# My first 7 months of photography (please critique!)



## bmoffitt1990 (Jul 29, 2015)

Hello all!

This is my first time posting in any photography forum and I am excited to be apart of this community. I just recently got into photography (as the title alludes) and I have quickly fallen in love with it. Outside of sports (when I was younger) I never really had a hobby, so now that I am out of school, I decided to choose something that I thought would excite me and I am glad I got this one right. 

I chose photography because I used to spend hours on stumbleupon going through countless portraits and landscape images that would captivate my attention and incite real emotional responses. I could feel the happiness or the pain of a crisp black and white portrait of a human being; a gorgeous rock wall leading to a single, powerful tree in the middle of a meadow made me want to go out and explore all the beauty that the earth has bestowed upon us. I realized that I wanted to take pictures that would create emotional responses within people much like the emotions that I found my self experiencing. 

I am putting up some of my own favorite images that I have taken over the past 7 months, and I would like to hear your thoughts about them. Tear them to shreds, praise them, give me pointers on how to improve - whatever you would like! I have thick skin when it comes to these types of things.

My Gear (if anyone is interested)
Nikon D5100
Tokina 12-24mm F/4
Nikon 35mm F/1.8
Nikon 18-140mm F/3.5-5.6
Lee Big Stopper (10 stops)

I edit with LR5

Here are the images (if I put too many in, let me know.)
1. Indian Leap Falls. Norwich, CT





2. Tracks during a snow storm. Guilford, CT




3. Dandelion Sunset. Berkshires, MA. 




4. Moon Rising. Thacher State Park, NY.




5. Sunsetting behind the Albany skyline. Albany, NY




6. NY State Education Building. Albany, NY.




7. Column at the NY State Education Building. Albany, NY.




8. Long Exposure at the Empire State Plaza. Albany, NY.
(Wish I aligned the buildings better!)




9. Starry night in a windy reed field. Albany, NY.




10. Praying man at St. Josephs Oratory. Montreal, Canada
(Wish I got this guy in focus)




11. The Notre-Dame Basillica. Montreal, Canada




12. Path to the Duomo. Florence, Italy




13. Steeple. Amsterdam, Netherlands.




14. Random alley in a hostel. Swiss Alps. 




15. Mystic Mountain. Swiss Alps.




16. Mystic River. Swiss Alps




17. Zurich, Switzerland.


----------



## bmoffitt1990 (Jul 29, 2015)

My bad everyone. Just read the forum rules. I am going to work on moving this to the gallery section


----------



## Derrel (Jul 29, 2015)

Yes, *no photographs are allowed* in the "Photography Beginners' Forum". Surprised a certain somebody hasn't come along to chastize you for your mistake of thinking that photographs were allowed in the Photography Beginners' Forum section..


----------



## bmoffitt1990 (Jul 29, 2015)

Derrel said:


> Yes, *no photographs are allowed* in the "Photography Beginners' Forum". Surprised a certain somebody hasn't come along to chastize you for your mistake of thinking that photographs were allowed in the Photography Beginners' Forum section..



Lol. Sensing some sarcasm...?

Also, I am trying to upload images but most of mine are over the 14 MB restriction. Not sure what to do on that front...


----------



## Derrel (Jul 29, 2015)

Yeah....I think it's ridiculous...like trying to herd cats across the plains, or to ask fleas on a cat to line up in an orderly fashion and to bite the cat in number order...a total loser of a battle.

Most images straight out of a high megapixel DSLR will be quite large, so then must be re-sized or compressed more to make the size limit. There's a file size guideline on TPF, one that says the maximum pixel dimensions must be XXXX pixels on the long size, and I thought the old limit was 2.4 megabytes per file....not sure what software you have, but you might wish to re-size the images to say 1,200 pixels on the long axis.


----------



## Designer (Jul 29, 2015)

bmoffitt1990 said:


> (if I put too many in, let me know.)


My word!  

The whole darned portfolio! 

Yes, you put in way too many, particularly if you were looking for C&C.  

ONE photo per thread is my personal preference for C&C.  

Just send a note to one of the moderators, asking to get this thread moved to the general gallery. 

Thanks.


----------



## tirediron (Jul 29, 2015)

bmoffitt1990 said:


> Derrel said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, *no photographs are allowed* in the "Photography Beginners' Forum". Surprised a certain somebody hasn't come along to chastize you for your mistake of thinking that photographs were allowed in the Photography Beginners' Forum section..
> ...


Moved to the gallery.  Just to clarify the rules for everyone:  It's not a case of "NO" photos being allowed in the Beginner's Forum, rather it was decided that all images for critique belong in the galleries.  It is perfectly acceptable to post images in the Beginner Forum if they relate to a beginning question, such as, "What caused this effect in my image?" but in order for genuine questions not to get "lost" we felt that it was better to separate critique and questions.


----------



## Designer (Jul 29, 2015)

Way too many for a detailed critique, but in general, I will say that I did not see any that stood out from the pack.  Keep on shooting!


----------



## BrickHouse (Jul 29, 2015)

There is some wonderful stuff mixed in here! I really like 2, 3, 15, and 16.


----------



## Derrel (Jul 29, 2015)

tirediron said:
			
		

> Just to clarify the rules for everyone:  It's not a case of "NO" photos being allowed in the Beginner's Forum, rather it was decided that all images for critique belong in the galleries.  It is perfectly acceptable to post images in the Beginner Forum if they relate to a beginning question, such as, "What caused this effect in my image?" but in order for genuine questions not to get "lost" we felt that it was better to separate critique and questions.



So, JUST TO CLARIFY, *you're walking back the edict that was handed down like, two days ago*, and announcing the new, more sane policy here, at this time. Good to know that saner heads have prevailed. I guess all that cat herding was worth it, as the lesson was eventually assimilated and put in to some type of practice.Beginners forum - Moderator Notice Photography Forum

Maybe the new policy you just announced five minutes ago can be reflected in an UPDATED sticky in the beginner's forum? Beginners forum - Moderator Notice Photography Forum


----------



## SnappingShark (Jul 29, 2015)

Rules aside - as they say in photography, rules are supposed to be broken ... I love you images. But then, I am no expert - just a lover of photographs


----------



## Forkie (Jul 30, 2015)

Too many for C&C, but it looks like you found the right hobby!  Great stuff!


----------



## Overread (Jul 30, 2015)

Moffitt - landscapes are not my thing (I take a few but not many) so I'm not as well versed with methods, tricks and critical thinking on the subject. . That said I think you've got off to a fantastic start. You've got an "eye" for this and it seems also a nice degree of breadth in your interest; ergo you're not stringing along one trick over and over again with what you've shown here. 

2 5 7 8 
Really stand out to me and look great. 

12 and 13 are les clear and 12 looks a bit more hectic and random; its bordering on being a snapshot. I think its because of the people in the foreground that you've cut-up with the frame. Granted in such a busy scene its hard to avoid doing that; but because there are 3 people forming a core of the middle of the lower part I think it distracts and makes it feel more like a grabshot. 

13 improves on this; but something just doesn't feel "good" enough to really make it stand out. It's too common/familiar to normal vision of the scene. Least ways I don't find it artistic so much as a documentary style (and there's nothing wrong in that of course). 




Derrel this isn't the place - you've been here long enough to know to use the feedback section for such discussions rather than hijacking another users thread.
For the record the "policy" that you say was imposed 2 days ago was imposed last year; the sticky is a reminder of those rules posted in January and only recently appeared again because it was bumped. In addition the policy as Tired has outlined is the policy we've used ever since we decided to not allow gallery style and critique photo posts in the Beginners section - and that rule was imposed because Beginners was being overloaded as a second and threads were cycling so fast many would hardly get a day on the first page of threads before they were lost (unless you'd like to return to a time when every other complaining post was "oh you can't get any attention unless you post in beginners). We've generally not pushed out technical questions with photos in the beginners section; although there is some leeway as to what counts as technical and what counts as gallery style- so there is some room for interpretation in that.


----------



## waday (Jul 30, 2015)

Nice shots! My favorites are 2, 5, 8, 9, and 17.

IMO, some could use different processing (3, 6, 7, 11). And, sorry to be harsh, but some look like ordinary snapshots (12, 13, 14, 15, 16).


----------



## scooter2044 (Jul 30, 2015)

#2 and #5 are my favorites.


----------



## Jasii (Jul 31, 2015)

Firstly I love the way you got to travel in Seven months. 
Secondly I love your enthusiasm.
Thirdly I love you trying different Genres to settle down on what you like shooting the most.
Lastly Keep shooting my friend a couple of months more and the babies will start arriving, 

Cheers!
Jasii


----------



## Peeb (Jul 31, 2015)

Designer said:


> Way too many for a detailed critique, but in general, I will say that I did not see any that stood out from the pack.  Keep on shooting!


??
Are you saying these are not great images?

If so, I disagree.
If not, you post could use some clarification.
IMO


----------



## Designer (Jul 31, 2015)

Peeb said:


> Are you saying these are not great images?


Correct.


----------



## tirediron (Jul 31, 2015)

Peeb said:


> Designer said:
> 
> 
> > Way too many for a detailed critique, but in general, I will say that I did not see any that stood out from the pack.  Keep on shooting!
> ...


Remember that it's important to be objective when providing C&C.  Saying that there are no stand-out images simply means that all of the images are (in that poster's view) approximately equal in terms of quality.  I agree with that statement.  The OP has posted a nice set of images, and when you factor in that he has only been at this a few months, then they're all the more impressve, but "great images" is a bit of a stretch.  "Half Dome", Migrant Mother", and "Powerhouse" are great images.  Very, very, very few of us will ever create one great image in our career, let alone a multitude.


----------



## Designer (Jul 31, 2015)

Usually I am happy to offer some C&C, and one or possibly two images per thread I will provide what I can.  This many photographs is just way WAY *WAY* too many for any kind of detailed analysis.


----------



## Overread (Jul 31, 2015)

I'd advocate and advise users posting for CnC to certainly post less most times; and if they read the link in my signature they can get more advance on how best to get CnC. 

However I'd like to take a moment to say that those giving comments/crits can select one of many to comment upon. It's a little more productive than just multiple "There were too many so I gave up" posts.


----------



## Designer (Jul 31, 2015)

bmoffitt1990; #7 (column) is my favorite.  Your frame has included the moon, but it's not contributing much to the image, so your photograph would probably have been better without it.  

Leaving just the building components then, the composition is unbalanced with too much sky on one side (which is looking mostly empty), and you missed an opportunity to include more of the building details in the shot.


----------



## AlanKlein (Jul 31, 2015)

OK.  Nice shots.  Keep shooting.  You can keep your camera.


----------



## Peeb (Jul 31, 2015)

tirediron said:


> Remember that it's important to be objective when providing C&C.  Saying that there are no stand-out images simply means that all of the images are (in that poster's view) approximately equal in terms of quality.  I agree with that statement.  The OP has posted a nice set of images, and when you factor in that he has only been at this a few months, then they're all the more impressve, but "great images" is a bit of a stretch.  "Half Dome", Migrant Mother", and "Powerhouse" are great images.  *Very, very, very few of us will ever create one great image in our career, let alone a multitude*.


Wow- your definition of 'great' is pretty restrictive!

I meant great as in- "really nice" or "something that would make me proud".

What Tirediron describes, I would call more like 'legendary', such as Moonrise, Hernandez by Ansel Adams.

I almost clicked 'disagree' to your post, but it always rubs me the wrong way when people do that- so I'll just say we employ the word 'great' in a different fashion (and/or have artistic differences!).

Anyhow, to the OP- I think your images are VERY NICE (if that works for us all).


----------



## Designer (Jul 31, 2015)

Peeb said:


> Anyhow, to the OP- I think your images are VERY NICE (if that works for us all).


Yeah, words mean things.  Like the meaning of words and all.  Use the correct word, and everything is good.  Use the wrong word, and all he!! breaks loose.


----------



## Peeb (Jul 31, 2015)

Designer said:


> Peeb said:
> 
> 
> > Anyhow, to the OP- I think your images are VERY NICE (if that works for us all).
> ...


Ha! "Grouch" means something to me.


----------



## tirediron (Jul 31, 2015)

Peeb said:


> Designer said:
> 
> 
> > Peeb said:
> ...


Get off'n my lawn!!!!   Dang kids...


----------



## GWWhite (Aug 3, 2015)

To me, I am in with Designer. One of the things I found common to most of the photos (the railroad tracks in the snow was the exception) was the lack of composition. The locations were pretty, but the photos were to me just a travelogue. Generally the care put into the taking of the photos is easily communicated to the viewer. The one thing I noticed on all the photos is that almost every one of them is perfectly centered in the frame. There is very little variation from that format. I would like to see the OP begin exploring compositional techniques and spend more time planning the shots they take. The funny part is, they still centered the railroad tracks, but thanks to leading lines it worked in that photo. But I am not sure the OP thought of that when they took it. BTW, this is a generalization since there were SO many photos in the bunch. Since so many of the photos exhibited the same characteristics it is clear to me that this is how the OP shoots generally.


----------



## kdthomas (Aug 3, 2015)

#2, #7, and #8 win it for me. Love the shadow detail in the column, like the leading lines in the railroad tracks ... but the starkness and abstraction, and contrast in #8 carry the day for me. I like it ... *definitely* keep shooting.

BTW ... look at #8 ... left and right sides of the image ... faint spots ... is that sensor dust?


----------



## dennybeall (Aug 3, 2015)

I like the photos. Find them interesting. I would comment that where there is motion captured it's important to try to have the not moving parts be in focus. I did notice a few where a vertical or horizontal line was a little off. Not much in any case but a little.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Off topic - I don't understand why some folks just have to attack others opinions, it's as if they just can't help themselves and the same folks do it in thread after thread.. Why not just state your own opinion and leave it at that?


----------



## Kanthaka (Aug 4, 2015)

I'm a beginner myself but I think these are "very nice" photos for someone who just picked this hobby up about 7 months ago. Personally, I've only had my DSLR for one week. I hope I make progress like this. Looking forward to seeing more pics from you!


----------



## bmoffitt1990 (Aug 10, 2015)

kdthomas said:


> #2, #7, and #8 win it for me. Love the shadow detail in the column, like the leading lines in the railroad tracks ... but the starkness and abstraction, and contrast in #8 carry the day for me. I like it ... *definitely* keep shooting.
> 
> BTW ... look at #8 ... left and right sides of the image ... faint spots ... is that sensor dust?




No that was from the filter I was using. There was some water marks on it. Thank you for the feedback!


----------



## bmoffitt1990 (Aug 10, 2015)

GWWhite said:


> To me, I am in with Designer. One of the things I found common to most of the photos (the railroad tracks in the snow was the exception) was the lack of composition. The locations were pretty, but the photos were to me just a travelogue. Generally the care put into the taking of the photos is easily communicated to the viewer. The one thing I noticed on all the photos is that almost every one of them is perfectly centered in the frame. There is very little variation from that format. I would like to see the OP begin exploring compositional techniques and spend more time planning the shots they take. The funny part is, they still centered the railroad tracks, but thanks to leading lines it worked in that photo. But I am not sure the OP thought of that when they took it. BTW, this is a generalization since there were SO many photos in the bunch. Since so many of the photos exhibited the same characteristics it is clear to me that this is how the OP shoots generally.




Thanks a lot for the descriptive feedback! Some of these are a travelogue. I got to travel but wasnt with someone who was into photography. I didnt want to bother them and slow them down by trying to compose great shots, so I had to do a lot of quick pointing and shooting. 

These photos unfortunately do have a central composition for most (not all). I didnt know any rules when I first started, so as a result my pictures were all over the place. Then I wanted to focus on one type of composition so that I could become very familiar with it. I wanted to be able to tell when I should and shouldnt use it. Can you tell which composition I chose?  lol.


----------

