Janet Post

Thank you @jvatnd and @spiritvision for your comments. I had thought originally that my bird was lonely in the frame without that bit of dark in the corner to anchor him. I had had no feedback on this image, though, other than the mandated positive responses on G+. I am very glad I posted here!

@jvatnd: I see what you mean about his head…[Read more]

@mc-fowler. I see what you are saying. Yes. I can see that. Especially if the foreground area is brightened.

I agree with @mc-fowler on everything except the over saturation.

That patch of sun at the top might be better cropped out. Lower the high-lights on the sunlit patch in the background, but I think the grass and rocks in the foreground could use to be a bit brighter. The sunlit patch draws my eyes right away, where it would be better to…[Read more]

Lightning is SO much fun to photograph!

I really do like @mc-fowler‘s crop of the second image, with the cars and their lights streaking by. Very nice crop. The colours are great and the foreground is very interesting. Excellent shot.

Mc-fowler’s crop of the first photo is very close to excellent (in my humble opinion). The lightning is…[Read more]

I agree with @joanna, darkening up the background might be worth trying to see the wisps of hair a bit better and sharpening the feather tips.

I would be tempted to make the photo a bit more grainy. A more grainy feel to the photo might bring out a bit more authenticity. some people do not like ‘grainy’ photos though, so I think that is a…[Read more]

I agree with @admin. On a macro photo, almost everything else can be slightly out of focus as long as the eyes are nice and crisp. Hard to do on butterfly that might fly away at any moment.

I like the nice bokeh. The background is blurred out perfectly to show off those beautiful wings. I would almost be tempted to add a bit more contrast…[Read more]

I had to click on the image to read about — shot from a train and you already know that the shutter speed wasn’t quite fast enough.

I would be tempted to clone out the jet trail that leads out of the frame. As you know, it would be better if the irrigation canal was crisper, but I do like the motion blur on the rice field. I think the…[Read more]

I love it! I would suggest taking it from a lower position so the fire takes the entire height of the frame. Also, at a lower angle, you can get some of that sandy ground in the foreground. With the light of the fire bouncing off the sand, its texture would have been great.

marisajoku is right, the atmosphere is amazing, Great photo, and…[Read more]

Honestly, I cannot think of anything negative to say about this photo! Perhaps it could use something in the foreground for depth, but the angle of the buildings and those billowing clouds do a good job of that. I would love to see this same photo at night with a moon, some clouds, and those buildings lit up!

EDITED MY MOD – No positive…[Read more]

I agree with the idea of cropping this photo. The bottom corner is distracting.

I like the selective colouring, except that your subject is so far away. It is hard to see what is so beautiful over there to draw the eye other than a patch of vibrant red.

Everything in this photo seems to be happening ‘over there’. The people are over…[Read more]

I find it hard to figure out which way is up in this photo. Are we looking down at a trickling stream, or is the stream stepping down as it flows? Might I suggest crouching (more interesting angle than at eye level) and include a plant or something in the foreground? That would add some interest and give more perspective.

That stream does…[Read more]

@rockjoanna is right, there needs to be something in the foreground to give the picture some depth. Perhaps if you had gotten a bit lower to get some roadside weeds and flowers in the foreground or so the camera view was skimming over the top of that ocean of yellow.

EDITED MY MOD – No positive comments in the shark tank!!

@admin– EXCELLENT! Thank you.

@mindstorm – try watching some of Alexanders videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW5QNKHyHpXvxsvkid8aJIQ

They are all excellent, but the video ‘Life in Mars’ is especially mind-blowing, in my humble opinion.

How to change your dark and light points? In Photoshop, you want to use an…[Read more]

My only complaint is the eyes. They are so expressive and happy in this image, but they have no sparkle. Those beautiful eyes need some form of catchlight to bring them to life. Honestly, I am not sure how to do that without altering the working light setup you had. I wonder if a big white reflector behind the photographer would do the…[Read more]

@jokerfish – You know…I didn’t notice that! I knew it was a piano, so everyone else must know, too! I wonder now if I should have left the pile of music there! I am not sure if I could have pulled back any more from the angle I was on, but between songs I might have been able to swing around to the side to capture the keyboard.

Thank…[Read more]

I like the dark and the light and I LOVE the blur. I think this is excellent.

I do find a lot of the ground elements to be distracting though. The fence, whatever those two white things are on the right side of the frame, the solar panel. I find black and white photos need to be either full of textures and details, or very simple…[Read more]

@admin – would it be against the rules to point the user to a youtube video for inspiration or how-tos? (I do not own the links, and I’m not trying to sell anything.) I know of a channel with people who create composite images like this on youtube and I thought the OP might like to see. I also don’t wanna break the rules my first day in the…[Read more]

I am a big fan of composite images, of building a story by adding all the elements one by one. Some great talent and skill is needed for such images.

The first, and arguably the hardest, part of putting disparate images together is to make them look like they belong…like they were not placed there. A great way to start with this is to…[Read more]