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Landscape Critique Part 3

Nice aerial aerial view that the colors warmth here looking at the exposures looks a very nice place that we've done here. That boat in the foreground there is just placed in a great spot. Yeah, I don't have a strong again you're giving us all really great images to look at here. They're tough to to change things on one of the things that I like. Do you notice how that because of their this orange tones in the building itself against that beautiful azure blue in the background, I think that's really pretty if this were, you know, obviously for this hotel or whatever building this is, I'll tell you what they would have to love this piece, I think they would absolutely find that just amazing. I'd love to see what would happen if they slowed down their shutter speed a little bit because the water looks very much like you stopped it in action, so it looks like the shutter speed this up a little bit. Would you agree with that? Yeah way don't you see the waves along this side and in front of...

the buildings on both the right and left sides are pretty much stopped in motion so he could begin a little more depth of field by stopping down and go into a longer shutter speed and might just give a little, but it may also make that boat in the front be soft too so it again compromise everything of photography's well, I don't know that you have to come demise all that much because when I was a public to do is take two shots take one photograph where you you have the higher shutter speed, get the boat out of there and obviously put it back in because I think that because in my opinion, when I look at this whole this whole landscape I see soft, but then I see hard because of the fact that the water is there's such a great deal of the water is so hard in the fact that the even the gold reflections in the water if they were soft earned just a nice creamy or look to it might be nice and I mean it's not like you couldn't do that in post production either, but it's still a very, very beautiful image and this is the kind of photograph that I were if I were doing a picture like this unless I was contacted by the hotel, I wanted them to get their hands on this image and this is a great talk about marketing tool. This is one of the things that I really pride myself on whenever I'm at a venue for my wedding receptions, I always make a point of taking a photograph that in my mind that the hotel could use in advertising and of some way, because I want them to remember bambi control with him to remember remember who I am. And sometimes if we only take pictures of the bride and groom in this and then event or, you know somebody, a specific individual, they may not be able to use that in a variety of ways, and I want them to see me as a hero who bails them out and who gives them lots of choices for other scenarios across the board. I want them to them to see me as the go to photographer for for a variety of events, patty. Recently my old son had gotten apartment and I went to the complex it's, a beautiful complex called madison barracks it's historical and I left them my card, and I said, you know, if you ever wanted I'm a photographer if you ever wanted to barter. So I went back and took all kinds of pictures for them, and I got it five free hotel nights and gift certificates to restaurants. So it's something to keep in mind. Hotels don't always have the monies. This is a small operation in order to pay a professional photographer, so and you know, and the best advertising you could get from someone is word of mouth. And when people like you and they like your pictures, they will tell everybody and their brother remember they're human beings like we are they're just they're just people and they don't always recommend the very best photographer in their town they recommend the people that are easy work with that they like that are nice to them because a special member there they're the novice they don't know what perfection looks like, but they know if you were a jerk and you were the south end of the north bound mule at that you know they know if you were a bad person, then they're going to say no to sell I'm sorry your pictures may be cute, but you're a pain in the neck to work but uh not gonna work I want to work with them you have one less coming on this one though for rice and I think it's just slightly on maybe one or two degrees so you said that because I saw that myself going yeah, because they mentioned the straight ones before so I just feel it's just it's just slightly off good I'm glad you saw that I thought was that my imagination but it looked like it was a little sq myself it's hard to tell with the mountain on the edges but it just feels like it's going down a little bit um there are many things I like about this photograph I love the tone ality I love the color harmony in this photograph there is something that holds me back and rush him huh trashcan yeah well the trash can is one of those things but actually really what happens for me in this photograph in and I'll tell you I think the makers on the right path there just I think their camera position was a little off and here's why? Because my eye travels just to this point and then it stops you see, it just kind of goes and it runs into a wall right here whereas I think if they had moved their camera position maybe along the fence line or even on the other side then might I would not travel and and stop it that dark point that's right in the center of the picture yeah, I see that now but I did right away for some reason why I went right to the trash can there that I mean it move it out, move it out it's just got to go two feet you can put it back I mean maybe it's someone else's property you didn't want want to go move it but it does detract from it I mean I'm not gonna hang that on my wall well another thing you could do obviously you know it would take you literally about a minute and a half new kid out photo shop so if it is something that, like, if you're in a state park and then everything changed out, then it's not like it's a deal breaker, but but if you're going to do a competition, you know, but the one there's a couple things to keep in mind when you are when you're taking any kind of photograph, a landscape even, you know, you want to have a place for the eye to travel to, and we want depth and dimensionality are two very important word, and we're looking for highlights and shadows and then more highlights and shadows. So you want that I that kind of travel through that photograph, and because of that, that heavy spot right in the middle of the picture and the fact that the road leads right to the center, it is bull's eye it's, a bull's eye and that's this is the difference between that other photograph we saw earlier where the where they had the road coming right through the center and if we could compare these two side by side, I think you understand exactly what I'm talking about. I know you can remember them, but this is why this one maybe doesn't quite hit the mark because it's got that dorks. Area right in the middle of the picture and then we have to basically two photographs here the area on the level and you're in the right yeah, yeah I don't have anything else to ok don't here beautiful and on this one it is this lower shutter speeding you see the glow of the reflections in the water instead of the hardness of the ripples there again the gold in the blue play off each other and the gold on the horizon works in really well great leading lines coming in it's the horizons belt down the center and it works in this one for me yeah, sure does this beautiful? I mean, this is a very, very beautiful picture I actually love with the maker did I'd like to see them clean up just a few little things about this photograph, so I mean, I love it and I'm not trying to pull here on the back of a dog, but there's a couple of things that kind of make me that make my I stop that little stuff right there. This little piece right here kind of pull, they kind of make me go. It looks just a little bit messy right there because you have what I love about this photograph is it has this wonderful, serene look and when you have these areas and here is like it kind of stops you're on the other thing that I would love to see them do is you've got this fabulous landscape here and then it stops with these this looks sloppy right here that this message with that street light yet with street life light on that side looks a bit messy and is not in harmony with the rest of the photograph does that make sense? Karen ok any questions about the c I want to know is this is that's ah that's a shot you never see of new york city and you've seen everything of new york I've seen every I feel like I have and that perspective is it had me go what city is that and then I'm just amazed that I had never seen that view of new york yeah I live next to yeah that's a good point yeah no again it comes for me it comes down to the colors uh have been getting everything works together there and I agree this go to that one spot in the middle clean that up and the street lights yeah, very, very nice. Yeah, I love the camera angle specifically with those lines with these peer pieces that just like they took time to scout it out and find out where to be and the great time today yeah gorgeous beautiful yeah this was really nice and this one we have the meandering stream and it does go off center comes back in but it has a place to go it isn't it doesn't hit a black spot at the back on dh again both the autumn tones it's that time of year there are many things I love about this picture and I do I love the meandering this because it does give us a place to go to there's two a small elements that I'd love to see the maker refine a bit in this photograph because I love it and I'm not trying to minimize its a very pretty picture shut your eyes for a second and no one just squint and look at that photograph what's the first thing you see that right there I start here my eye keeps being pulled back to this hot spot right here the light filtered to the trees doesn't really bother me because it's in a similar intensity as the leaves are but this hot area right here my eye wants to go down that path my eye wants to go here but then it keeps going wait about what is that and it pulls my eye back to this that little brighton area so I think that that would be an area that I'd love to see the maker tone down just a little bit totally agree on there even though the very edge of the frame there is two brain and it's pulling us out um I don't like getting on outdoors scene, so I'm not going to tell you to being at the even though I tend to vignette everything myself. But but just even if it cropped in just a little bit to get through that super hot spot and tone down that one little yeah, if you don't that's brought up a bit but also lightened up this side of it, so it was still right. Yeah, that left hand corner is a bit dense, it's a bit dark. Andi, I think that's part of the reason why that other bride, gary, intends to just pull my eye away as well, but still very, very pretty image with just a little a few minor adjustments and you're gonna be great. What are you doing when you hold your hand up? What was that? What do you probably hold yours cropping? Oh, yeah, yeah, I like to see if I hold my hand up like this and we have our monitor right here in front, then I'm blocking out that area that's bothering my eye to see if it makes a better photograph for me by you know by cropping it a little bit so and I do that a lot I mean I walk around walk around all the time going like this like this and it sounds like a cheesy thing to do but when you hold your hand to the side like this it tells me where the direction of light is coming from and especially that's a little bit of a foggy day sometimes it's it's a little bit more difficult to see but if you look at your hand the side of your hand you can see where the highlights are and that tells you where the direction of light the main lights coming from and then the same thing this way right here this helps me to see where I don't think I have it with me now but sometimes I carry an empty slide with me and then you could just kind of see that's what it's gonna look like as a telephoto shot that's what's going to look like as a wide angle shot and and it's the dimensions of your frame so just it's a good way to do it color it's about about the color it's a little centered but still uh it's the color way have the red and the blues not quite think the goals that we had before vengeance is um yeah, the stormy sky this one I don't mind so much those posts in the water there are things I love about this picture and things that I find I'd love to just see them pull back that the color just a little bit yeah it's a little like thie other one that the scenic if they came back just a little too much saturation is a little unreal um I would like to see the baby of the exposure done just over twenty minutes earlier when there's maybe a little more light on the buildings that looked just like them to stand out a little more maybe um and I see see for me I see the reason the buildings don't stand out I mean you have to fight to see the building was and I think that's kind of the key when you're looking at photographs and and you're you're looking to do ah any kind of photograph it's what is the picture about? Well, it is very much about that beautiful sky but we also want have contests as to where it's done and so I'd like to see if the maker is listening this is all I want you to do actually want you to bring this these tones up a bit I think if they pull that up just a little bit then this would not be so heavy but I feel like it just is so heavy this part is so heavy in this part of the I don't want to eliminate them because that's a great night sky that's a fabulous sky, and sometimes we it could be that that's may be natural, but because these tones are so dark, it makes it look a bit less than really curious about where where it is. When I first looked at and I'm thinking the miami area but then he said no there's mountains in the background, it looks that way. Who are you possibly so beautiful? Picture that very, very beautiful. This is a tough one because the rise and might be straight, but I feel like the trees they're tilting slightly is with my first feeling toward it. I think the tree should be going straight up and down. Um, I have a little off kilter feel to it. Yeah, it does have a little off kilter field, but I also feel like there's a little bit too much there's. I think this is an image that would look spectacular if it were clocked crop as a long, skinny friend just showing those trees, maybe a longer line of those trees, because there's things about this photograph that making that move me that I love you, I love the tone ality I love the contrast of those golden leaves on the trees and then just that area right behind. But I feel like the area where the mountains and such I don't know that that's really helping the image and making it better and I think sometimes that simple er, that long skinny line could take a photograph in and make it go from yeah, that's a mountain with some trees yet but to being something that looks just its pristine and beautiful, that the mountain may give it too much feel of where it's at, where if you crop down, it becomes more abstract and about the shapes and colors, you know, and not about being a mountain scene. Yeah, it seemed like it doesn't go together. Yeah, I can appreciate why you feel that way. The colors change, the colors change. So still a very pretty picture. I'd like to see them that more space with this one. I think that that's part of what's bothering me is that it's just a little bit too narrow. Panorama this. Ok, we had a leaf that the very beginning. That was just that one leaf center that really jumped out here. This one here there's a little too busy for me, I mean, it's a similar thing, maybe. Too much vignette as I just mentioned another one vignette ing doesn't always work so well in a nature landscape, you know, a little bit of vignettes nice to hold your your eye in, but it may have gone too far with this one believes maybe even look like they've had some sort of plasticky filter something on it. I mean, I mean, maybe a waxy service to the leaves that I'm just not familiar with, but it looks just a little over processed and there's too many leaves. It was one leave for three leaves they could might have worked a little better. Yeah, it does look like it's hdr that's what I get the feeling from when I look at it is that they have used some sort of hdr effect and back away from that justin, and I'm thinking plastic wrap filter? Yeah, there you just kind of like the plastic wrap filter and photo shop so it's but it doesn't. It doesn't help the image. All it does is you sit and wonder, what is that? So you hear when our conversations with what is the filter it's, not about the picture, and so you want to think about that? Sometimes it works really well to take your images and because we tend to get too precious with our own work. Don't get a say, give him two five people say, what do you think about this? Just tell me what is your first gut reaction? Keep it or lose it on by hard thing to do for many of us, you know, like let someone else take to say something about it. But yes, uh, that's a hard thing for me to do what I was saying I just agreeing with you and because we know all the back stories on way have traits through twenty five miles of of alligator infested waters to get to this location and maybe that's a that's a rare plant that is like only available and you know this one corner of the university and blooms for twenty minutes he out of the year exactly right at the right time here you have, you have the smells, the temperature, everything around you when you took that picture that hey people that's beautiful, I think that's gorgeous that's a really pretty photograph to me and you know what? I there are many things I like about this photo again I love the dimensionality. I love the harmony it seems very soothing. The lighting in the in the scene works very pretty. I'd almost like to see a little bit more room I love it the way it is and it's probably just perfect but I almost feel like I want to have just I'd like to see just a little bit more room yeah, I looked at the upper left corner is just fantastic the white can't tell fitz fogging there's just rays coming through there it's a modeling effect there and maybe if that green tree on the left wasn't cut off totally gave us a little more room there. Um I can't tell if those air leaves that have fallen and landed in the tree or those leaves that are actually falling there in front of the maple because there's there's different leaves then and then when people did those not only maple leaves on the maple tree so he gets it bringing me in again and questioning something and keeping my interest there. Yeah, and I love the dimensionality. I mean that's to me this is whenever I see an image where I see the subject and then I start seeing the way the light falls very gently across other, you know, other elements in a picture, I think that is just awesome and the layering is it's very beautifully layered gorgeous. That was so fun. Everybody over here smiling we have some comments from people online that it was their images, so we'll just kind of you all right, so mike larry photo said that was my sunrise image I guess it was a couple images ago. I have it hanging over my fireplace as a twenty four by thirty six metal print. And the houses are more visible in print. First, that the monitors? Yeah. And as an hdr to capture the full luminosity range, I do have a tendency to over saturate. And I very much appreciate bambi and john's. Constructive? Yeah. It's a tough one when viewing on monitors versus a print. Because the print it is what you sent to us. No, she sent a print into a competition. You you had the final control when you send a digital image into a competition. As you say, we're telling you, we have two monitors here that look very different. I mean, it's, we go into the tv storing, you see, every tv has different color and we strive to get the monitors all calibrated together. But I don't know if it's ever possible that everyone's going to match different brands and the like. So we have to take some of that into into account. The other thing that you have to take into account is the fact that beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder, and then you know, and that sometimes, you know while you know, I may not be a big fan of hdr and because I've seen it about twenty five billion times, that there are still lots of people out there who love it and that if your clients love that look and that's what you're doing and they're they're, they're enjoying it and you're reaping the benefits. Then you know what? Hey, that is a great thing. It's. Like, if they like what you're doing, then you know, go have at it. My my suggestion is it's. Just, you know, I feel that we, as photographers, need to continue to grow and that the way we proceed, every we need to continue to grow. For instance, what I started in photography thirty years ago, chuck lewis had these little drop in filters in front of the house of life that you could get out of heart. And then they had this little, smoky, misty kind of thing that you put on the out on the filter. And nowadays, it's, like, you know. And we don't do that kind of double exposure, it would be beaten, be caught dead doing that when I got married, I wanted that bride room in the wine glass in the booth. So this change times change. So I think it's important for us to continue not to just not to always say, well, you know, this is the way I do it, and I'm going to do the way I want to do it, but be willing to have an open mind to continue to grow and to adapt and change because that's, what art I think art is is a moving, breathing thing that we can continue to grow at year after year. Thank you. Great question from canon girl when entering a landscape competition is submitting a composite acceptable. Is this something that is usually outlined in the rules that you know, he's going to say you really got a look at the rules, different camera clubs versus camera, organise photographic organizations versus something like w p p I may have very different rules on that, and you're really gonna have to go through the rules for that particular competition. I don't think we can, given all I can tell them specifically for w p p I that they the rules this year are very specific if it is a composite, in other words, were you you were laying with different elements from different photographs there's a specific category just for that otherwise it has to be in camera capture and you can't add other elements to it in different categories which I think is such a great thing because I think that really separates the men from the boys and the girls from the women and makes us work on our craft and not just be good with photo shop because you know it's to me it's not fair that you know there are some people who are masters at the digital file after the fact and that can they know how to polish a turd in the best way possible and they could take different elements from the different photographs and turn them into amazing artwork whereas then there's somebody like myself who you know maybe I have a degree of skill in capturing photographically but how in the world could we compete together? It would not be fair so I can only speak for debbie ppl but I knew do you know that they have a specific category four composites and that the other categories it has to be in camera capture I love all the little bambi is um sometimes so cute another quick question from canon girl talking about shooting landscapes do you recommend to find that the majority of successful landscape captures our landscape and not portrait orientation orientation wise I mean, almost everything we saw here was a landscape orientation I mean, I've seen landscapes of of tall trees and the like that at work in a portrait ivan, it comes down to the subject, but most of what I see in the landscape competitions does tend to be landscape wide orientation. The one thing to keep in mind is this when you're entering a competition where you where your image is going to be viewed on a monitor landscape images are going to show up better than vertical immigrants fill the screen, they fill the screen so that's one reason why a lot of people tend to go towards that landscape look is because, you know they go hey well, it's going to show really large on the screen on your website they show maximum size versus a vertical image. Yeah, definitely for competitions, you know, it's part of the part of the competition is impact, and you lose that impact on a toll image on a wide monitor. I know what the dpp competition the sixteen by twenty competition is still really photograph, so if you're gonna do a vertical image, you're home free because then you have your beautiful vertical image, you know you're in the portrait orientation and you can mount it on mount board and then it's going to be viewed the way that she wanted to be seen