#70 What I Love

Jenn · February 16, 2011

Do either of these images look good for this challenge? thanks!

I love...

Roses 1

Those Eyes 1

Jenn · February 17, 2011

Anyone out there? {echoOOoOooOOoooo}

I was hoping for a few ideas as to if my photos fit the challenge. I know which one I like, but I'm not that great at judging my own images.

thanks.....

angevin1 · February 17, 2011

Of course your photos fit the challenge...? is, is it what you love?

bbjones · February 17, 2011

I'd go with the Roses -- composition is stronger.

Jenn · February 17, 2011

angevin1 wrote: »

Of course your photos fit the challenge...? is, is it what you love?

yes!

I just don't know if they are good images to enter or not.

bbjones wrote: »

I'd go with the Roses -- composition is stronger.

I have a hard time *seeing* what makes better composition... The rose is bigger, but the eyes in my granddaughters photo draw me in, too. Does the rose being bigger make it better composition, or bigger and it's position? What about the 2nd image makes it weaker composition-wise?

thanks,,,

bbjones · February 17, 2011

Jenn wrote: »

I have a hard time *seeing* what makes better composition... The rose is bigger, but the eyes in my granddaughters photo draw me in, too. Does the rose being bigger make it better composition, or bigger and it's position? What about the 2nd image makes it weaker composition-wise?

thanks,,,

Well, I'm no professor, and mostly its a reaction, rather than a well-thought-out reasoning, but I think it's something like this:

The kid is really cute, but she's centered, and looking out of the frame. That makes my eye start in the middle of the picture, then go off toward what she's looking at. If it's a misty, dreamy look that can work, but it looks here like she can see something I can't.

OTOH, the big rose is off-center, and has some really nice texture. The echoing of the rose in the background provides a nice repetition element, which tends to draw your attention back and forth between the two, all the while keeping you inside the photo.

I'm sure some of the experts around here can do a better explanation than that, but I think that's what's driving my reaction.

Keep shooting that kid, though -- you are bound to get some great ones of her!

angevin1 · February 17, 2011

Jenn wrote: »

....the eyes in my granddaughters photo draw me in, too. ? What about the 2nd image makes it weaker composition-wise?
thanks,,,

Truly..looks like a snapshot! First, turn that on cam flash off. Then find yourself some natural light flooding into a room and work with the granddaughter to get her focused more on you and she. Perhaps having her look into the camera, perhaps not. Either way the composition is okay, but overall the photo just needs some expository work.

Jenn · February 17, 2011

angevin1 wrote: »

Truly..looks like a snapshot! First, turn that on cam flash off. Then find yourself some natural light flooding into a room and work with the granddaughter to get her focused more on you and she. Perhaps having her look into the camera, perhaps not. Either way the composition is okay, but overall the photo just needs some expository work.

Why do camera's have flashes on them if you weren't meant to use them? I don't have any special lighting or equipment. That's all the light I have to work with aside from a couple of lamps. Her face is well lit and not distorted.. the color is good, too. It's even IN FOCUS!

I don't have much to work with except this digital camera and the occasional "kodak" moment with the granddaughter.

What separates a good picture from a ordinary snapshot? I think it's good because it IS in focus/the color is good/ and her face is well lit.. no unsightly shadows.. etc........

The rose photo is good, but it has alot of shadows.. I thought those were bad.

angevin1 · February 18, 2011

Jenn wrote: »

Why do camera's have flashes on them if you weren't meant to use them? I don't have any special lighting or equipment. That's all the light I have to work with aside from a couple of lamps. Her face is well lit and not distorted.. the color is good, too. It's even IN FOCUS! I don't have much to work with except this digital camera and the occasional "kodak" moment with the granddaughter.

What separates a good picture from a ordinary snapshot? I think it's good because it IS in focus/the color is good/ and her face is well lit.. no unsightly shadows.. etc........

You make a strong argument~ Carry on~

WhatSheSaw · February 18, 2011

Jenn wrote: »

Why do camera's have flashes on them if you weren't meant to use them?

So people can take snapshots in poor light. Not every photo I take is meant to be artwork. Some are merely documentation, capturing a moment or data. I sometimes take photos of whiteboards at work instead of taking notes.

I am less fussy about my documentary photos than the ones I take for the challenges.

Jenn wrote: »

I don't have any special lighting or equipment. That's all the light I have to work with aside from a couple of lamps. Her face is well lit and not distorted.. the color is good, too. It's even IN FOCUS! I don't have much to work with except this digital camera and the occasional "kodak" moment with the granddaughter.

I have no special lighting equipment. I have used flashlights and household lamps to achieve lighting effects. Have you tried covering the on camera flash with kleenex to diffuse the light a bit and reduce its harshness? One of the problems with the on camera flash is that it can wash out close objects.

With the equipment you have, you may find it easier to get good shots of your granddaughter outside. I would guess that she moves pretty quickly, even when she is sitting still. Try a day with a bit of overcast so the shadows will not be too strong. Take her to the park.

Jenn wrote: »

What separates a good picture from a ordinary snapshot? I think it's good because it IS in focus/the color is good/ and her face is well lit.. no unsightly shadows.. etc........

The rose photo is good, but it has alot of shadows.. I thought those were bad.

Visit the people forum. Study the photos and the comments there.

The rose has shadows that add. They are not too harsh and the petals are not blown out. You have done a good job of retaining detail in them.

Jenn · February 18, 2011

angevin1 wrote: »

You make a strong argument~ Carry on~

... more like wishing there was a way to get a great image with the tool I
already have... I was serious when I asked 'why are flashes on cameras?'
If I don't use it the photo is too dark... I put tissue over the flash, but then
end up adding contrast when it's edited. I'm just trying to figure out what
is a good photo and more importantly what to look for. Hey... someone
once said to find your own style... maybe snapshot is my style and I
should try to do the best snap shot I can !!

angevin1 · February 18, 2011

Jenn wrote: »

... more like wishing there was a way to get a great image with the tool I
already have... I was serious when I asked 'why are flashes on cameras?'
If I don't use it the photo is too dark... I put tissue over the flash, but then
end up adding contrast when it's edited. I'm just trying to figure out what
is a good photo and more importantly what to look for. Hey... someone
once said to find your own style... maybe snapshot is my style and I
should try to do the best snap shot I can !!

There is. I gave you my best suggestion about: Turning off the on-cam flash, finding a Window with light flooding in and working with the granddaughter to use that light to effect.

IT IS one of my favorite ways to shoot.

You marched all over my recommendations and gave reasons as to why you do what you do and cannot do otherwise.

Why do cameras have flash on them? So you can use the flash of course.

Window light, the largest source in our part of the universe has been used in photography since it was invented.

You already know why On-cam flash can make a photo look flat and inelegant. Hopefully you've looked at enough photos to discern good from better and best too.

A BUNCH of folks find Natural light perfectly able to accomplish their task and to create with.

But I am also in Snowgirls camp. There are myriad ways to light a subject with household lights and lighting!

Jenn · February 18, 2011

WhatSheSaw wrote: »

So people can take snapshots in poor light. Not every photo I take is meant to be artwork. Some are merely documentation, capturing a moment or data. I sometimes take photos of whiteboards at work instead of taking notes. I am less fussy about my documentary photos than the ones I take for the challenges.

I have no special lighting equipment. I have used flashlights and household lamps to achieve lighting effects. Have you tried covering the on camera flash with kleenex to diffuse the light a bit and reduce its harshness? One of the problems with the on camera flash is that it can wash out close objects.

yes

... it's like my camera has a cold because it has tissue taped to it all the time to filter the flash!

WhatSheSaw wrote: »

With the equipment you have, you may find it easier to get good shots of your granddaughter outside. I would guess that she moves pretty quickly, even when she is sitting still. Try a day with a bit of overcast so the shadows will not be too strong. Take her to the park.

WhatSheSaw wrote: »

yeah .. she is constantly moving ... that's one reason I was so impressed the photo I finally ended up with was in focus. It was also taken at night... so no natural light from a window was possible if I had a window to use for that shot. Part of the problem is she is constantly moving.. hahaha so there's no time to open any curtains ... it's either go with the kodak moment shot or no shot at all. She's not too cooperative, either.

Visit the people forum. Study the photos and the comments there.

The rose has shadows that add. They are not too harsh and the petals are not blown out. You have done a good job of retaining detail in them.

ok ... thanks for the help and info..

Jenn · February 18, 2011

angevin1 wrote: »

There is. I gave you my best suggestion about: Turning off the on-cam flash, finding a Window with light flooding in and working with the granddaughter to use that light to effect.

IT IS one of my favorite ways to shoot.

You marched all over my recommendations and gave reasons as to why you do what you do and cannot do otherwise.

I didn't mean to come across that way at all ... I just need to find ways to get a good photo with what I have to work with ... my windows don't exactly provide good lighting.

angevin1 wrote: »

Why do cameras have flash on them? So you can use the flash of course.

Window light, the largest source in our part of the universe has been used in photography since it was invented.

You already know why On-cam flash can make a photo look flat and inelegant. Hopefully you've looked at enough photos to discern good from better and best too.

Well.. yeah ... but I can't tell the difference in when someone has used a flash that has been filtered with tissue vs. natural light that's been processed in photoshop with added contrast and saturation. I've had to add contrast and saturation in both situations (natural light and flash). My granddaughters photo I added contrast and saturation... the original taken with a flash that had tissue over it wasn't that bright... You said it makes an image look 'flat and inelegant' ... I hadn't thought of it looking 'flat' ... hmmmmm so... a better image should look more 3d?

angevin1 wrote: »

A BUNCH of folks find Natural light perfectly able to accomplish their task and to create with.

But I am also in Snowgirls camp. There are myriad ways to light a subject with household lights and lighting!

Well ... I'm stumbling around in the dark... <smile> I'll figure it out eventually with the help of everyone's comments and suggestions. I try to gleen something from everything I read even if I feel frustrated with myself not 'getting' it.

Jenn · February 18, 2011

Here is a photo of her that I put an effect on ... I know most people don't like 'effects' ... but I really do love the different effects that can be added to pictures... it emphasizes her facial expression, I think. To me, it's how her innocent eyes are searching for something... everything is new to her and she has alot of expression in her eyes. Take away all the color, the lighting and all that's left is her expression. Anyway ... that's why I love to do with photos ....

angevin1 · February 18, 2011

I think your effects image, above and the explanation for it are spot on. That is what you Love! And that love of craft is ultimately very important.

I am not a big effects fan either, but it does wax and wane with my mood. And I'll use it anytime it feels right.

I REALLLY think you ought to work on your lighting technique with as much natural light as you can find. I think you'd be amazed at what you can accomplish in Natural light. If your cam had a manual mode, that'd make it easier. However finding ways to fool the camera into doing what you want is part of the picture. Your camera does however have +/- ev adjustments!

As far as learning about light and flash, that is an exercise in reading, shooting and critiquing.

Jenn · February 18, 2011

angevin1 wrote: »

I think your effects image, above and the explanation for it are spot on. That is what you Love! And that love of craft is ultimately very important.

I really do love effects on images.. I don't know if it's because my original images lack in other skills or not. <SMILE>I've been trying to stay away from adding effects so I can do better at getting the original image right. I have a difficult time taking any photo because I have what's called 'essential tremors' in my hands... sometimes worse .. sometimes not at all. I've been compensating by setting the jitter setting to max on my camera and propping my camera on different things to steady it. I even have tried setting a 2 second timer so when I press the shutter button, which causes me to shake a bit at times, in hopes that the slight movement would stop by the time the shutter snaps the photo. Sometimes, it works and the pictures are sharp and in forcus so that's the main reason I'm so happy when I get a good photo w/o bad shadows, framed right, and above all in focus all at the same time. "I" think... 'wow.. thats a great picture for me!" (it's not FUZZY!!)

I haven't bought a tripod yet. I almost bought a mini-tripod but didn't know if it would be worth the $$ or not, and wanted to see if I could take the pictures w/o one because a good photo you don't always have the time or convenience of setting up on a tripod to get the shot.

angevin1 wrote: »

I am not a big effects fan either, but it does wax and wane with my mood. And I'll use it anytime it feels right.

"Effects" have always been my love and kind of my specialty, but I realize on a photography forum it's more about the original image, and I'm just not sure when to add an effect that works because I could do it on every image and love it.

angevin1 wrote: »

I REALLLY think you ought to work on your lighting technique with as much natural light as you can find. I think you'd be amazed at what you can accomplish in Natural light. If your cam had a manual mode, that'd make it easier. However finding ways to fool the camera into doing what you want is part of the picture. Your camera does however have +/- ev adjustments!

I've been experimenting taking pictures outside with different settings and the flash turned off and using the +/- on the white setting, too. I haven't quite got it down, yet, as far as knowing automatically which setting to choose with different amounts of light. I've tried taking photos of white flowers with dark backgrounds and it's hit and miss as far as getting it in focus plus getting it to show the white flower good in the resulting image.

I get so frustrated with myself mostly because my photos nearly always aren't in focus like I want them to be because my hands shake and propping on something else didn't work again. I'll figure it out eventually, though.

angevin1 wrote: »

As far as learning about light and flash, that is an exercise in reading, shooting and critiquing.

Thanks for not giving up on me!

sapphire73 · February 18, 2011

You have already received a lot of good feedback. The image of the roses is strong but it sounds like you are drawn more to using a photograph of your grand-daughter. Of the two images of her in this thread, I prefer her expression in second one. The first one is titled Those Eyes but her eyes are communicating uncertainty (to me, at least) and as others have mentioned, the viewer wonders what she is looking at. Whether or not you use special effects in processing a photo of her is up to you, but I would love to see a different shot of your beautiful grand-daughter.

Jenn · February 18, 2011

sapphire73 wrote: »

You have already received a lot of good feedback. The image of the roses is strong but it sounds like you are drawn more to using a photograph of your grand-daughter. Of the two images of her in this thread, I prefer her expression in second one. The first one is titled Those Eyes but her eyes are communicating uncertainty (to me, at least) and as others have mentioned, the viewer wonders what she is looking at. Whether or not you use special effects in processing a photo of her is up to you, but I would love to see a different shot of your beautiful grand-daughter.

I like the Rose image too... ack!

I'm horrible at this. Ok ..

I'll enter the Rose image, but keep trying to get a better photo of my grand-daughter :photo .... maybe I'll get some luck and get a good one.

sapphire73 · February 18, 2011

Jenn wrote: »

I like the Rose image too... ack! I'm horrible at this. Ok .. I'll enter the Rose image, but keep trying to get a better photo of my grand-daughter :photo .... maybe I'll get some luck and get a good one.

Jenn, I am a relative newbie to the challenges so please don't let my input sway you. You are getting good input from lots of folks here. After posting my comment, I saw that you have entered the photo of your grand-daughter with the special effects added. Do you want to ask folks for input on that photo - perhaps posting one version in full color for comparison with the one you've already posted in this thread and in the entry thread?

Jenn · February 19, 2011

sapphire73 wrote: »

Jenn, I am a relative newbie to the challenges so please don't let my input sway you. You are getting good input from lots of folks here. After posting my comment, I saw that you have entered the photo of your grand-daughter with the special effects added. Do you want to ask folks for input on that photo - perhaps posting one version in full color for comparison with the one you've already posted in this thread and in the entry thread?

It's probably kind of late to get alot of input on the effects photo. Several people leaned in favor of the rose photo, so I figured I'd go ahead and enter that one instead. It might get a few votes..

#70 What I Love

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