Photo Critique Club

[Lacy Duckwing]

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That's more like the amount I would have taken, maybe more. That's a lot!

 

[casportpony]

That's more like the amount I would have taken, maybe more. That's a lot!

He does that a lot! If I had the other camera I would have taken more, but it's so hard to shoot lots with the Coolpix.

 

[notabitail]

What do you all think of this photo?

It was very cloudy that day.

 

[azurbanclucker]

What do you all think of this photo?
View attachment 4118980
It was very cloudy that day.

what was the intent of this shot? Are you doing somethng like a product photo?

In general, it's dark (because clouds and no flash or other lighting). Your subject and background are disjointed and competing for attention. The sky is also blown out. Focus seems decent here. Color is also a little dark because of the lighting, and the contrast is also a little flat for the same reason.

If you can maybe go into a bit of detail on what you're trying to do here, maybe we can help with some more focused suggestions?

 

[R2elk]

What do you all think of this photo?
View attachment 4118980
It was very cloudy that day.

DIY Light Box

 

[notabitail]

what was the intent of this shot? Are you doing somethng like a product photo?

In general, it's dark (because clouds and no flash or other lighting). Your subject and background are disjointed and competing for attention. The sky is also blown out. Focus seems decent here. Color is also a little dark because of the lighting, and the contrast is also a little flat for the same reason.

If you can maybe go into a bit of detail on what you're trying to do here, maybe we can help with some more focused suggestions?

It was for a post I made on my site about the phone in the photo. I tend to like taking photos of various electronics that I've got next to trees, plants, buildings, etc. either for fun or because I'm writing about them.

How would I get the sky to not be blown out?

 

[azurbanclucker]

It was for a post I made on my site about the phone in the photo. I tend to like taking photos of various electronics that I've got next to trees, plants, buildings, etc. either for fun or because I'm writing about them.

How would I get the sky to not be blown out?

You need to balance your exposure so that you're correctly exposing for the sky. Then apply more local foreground lighting to your subject so it isn't too dark as a result.

Balancing lighting outside with broken clouds is a developed skill, and lots of people struggle with it (myself included).

If you want to do these kinds of shoots with more natural surroundings, try to minimize your background elements and don't use large bright objects that draw the eye away. Backgrounds work best when they're fairly uniform and balance the shot vs trying to get their own attention.

 

[notabitail]

You need to balance your exposure so that you're correctly exposing for the sky. Then apply more local foreground lighting to your subject so it isn't too dark as a result.

Balancing lighting outside with broken clouds is a developed skill, and lots of people struggle with it (myself included).

If you want to do these kinds of shoots with more natural surroundings, try to minimize your background elements and don't use large bright objects that draw the eye away. Backgrounds work best when they're fairly uniform and balance the shot vs trying to get their own attention.

Thanks. I'll try to do this next time.

 

[notabitail]

This is one I took of a bird. In terms of exposure, how did I do?
Without adjustment:

With adjustment:

 

[azurbanclucker]

This is one I took of a bird. In terms of exposure, how did I do?
Without adjustment:
View attachment 4119296
With adjustment:
View attachment 4119297

Color balance is better in the second one. He's out of focus, though
. Looks like the tip of the comb may be the focal point, but it should really be the eyes. Not sure if you were zoomed and the processor just couldn't get that tight on DoF, or if it was something else, but the eyes are soft.