Gazebo Diptych
by 777STAN

Comment by MaryO:
Looks like a tough exposure. Think I'd like to see a bit more of the view and less of the gazebo. Actually, I'd probably get bogged down trying to take a picture of the floorboards framed by the shadows ;-)

Winter Coat: "Stocked With JOY!"
by 777STAN

Comment by Citadel:
Greetings from the critique club!

I guess the first thing I will say is that despite being a Constructed by Man challenge, voters probably weren't looking for actual people. You have to go down to 51st place to see a picture with a person even in the frame and even then the primary subject isn't a person. My guess is that the voters came down hard for that.

So challenge aside the picture itself has some potential. I think there are some problems with exposure that are hard to deal with in this light. The background is quite bright. In itself, this wouldn't be a problem if it were consistent. I think all photographers have troubles with a distracting background from time to time. I guess in this case we should be happy we don't have that tree on the right growing out of of her head.

There is also a really bright highlight on her hair but her face is exposed nicely. I would suggest, under exposing a bit and using flash to light her face. The alternative is to get her in the shade which might be a better option anyways because this background doesn't offer anything that you want. (for example interesting colors)

Composition works for me and the focus is pretty good. There's a tiny bit of reflection on her glass but you've handled that pretty well. (Incidentally if you see glare etc in glasses, one trick I've learned is to bring the arms of the glasses up a bit to change the angle. I thought that might be a useful tip to pass on).

As a portrait this isn't bad. I think the biggest downfall is the lighting and the background. Definitely a shot worth exploring though.

Winter Coat: "Stocked With JOY!"
by 777STAN

Comment by Luci11e:
I'm guessing your model's name is Joy? Nice portrait. She has a friendly smile :-)

Fun Sides of Lenses
by 777STAN

Comment by bcenu:
Now that's a different perspective!

Fun Sides of Lenses
by 777STAN

Comment by ThingFish:
Fun shot. Those are called perspectacles aren't they? 5

Take a Seat
by 777STAN

Comment by snaffles:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I empathize here because I've shot in a similar fashion, trying to fit as much into a shot as possible. Sadly, it rarely works.

The highlights are blown out on the arm of closest chair and that whole side of it looks quite oof. Crop is very, very tight on all the chairs, lighting is flat, giving entire shot a washed-out look. Compostion is quite cluttered, with one chair piled atop another and that atop yet another chair. Background of fallen leaves just looks drab.

With such a selection of chairs you could have made the pinky Adirondack chair really pop, by putting it between the two metal patio chairs and shooting perhaps another foot or two to your right. This was an Advanced challenge, so you could have used a magnetic lasso (or similar tool depending on what pp program you have) and really blasted the colour on the Adirondack.

An aperture of 4.5 is quite shallow, even just a few stops down (say f.6 or f.8) could have made a world of difference. Going by the fast shutter I'd say you shot handheld.

FWIW: In a word: tripod. Even if you only use it for shots like this it's well worth it, because then you can close the ap wayyyyy down - try f.8 - and leave the shutter open for at least a second.

Hope this helps, and as I learned awhile ago: you have to take a good shot first, because all the pp in the world won't help a poor one.

Feel free to PM me with any questions,

Susan

Take a Seat
by 777STAN

Comment by bvy:
More subtle lighting might have better shown off the textures.

Fun Sides of Lenses
by 777STAN

Comment by MinsoPhoto:
Sorry maybe it is just me but I really don't get it. I like that you covered the flash though but I'm not a fan of the rest of the shot.

Fun Sides of Lenses
by 777STAN

Comment by smardaz:
kinda funny, but it just comes across as a weird/goofy shot someone does when they first get a new camera, and i dont really see anything that shows using perspectiv to create a dramatic image

Fun Sides of Lenses
by 777STAN

Comment by Nadine_Vb:
Funny shot, but a bit snapshot-stylish.