[markclehane]

May 5, 2013 at 3:25 pm

Like this type of shot but never seem to be able to capture it. Maybe landscapes should be “your thing”! Nice atmosphere and lovely soft tones.
If I had to be critical, maybe there’s just a little too much black around the top left corner but I’m not sure you could’ve done much about that really. Anyway, I’d be happy to have taken this :D
Like yourself and Jenny, I haven’t been out much lately with the camera either so have to get motivated again.

[markclehane]

August 8, 2012 at 12:56 am

3 great shots but for me the 3rd one is an absolute stunner. Beautiful tones and I’d love to see it without the burning. Within reason, I feel a certain amount of blown area is acceptable in this kind of shot surely. Well done on not blurring the water too much as well as it adds a nice bit of texture to it.

[markclehane]

August 8, 2012 at 12:27 am

Obviously the lighting is great in this but the perfectly captured flare from the sun is actually what makes this one for me. If I had to be critical, maybe a tiny bit less sky at the top? But that’s just nit-picking.
Mark

[markclehane]

August 8, 2012 at 12:16 am

Cheers guys. I went back and tried the burning and literally 1 or 2 strokes at 3% made all the difference so thanks again :wink:
Mark.

[markclehane]

August 8, 2012 at 12:10 am

First one for me as well I think. In this instance I feel your filter just makes it look like the white balance is off rather than giving it an aged effect. Lovely shot by the way if the island wasn’t so central. And is the horizon slightly off or is there barrelling from a wide angle lens?

[markclehane]

August 7, 2012 at 11:47 pm

Really like #1 here as well. I’m sure I saw a tutorial on this in one of the photo mags recently if I’m not mistaken – looks like a bit of work goes into it too.
Mark.

[markclehane]

August 7, 2012 at 11:41 pm

Yeah, I’ve grown to really dislike #2 myself (dodgy toning aside) so it’s definitely heading for that little dustbin in the corner of my monitor :D
Thanks again for comments.

[markclehane]

August 6, 2012 at 3:27 pm

Appreciate the comments. So I guess I won’t be making a career out of Portraiture any time soon :lol:
Mark.

[markclehane]

August 6, 2012 at 3:14 pm

Thanks for the comments. Wasn’t sure if the framing was detracting from the distant scene or not so, glad it seems to work. I’ll have a look at that sunlit area Steve. Some subtle use of the the burn tool might benefit it alright.
Mark

[markclehane]

August 6, 2012 at 2:58 pm

That’s a gem of a shot alright although I’m tempted to agree with SteveD about the greens.
Mark.

[markclehane]

August 6, 2012 at 2:51 pm

These types of effects aren’t to everyones taste but I personally have a liking for them. Saying that, I’d like if they were toned down here a little maybe. As for the photos…. I think #2 is much stronger than the first. You might want to clone out that little smudge just to the left of the lamp post though. Hope it’s not on your sensor :?
Mark

[markclehane]

August 6, 2012 at 2:28 pm

Ouch! What have you done to the colour versions? I’m sorry but they both look garish and overprocessed to me anyway. Also, for shooting at ISO100, there seems to be an awful lot of noise in the sky, especially the 1st one.
On a positive note – apart from agreeing with the comments about composition, I do like the mono versions.
Mark

[markclehane]

August 6, 2012 at 2:04 pm

In general I’d have to agree but I suppose each image should be judged on it’s own merits. Dark shadows will work if they’re adding to the overall mood of the photo but sometimes, as Isabella correctly mentioned about your 1st shot, they can make the scene look unbalanced. I would actually be tempted to recover some more detail in that one. By the way, what’s that strange dark halo around the land on the far left?

[markclehane]

July 30, 2012 at 11:54 am

5 photos, 46 views and not one comment!!! I’m not sure I’m going to be a huge help though, as portraits are not really my forte but I’ll give my 2 cents worth anyway.
#1 The green colour cast on her face is a bit offputting but that could be rectified with some PS work. Also, I’d crop off the ledge at the bottom and straighten up the image to make the frame a bit more vertical. Can’t quite decide if that bottle is adding anyting either. Maybe- maybe not?
#2 Don’t like the harsh lighting on the left side of her face and the expression is a bit empty.
#3 Nice shot but I’d crop some sky off the top – almost to her head.
#4 Lovely capture! I think your decision to make this b&w works well although I’d be tempted to up the contrast a little using Levels. Pity the background is so busy.
#5 Again, beautiful capture and expression. I’d either clone out the window in the top left or else crop down to the top of her fringe.
Like I said, I’m no expert in this genre but hopefully I’ve been some help. Maybe someone a bit more knowledgeable can add to this.
Mark

[markclehane]

July 30, 2012 at 11:01 am

It’s certainly an interesting capture and in a strange way I actually like it but what I see is a an image that is verging on disturbing. I wonder if the atmosphere that was present when you took the shot is still associated with this picture in your mind because “Happy” is defintely not the emotion portrayed here in my opinion anyway. That’s not a criticism by the way – just an observation. By the way, am I correct in assuming the “textures” are actually a dirty old pane of glass?
Mark

PS. I wonder how this would work in mono!