I Think I Can! I think I Can!
by Someamateur

Comment by Someamateur:
MelonMusketeer

You in no way irritate me with your comments. They are very handy to read. Like my website (located in my profile) says I'm a beginner that wishes to learn. I have some equipment with the entry level Pentax *IST DL Entry-Level DSLR. Please comment on my others if you like. I wish to learn as much as possible. Also the tutorials on this site are very good and I'm learning quite a lot. Short term goal is to have a picture that gets a score above six. My procrastination shot is currently at 5.3. I' very happy with that one.

I Think I Can! I think I Can!
by Someamateur

Comment by MelonMusketeer:
Just using a polarizer would have made the colors much richer, the sky darker, and the haze much less in this image.
You may have tripped the shutter just a little too soon. I feel that the image would have more interest if more of the side of the engine was in it.
As you indicate, it's a "grab" shot, and not a thought out set up.
Flat black things like the front of the boiler are very tricky to expose so that you get any detail, because they suck up so much light that you have to overexpose everything else to get good detail in the black.
I see that many of the other comments key in on post processing, but the best thing is to get the image near right to start with when the shutter clicks. That takes experience, and will come if you keep using the camera, and thinking about how to best capture the moment that you want. I hope that I do not irritate you with honest comments. Keep clicking.

Patient Corella
by Someamateur

Comment by MelonMusketeer:
First, a nice looking bare eyed cockatto! I hope it is your bird.
The depth of field is shallow in this image, and focus is actually about at the back of the beak. It is difficult at best to get this kind of shots in low light and have more DOF, partly because the subject usually is not completely still so you have to open the aperture to keep exposure time short. It is more difficult to focus in low light as well.
I find that manual focus works well for this kind of macro snapshots by getting the focus close, then moving the camera slightly in or out to put the focus exactly where I would like it sharpest.
Exposure is good. It is easy to overexpose white feathers on birds in a darker background, but I see that in this image that most of the image is feathers, so the normal metering should be good.
Keep shooting, and keep posting. Take good care of the bird if you're it's human.
My favorite 'too loved coffee, but it isn't good for them.

YES Dear..........I'll water the yard tomorrow.........Summers here..........oooops
by Someamateur

Comment by Gallatin:
Beautiful

Statue Portrait
by Someamateur

Comment by digitalknight:
good luck with this

Statue Portrait
by Someamateur

Comment by _eug:
Just not groovin' on this one for a portrait... Sorry.

Statue Portrait
by Someamateur

Comment by doug61853:
did you get a model release for her? (ha)

Statue Portrait
by Someamateur

Comment by jseligman:
Back or side light doesn't work for me. Otherwise good composition.

YES Dear..........I'll water the yard tomorrow.........Summers here..........oooops
by Someamateur

Comment by ursula:
Since this is advanced editing, the dustbunnies could have been edited out. Also, it is probably a better fit for centred than this challenge, although the centred composition doesn't really work all that well here. I like the colours, particularily in the sky. ~3

Murray Magpie
by Someamateur

Comment by candlerain:
OOF