Black & White Photography Photo Critique
Horse abstract
by Michael Cohen
Views: 1585
Category: Black & White Photography
Nikon D3X
Lens: Telephoto: 50-200mm
Exposure time: 1/3200 ,
F-stop: F2.8
ISO: 400
Flash: None
Tripod: No
Description: I was out shooting the rugged coastline in ME and came across a pasture of horses. I see all >
I was out shooting the rugged coastline in ME and came across a pasture of horses. I shot them for a while and 'discovered' this image during processing. I like the overall flow and the amount of time one can spend with the image. Shot with D3s.
Photo Critique Summary
Subject of photo
8
Composition & Perspective
7
Focus
9
Use of camera, exposure & speed
8
Color & Lighting
8
Depth of field
7
General impression
8
Overall Rating
7.9
GuruShots Pro
Subject of photo:
8
Horses make great subjects for photos. The trick is to show them in a new and interesting way. You accomplished this nicely by focusing in tightly to emphasize the physique of the horse and the flow of the mane.
Composition & Perspective:
7
Overall, a nice composition. The shape of the mane provides a nice path for the eye to follow into the photo. Perspective could be better by allowing some space between the horses rump and the top of the frame. The image is perhaps cropped a bit too tightly.
Focus:
9
focus is difficult to ascertain, given these small photos, but is good from what I can tell.
Use of camera, exposure & speed:
8
Exposure works well with the sidelighting.
Color & Lighting:
8
Lighting is a bit flat. The angled lighting works well to emphasize the muscles and texture of the coat, but needs a bit more contrast to make the image "pop".
Depth of field:
7
DOF is a bit short. Would be better if the zone of focus included the horses rump at the top of the frame
General impression:
8
Michael, I like the image very much! You captured the light nicely and with a bit of tweaking this will be a great image. I look forward to seeing more of your work.
How to improve your photo
1.
Pay close attention to cropping. Crop a bit wider to allow the negative space of the black background to define the horse's shape more completely. The trick is to not let the black background overwhelm the darker parts of the horse.
2.
Use an image editing program to selectively increase the contrast to give better definition to the horse's muscles and give the coat more texture.
3.
Though it's not always possible with animal shots, use a tripod to allow for increasing the depth of field so that the entire horse is in focus.
Get feedback on your photos from Pro Patrick McMahan