[bikenweed]

Any advice would be appreciated. Shot with a Cannon a510, on the auto feature. I'm no camera expert, but any help would be nice!

Check it out, the writing divides the photo into thirds, and she loosely follows the rule of thirds as well. Hmmm, rule of thirds, twice? Or does it just suck...?

 

[binary visions]

I'm actually not a big fan of the "rule of thirds". It's a personal thing - the rule of thirds is a good general guideline to follow when learning to make sure your photo has some substantial composition. The reason I mention it is that some try to adhere to the rule too rigidly and sometimes miss out on developing their own style or considering what looks good to them.

I like the picture as a statement. I think I might find it more compelling if there was more writing on the wall? Also, the girl is wearing white... she has no "pop" in the picture.

 

[bikenweed]

Good point about the white shirt. I didn't even think about that. Anyone else wanna chime in?

I like the pic because it shows the rebellious beauty of youth in a state of shame. It captures a strong part of being young. I'm sure you could have another interpretation of it though, that's what defines art. It's not a super great photo, but it's the coolest one I've taken so far.

 

[Quo Fan]

I don't know art, but I know I like. I like the photo. The lack of background "noise" accentuates the fact that the writing is in red and brings it out. The girl wearing white only brings out the darker color of her skin, making her stand out even more. The slice of sunlight in the upper corner is a nice touch.

 

[stevew]

as far as the writing on the wall, you might enjoy www.stencilrevolution.com. check out the galleries.

 

[justsomeguy]

That location has potential but for me the compostition has too many jarring elements.

-arm cut off

-diagonal sun splash

-too much dead space above text

-Is she asleep, or supposed to be looking sassy?

 

[bikenweed]

-arm cut off

-diagonal sun splash

-too much dead space above text

-Is she asleep, or supposed to be looking sassy?

Thanks! Arms are cut off because I accidentally got a backpack in the left corner, and had to crop it to get it a bit cleaner.

Yeah, I should have gone around 9 or 10 in the morning, after the shadows burn off and the wall is in the light, but then it could be too bright. That's why the corner is lit up, and I agree, it is a bit distracting. I meant to get the dead space above the writing, I was hoping it would emphasize the writing and provide a good contrast to Kate in the bottom.

Oh, and yeah, she was pretty hung over, almost asleep. I was pretty drunk when I took the pic, and we found that phrase written on the wall of a church. It was all pretty sporadic.

If the wall were in direct sunlight, would I need to turn down the F stop to get a good pic? I'm thinking a fast shutter speed wouldn't be as crisp and clear, but I am a beginning photog.

Any more advice appreciated!

 

[SK6]

Point shoot. Done.

 

[denjen]

Point shoot. Done.

Arent you just about the worst person in the world to be giving photo advice.

 

[binary visions]

If the wall were in direct sunlight, would I need to turn down the F stop to get a good pic? I'm thinking a fast shutter speed wouldn't be as crisp and clear, but I am a beginning photog.

Yes, if the wall were in direct sunlight, closing up the aperture a bit (higher f/stop number) would have cut some of the light. Faster shutter speeds actually result in a more crisp photo since it helps to reduce any kind of tremors from your hands or her movement. Keep in mind, though, that a poorly lit situation is just a poorly lit situation - underexposing a photo doesn't give the same effect as a shadowed area, it just looks... underexposed. Try not to take photos of people in direct bright sunlight, most of the time they turn out poorly.

If you had a digital SLR, closing down the aperture a bit usually results in a crisper photo (up to a point, at about f/12 or f/16 you begin to lose the sharpness) but on these little digicams, the effect is pretty limited and you get similar sharpness (in my experience) across the entire f/ range.

 

[SK6]

Arent you just about the worst person in the world to be giving photo advice.

In my defense, I can't take night time pictures...

 

[bjanga]

What someguy said. Its jarring to me, but has interesting elements (especially the bright area).

As for what BV said about losing sharpess, larger f/stop numbers will make the more of the scene in focus, smaller f/stop number will begin to blur everything except for what you focused on. Sometimes, this is desirable - just remember that the f/stop in turn usually dictates what shutter speed you need to use to get a complete exposure.

 

[mack]

Those photo composition styles are silly. I say shoot what looks good and what you like. If you like it, it rocks, its your photo.

Id post my best photo, but its too big and photoshop is at school. It was taken on the beaches of normandy through a roll of barb wire with the subject being a very orange sunset. Used a fast shutter speed and its overexposed to outline the dark barbed wire against the vivid orange sunset. It reminds me of how many people died there and what i took away from that. Most here probably wouldnt even like it.

And i like your photo, i see what you captured in it, especially the mixed mood that the girl is expressing.

edit: try boosting the contrast a little bit and put it in B&W and see what happens. Id try it but i cant afford photoshop so im a slave to my school's tech room.

 

[binary visions]

Id post my best photo, but its too big and photoshop is at school.

www.irfanview.com

Free. Performs all basic image editing functions (e.g. resize, contrast enhance, b&w conversion, etc.).

 

[MMike]

needs more boobs

 

[stevew]

needs more boobs

critique?

 

[binary visions]

critique?

She's basting the wrong breast with that oil.

 

[MMike]

best photo ever. It wins a gold boob medal.

 

[Da Peach]

I'm Chris. Very breast to meet you. I'm boobs with your friend. We take a nipple together down at the community rack...