Old Money
by CapeSail

Comment:
Me again, back for more comments! :)

First off, I'm jealous.... I'm saving up for this lens! I've been completely amazed by the shots I've seen from it! If you want some examples of some great macro shots, click on the lens and check out ursula's portfolio... I think dax also has this lens, and she has some very nice work too with it.

I don't know what the setup was here, but it looks like you were aiming for a diffused light, which didn't leave a lot of harsh shadows and glare, which is good, but I think it's still a bit overexposed. Compositionally, I wish some of the pennies were turned over, maybe to see the dates? Also, I'm not sure what the background is, but you have little dimples of it showing through in the lower left corner.

I don't know how much of a crop this is out of the original, but it seems a bit soft. Were you using a tripod or was this hand held? You'll get much better results on a tripod, and also by using the self timer, or a remote to remove any chance of you jostling the camera while you push the button.

I did a few edits to boost the contrast and color, to sharpen it up, and to get rid of the distracting background in the corner, and listed the steps in the comments:


Message edited by author 2007-02-12 19:22:05.

Ft. Tabor Pier - Black & White
by CapeSail

Comment:
This looks nice... you might have even been able to push the contrast even a bit more with the levels and adjustment layers. The nice thing about those layers is that you aren't damaging any of the info in the photo... you can always just delete the layer, or adjust how much of it is there. I try to push it as far as I can, and then back off until the details in the black/white areas are back. Just my personal preference though for the way I process photos.

Smiley
by CapeSail

Comment:
Hey Jeff-- I know you're looking for comments, so I figured I'd leave a few.. Well, I already left you a comment during voting, though, it wasn't very helpful, just something I'd noticed.

I think what this photo needed was either a bit more dramatic lighting (this was probably taken mid day?), maybe a bit more contrast (play with those levels or curves), and the composition itself is pretty static. Almost dead center and taking up a good majority of the frame. I'd probably either put it off to the side more, or else give more negative space around the "face". Either of those ideas would put the focal point more in line with the rule of thirds.

As others mentioned, the horizon is very tilted, which you'll usually get negative comments about. Granted, if you had fixed that, your face would have been crooked then, which would have caused even more problems! So, probably either cropping further up, or cloning out the horizon would have been your best solutions to that.

Hope this helps! :)

Domestic Bliss
by Ann

Comment:
Thanks for sharing the setup and story beind this one in the comments section... always fun to come back and find out how these creative shots are created! Great job!!

Snow Fun!
by JulieG

Comment:
I would have loved to see how you set this one up in the Photographers comments... I'm amazed that the only footprints are from the child, and I also wondered how big these clothes were to see where you'd been shooting from to get a direct look down. It's an adorable shot, and was one of my top picks.

Fear
by SaraR

Comment:
Hrm, I didn't get that the apple was sweating when I looked at it. It's interesting to come back and see how others viewed the photo.

Hey.. Get Back Here!
by DeniseBernadette

Comment:
I liked this shot, but didn't really get the title when I voted. It looked more like the whisk was bullying the guy, or yelling at him. Perhaps Emerkaza's title of "Beat It" would have worked better? Either way, I still like this one. The little trail leading up to the corkscrew is a nice touch too... like he walked there on his own! :)

Ginger, the Cowgirl
by TonyT

Comment:
I love this one! Others do have a point that the background is pretty irrelevant to the shot, perhaps a nice desert brown would have been better? And a nice warm light, with a small reflector bouncing up under that dark hat? I still think it's a great idea! :)

If you only listened to me
by zaflabout

Comment:
I came back to see who did this one, since it looked like my little guys from last week... and look who it is! :)

I like your lighting setup more than I liked mine... much more dramatic, and I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I like that you have the sitting match with his head bent over a bit (I broke mine off and had to glue it back on, so I know how difficult that is to do). You also handled the b/w conversion nicely, using a full range of tones.

I think the glue splotches, the grainy quality (though, it looks like you may have tried to soften it up a bit), and the uneven line in the background probably worked against you. Had those technicals been better, this would have done really well I think!

Looking at your EXIF, I'm confused about why you used a 70-300 lens, and a 10 second exposure. Maybe something to discuss in the D50 thread?

Bedtime Story
by vasilkovaya

Comment:
I notice you don't have many comments here, so...

I think the composition is good, and I like the story that the shot tells, even if it is a bit dependent on the title. I think voters probably weren't very fond of any stuffed animals being personified though. I also found the shot a bit too bright for a bedtime story... it looks like you have a lot of light coming in through the window on the right. Maybe a darker room, with soft lights directed on the two main characters could work?