Black & White Photography Photo Critique
Wood mountain
by Diana
Views: 1364
Category: Black & White Photography
Canon Digital Rebel XS
F-stop: F8
ISO: 200
Flash: None
Tripod: No
Description: I came across a recycling site, and thought It was a great place to take some photos. see all >
I came across a recycling site, and thought It was a great place to take some photos.I was trying to capture the enormity.
Photo Critique Summary
Subject of photo
7
Composition & Perspective
5
Focus
8
Use of camera, exposure & speed
8
Color & Lighting
8
Depth of field
10
General impression
7
Overall Rating
7.6
GuruShots Pro
Subject of photo:
7
Hi Diana...
This is an interesting idea for a subject however it takes up too much of the frame. Yes, the subject is a pile of waste to be recycled but there is not one definitive part of the image that stands out. I would have liked to have seen it in color.
Composition & Perspective:
5
Imagine yourself back at this site. You see this huge mound of material to be recycled and are awed by its size. Maybe it makes you feel small. How could you have displayed that? The photo, as it is, could be a pile of almost anything. This is the reason I say: "I would have liked to have seen it in color." In my opinion the color would have been helpful in ascertaining the different items in the pile. I see what may be a ladder in the foreground at left. In the foreground at right I see what appears to be a forklift palette. These say to me: "Yes, this was a sizable heap". However, these do not immediately leap out at me. I had to look for something to give me some sort of indication of the size of the "hill". I would have gone up to the pile, laid on the ground at its feet, and shot upward with something discernible in the image to give it a sense of scale. Imaging how it may have looked in color with a blue sky and clouds. A mountain, if you will. Now imagine some element in the pile clearly in focus, say a kitchen or bathroom sink, that gives it a sense of scale.
Focus:
8
Since the subject seems to be the hill of recyclables it seems, for the most part, at an acceptable level of focus. Whatever you used as a focal point is not obvious to me.
Use of camera, exposure & speed:
8
I cannot comment on the speed as it is not indicated but I think using F8 was a good choice.
Color & Lighting:
8
I cannot comment on the color due to the image being black and white. The scene is well lit overall.
Depth of field:
10
As previously mentioned, F8 was a good choice. The focal area appears to be the center of the pile.
General impression:
7
Hello again Diana...
This was a good idea from square one and I could see it being used in a commercial advertisement for waste management had it been shot differently.
How to improve your photo
1.
OK, Diana, you and I are on a shoot together. We've been hired by an advertising business that is working for a recycling company. They want a shot to show the level of waste that people produce within any given time. We know of a recycling site and drive there to see if there are any opportunities. We see the massive pile of recyclables. What next?
I am a true believer in "every photo tells a story". You have shot a pile of items to be recycled however did not include anything to show just how large a pile it is. Something common to demonstrate scale is always a good idea.
2.
When you take a photo of a subject that you find interesting, shoot it from many different perspectives and look at them later. See which one most evokes in you the feelings you had at the time of capture. Perform some post-processing to your favorite shot(s) using the software that accompanied your camera or some other image editing software. Don't be afraid to experiment. You'd be surprised with what you may discover. I have "been there, done that" and have been pleased many times. I have also been disappointed. You don't need to save the ones you do not like. Just remember to always keep the original and work on a copy. :)
3.
When you shoot something that you are using to demonstrate size, use an "every day" element in your composition that the viewer can relate to. You may have even been able to use your shoe in this photo, shot the pile from a low vantage point with your shoe somewhere in the foreground but not so much as to take away from your subject and pointed you camera towards the sky.
Get feedback on your photos from Pro Doug Murphy