too far away, huh? The image at this distance is a challenge to compose. This is where you crop and take your chances. I would play with contrast and saturation. And then it looks like a good shot to make panoramic. The waves in the foreground are not strong enough to keep. Get a little more punch in the sky and pull in the lighthouse and the boats more. Thanks for sending me this shot. You know I have a soft spot for lighthouses.
Technical: Nikon D90, 1/400 sec, f10, focal length 105
WINGAERSHEEK BEACH PERFECT DAY TODAY AT THE BEACH
I have nothing to add about this shot. I like the orange color. You could play around with the composition. I think you have been pausing before you push the shutter. That’s a good thing. And take a couple after you got the first image. You might be able to get something better. It’s hard with what I call a ‘grab shot.’ For instance, I’d have tried to position the sailboat a bit more to the side. It means that you would move to the side. Of course the moment would be gone when the kids moved also.
PhotoCritical 