Walk In The Park; Take 2

[monkay]

Went to Ramapo Reservation today in NJ for a walk and some shots. Please tell me what you think! Any and all comments are welcome.

1.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

2.
View attachment 217888
3.
View attachment 217890
4.
View attachment 217895
5.
View attachment 217898

 

[spalding12]

nice shots
i'm glad you added them here
if you'd like some constructive criticism...
i'd start by thinking about the RULE OF THIRDS when you shoot

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/rule-of-thirds/

each of your images is quite "STATIC," and.... therefore.... a bit boring
#1 is a gorgeous scene.... but, the horizon DEAD CENTER might not be the best choice here
the FLOWER and the LAST shot exhibit that same "characteristic"

you are doing well
but a more eccentric placement of your "MAIN" subject might be something to consider

no offense intended
keep shooting... and post-processing... and posting

glad that you are here

 

[monkay]

Thanks Greg, I'm not offended at all. I really appreciate your input.
#1 is a crop (as I'm pretty sure you're aware) After posting it in another forum, a few people suggested I crop out the foreground (ground/dirt) and start at the water. I cropped it out and liked the result. See the original at the bottom and tell me what you think.

As for the rule of thirds, I appreciate your reminding me. Haha, I guess I'm having trouble really applying the rule to all of my shots, because I tried to apply it with the butterfly shot and put it off center. What do you think of the placement in that shot? I'll definitely try my best to keep it in mind when shooting and editing from now on.

Thanks for the kind words and comments.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[rotxlk82]

Thanks for adding these Dave, on the whole I think they're better than your first set.

As Greg says you might want to get a bit more experimental in your composistion, the rule of thirds is a good starting point however I like to think about images having a foreground, middle and background as well to give a sense of depth on a flat image plane.

I feel advice like this would be particually useful for scenes like those in 1 and 2, fundamentally there are good but they lack a sense of depth.

Of the set, 3 is my clear favourite with 4 a close second.

 

[WHISTLING_WINGS]

A worthy investment of time, do agree with the 3rds and stay away from the dead center horizon but I think the others work well.
Can you go back to #1 and play with some different composition?

Keep them coming!!:smile:

 

[rotxlk82]

Sorry to double post but now I see the new image you've posted I hope you can better understand what I mean about foreground, middle and background adding depth to what is basically a flat image.

I like the way in which the shoreline leads into the water, which in turn leads into the trees.

 

[monkay]

Robert: Thanks, I really need to drill this rule of thirds into my head. Hopefully as you guys mention it over and over it'll start to stick. And I'm pretty sure I understand what you mean about the fore, middle and background elements. Again, just another thing to keep in mind while shooting and editing.

Whistling: I appreciate your comments and I'm not sure how else to play with the composition of the first shot. I'll do what I can, but what do you suggest? :smile:

Again, thanks for all the input and comments; all are greatly appreciated.

 

[spalding12]

Thanks Greg, I'm not offended at all. I really appreciate your input.
#1 is a crop (as I'm pretty sure you're aware) After posting it in another forum, a few people suggested I crop out the foreground (ground/dirt) and start at the water. I cropped it out and liked the result. See the original at the bottom and tell me what you think.

As for the rule of thirds, I appreciate your reminding me. Haha, I guess I'm having trouble really applying the rule to all of my shots, because I tried to apply it with the butterfly shot and put it off center. What do you think of the placement in that shot? I'll definitely try my best to keep it in mind when shooting and editing from now on.

Thanks for the kind words and comments.

i greatly appreciate YOUR reply
i DO like the butterfly image more

one other possible crop.... would remove those 2 out-of-focus flowers
but....
it doesn't follow the rule-of-thirds, either... with the flower in the middle
but, it does remove some of the distracting OOF elements... to my eyes

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

i do understand the issue with image #1
a very serene place
i'd love to see it in person one day

 

[monkay]

I see your points now Greg. I had originally imagined the OOF elements adding some depth to the shot, but now that you mention it, they're a bit distracting. I like your crop though, and while it doesn't perfectly follow the rule of thirds, it seems to make the eyes go towards the butterfly's head and body rather than the flower.

As for the park, it's a great place. I used to go there more often as a kid, and this was my first time back in years. If you're in the area let me know.


Played around with #1 some more...less ground than the original, but enough to know it's there, horizon is about a third from the top, and I tried not to slice any clouds. What say you guys?

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[spalding12]

yeah....
i like this crop very much
well done

 

[rotxlk82]

I prefer this crop as well, I look forward to seeing the results of your next shoot Dave.

 

[monkay]

Thanks everybody. I do too, Robert :biggrin:

 

[lanthier]

Good work Dave, and good advice from all here. The thirds the thirds! Yes, it really does help to get you thinking of different compositions, rather than centered. I thought your brown eyed susan had some potential so I tried some crops to illustrate what might be done. This would have been easy to do while shooting, but still possible in post.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Hope you don't mind. Just cropped and sharpened.

Oh, and welcome to the Cafe!

 

[monkay]

Thanks a lot Rich! Your edit looks great.

 

[j.ankanpaa]

:wink: That´s a quite bald statment to place that "grass head" in the middle of the shot #5 like you did, but I like it...

 

[lanthier]

Thanks a lot Rich! Your edit looks great.

glad you enjoyed it. My susans are just starting to bloom, so I am anxious to start a study on them... Something to do tomorrow...