Photo Reviews
Today I have 3 shots shared by a budding young photographer, Tori, who is all of 14 years old, almost 15. She came to me a few weeks ago wondering if I would give her some tips about what worked and what didn’t with her shots so far.
The three shots I selected from her gallery are, in my opinion, her best. They each stood out for me because they not only had artistic merit to them, they conveyed a message, a story, or an emotion, which is a long-sought-after goal of any artist, regardless of experience.
Following my comments below, I’d like to invite you to share some of your thoughts and ideas so we might help encourage a young person who is pursuing a growing passion.
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Book Review: Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Book, Volume 3
A couple of weeks ago I finally received my copy of Scott Kelby’s The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3 which I was given for being a Worldwide Photowalk leader again this past summer.
Just as with the previous installments in this series (reviews for The Digital Photography Book and The Digital Photography Book Volume 2) we readers are allowed into the inner sanctum ofpro photography with the help of our enlightened guide, Scott Kelby.
Scott picks right up where Volume 2 ended taking us along on a variety of shooting situations – both in the studio and out in the field – to share some trade secrets and offer some insights into how to use our tools to make great images. (more…)
Photo Review: Jonathan Goforth’s Chain Whip
Today’s photo review image comes from Friend-of-the-Blog Jonathan Goforth. Regulars here will know Jonathan from his showing in my BIG Photo Contest over the summer and his regular contributions to the Points of View Photo Project (which will be posted tomorrow and there’s still time to send in your shots by 10pm (Eastern) tonight!).
Jonathan has graciously offered up a few shots to be reviewed and I thought I’d start off with this one titled “Chain Whip”.
The first thing that strikes me with this image is the texture and the depth of field (DOF). I’m a huge fan of contrasting textures whether they exist as part of the actual subjects or whether they are created through creative choices, as is the case here. I love how the roughness of the cracked wood and the worn chain play off of the softness of the focus in the fore and background f the shot. With so much texture in the subject it could be rather overwhelming if shot from a different angle or higher aperture.
I also appreciate how the main focal point along the chain isn’t the closest point. Instead of being hit with the largest portion of the chain down towards the bottom, you are drawn farther in and then invited to explore even more. The curved positioning of the chain contrasts the linear nature of the wood quite nicely and creates some added visual interest to the piece. The angle of the sun creates some great directional light and long shadows adding even more dynamic patterns to the scene. Anytime you have either lines that are off-vertical or horizontal or you introduce triangles and perspective lines you will have a more interesting image.
Speaking of the light, and my love of contrasts, I enjoy the play between the warm colors on the left, created by the sun, and the cool colors on the right, found in the shadows. This contrast provides an excellent balance in the photo that would be lost were the lighting more even throughout. And while we’re on color, it’s no secret from some of my own work that I like to play with a somewhat desaturated color palette. Though it doesn’t work in every situation, I think it really captures the spirit of the subject here, and helps tell the story.
If I were shooting this subject, I’m not sure I would’ve done anything different. I think if the chain or the focal point were more on one of the rule of thirds lines it would’ve seemed to formulaic and less organic. And while some might think to clone over the upper left corner to extend the wood, I think it makes it all the more true-to-life and, in some ways, holds you in the image.
I don’t see any vignetting, which is a popular effect for fine art work nowadays (and can, admittedly, be overdone sometimes), and I think it could help keep the viewer’s eyes within the frame more. Certainly, our eyes are drawn first to the sharpest point and then we are taken deeper in as we follow the chain and the lines in the wood. Our eyes are also drawn to brighter portions of the image before the darker ones, and since the upper area is just about as bright as the focal point our eyes want to keep going up when, I think, you would want to keep directing your viewer back to the main point in the image.
With all that said, however, I think the shadows do a great job of guiding you back down and to the right so you will meet back up with the base of the chain and then work your way up the image again.
All-in-all, I think this a fantastic image and I’d like to thank Jonathan for sharing it with us!
*If you would like to have one of your images reviewed here (even anonymously), please send it along to reviews@jasondmoore.com.
November Photo Contest Reminder
That’s right! We’re already over halfway through the month and the November Photo Contest only has a couple of weeks left!
Regulars will know that there is usually no theme for my monthly photo contests but this month I thought it would be fun to see what you could do with your camera phones (thanks to a suggestion from my friend, Illustrator Eric Maruscak). You can process the photos as much as you like, as always, but it should originate from a phone. (more…)
Review: Second Shootr iPhone App
For those of you looking for the latest edition of the Points of View Photo Project, it will be posted on Monday. If you haven’t sent in your photo yet, there’s still time! Send it to me by Sunday afternoon for inclusion.
It has been a pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with fellow photographer, Tim Collins of Plinkk Photography, as a beta tester for his new iPhone App for Wedding Photographers called Second Shootr. It has been approved by Apple and should be available either today or in the very near future.
Second Shootr is a very cool app developed by wedding photographers, for wedding photographers to help you with all aspects of your planning and execution of your next event. Here’s how it works: (more…)
Software Review: Topaz DeNoise
I sat down last night to see if Topaz DeNoise was all it’s cracked up to be. No matter how hard you try, every so often you will find yourself in a situation where your settings were off or the light changed or you’re shooting at night and your image has a lot of noise. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most technical photographer out there when it comes to making sure I have everything set properly in-camera. So this happens to me every so often.
To show an example of the kind of noise that can arise when your settings are a little off, here’s a closeup detail of shot I took over the summer with Kim and I took off for Niagara Falls for a spontaneous weekend away. It was a little dark and when I increased the exposure in post, the noise really came out.
As you can see, it’s not too bad, but is noticeable and it’s got to go. I usually do some noise reduction in Lightroom or ACR but it’s not quite right. So, I brought the image into Photoshop CS4 as a Smart Object and applied the Topaz DeNoise plugin to it so it would work as a Smart Filter. I used one of the presets and played with the sliders only a little bit here and there and the results were fantastic:
I was expecting to lose detail as though I used a surface blur but Topaz DeNoise targeted only the noise within the image and left the edges and details alone. This wasn’t necessarily a “throw away” shot before, but it’s definitely a keeper now. With just a few clicks I was saved from having to make some tough choices about sacrificing detail to lose the noise.
There’s really not much else to say about it, other than Topaz DeNoise simply does what it’s supposed to. It has all of the pros and cons I mentioned in my post about Topaz Adjust and the price ($79.99) is definitely with reach and I’d say is worth it for the job that it does fixing a tough problem.
I couldn’t just leave the photo at that, I had to keep playing around with Adjust to make the shot even better. Here’s the original:
And here is the final image. All I did was adjust the exposure and white balance in ACR, apply Topaz DeNoise, make a few enhancements based on a preset in Topaz Adjust, and add a touch of lens vignetting:
Software Review: Topaz Adjust
I will be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of plug-ins. Maybe I’ve just never used the right ones, maybe I’ve never played around with them enough, maybe I just haven’t been too impressed with the results. So, I’m going into this one a little skeptical from the start.
With all of that said, I must say that when I sat down to try out Topaz Adjust, from Topaz Labs, I found myself actually enjoying the process. Now, I’m not a purist at all; I think if you have the tools at hand and the ability to utilize them to achieve your vision, by all means. But I feel, and I’ve said this before, that sometimes people can go overboard and turn a potentially good photo into something kind of “alien”, surreal, and even cartoonish which distracts from more than enhances the viewing experience. Not that it isn’t ok to do that sometimes, but it should be done sparingly, in my opinion.
When I opened up my source image from a photowalk I did in Boston over the summer, I was presented with a dark, flat, and uninteresting photo – isn’t that how most of them start out?
Sometimes, when presented with a shot like this I may even just pass right by it without giving it another thought thinking that it was a nice idea but the light wasn’t right or I didn’t take enough time to do this or that the way I wanted to. Then I thought, what better way to really put this Photoshop plug-in to the test than with an image I’m not excited about in the first place? And so the fun began.
When I first opened the plug-in dialog I felt that the interface was very intuitive with a diverse set of presets and their respective previews running down the left, a decent-sized window for your full-sized image (complete with the option to zoom in and out of your photo), and a collection of sliders along the bottom for any fine-tuning you may want to do.
I started off by clicking through each of the presets to see how they would each affect my shot, thinking as I went that a number of them just didn’t give me what I was looking for. At the same time, though, I found myself thinking how I could see where those effects might come in handy with other types of images. I finally landed on the “Dramatic” preset which really caught my attention. I felt as though it really balanced out the tones in the image by lightening up the shadow areas without blowing out the highlights. It also brought out a great deal of details and made the sky, well, dramatic. All adding interest and depth to the photo.
In a way it created an HDR-like effect without the downsides I mentioned above. I then hit the sliders to refine the image even further and really get the results I was hoping for. I brought back a little detail in the highlights and shadows, supressed the noise a tad, and made sure that I wasn’t getting that awful halo effect that a lot of HDR photos employ. In the end, I was pretty pleased with the final image. And considering I was about to dismiss the photo altogether, I’d say that using Topaz Adjust saved it from the recycle bin. Here’s my final image (only process with Topaz Adjust):
Pros:
- Simple, straightforward, and intuitive interface.
- Variety of presets available, with previews
- Large preview window with zoom
- Ability to adjust each setting to fine-tune the image
- Hovering over a slider does more than show you the tool’s name, it pops up a description of what that tool is actually doing
- Works well Smart Objects so you can always go back – gotta love that it’s non-destructive!
- Priced at only $49.99 puts it within reach of everyone.
Cons:
- I could tell that the presets were on the left, but I think the section could’ve been set apart or labeled a little more clearly to make it more self-evident.
- I think some of the names for the sliders could be improved to help the user have a better idea of what’s going on (ie – “Highlights” should be called something more like “Highlight Protection”).
- I think the interface could be rearranged a little bit for a cleaner look – but I might just be nitpicking at this point.
In the end, I would say that I am very glad to have been introduced to this plug-in and it has helped change the way I feel about plugins as a whole. I would definitely recommend adding Topaz Adjust to your Photoshop toolkit!
Digital Photographer Highlight: Karl Bratby
A few weeks ago I was introduced to the work of Nottingham wedding photographer Karl Bratby. There are a number of excellent wedding photographers out there and I love seeing their work because it brings me back to my own wedding and the joys that I felt. It’s the same with Karl’s.
Karl runs the blog iLifephotoblog which, in his own words is where he:
specializes in capturing relaxed portraits, amazing details and real moments in time, oh and don’t forget the romance…. we do all this for some of the coolest brides and grooms on the planet.
[It] is an archive of my personal and professional life, it features images from the weddings i shoot, the portraits i photograph and the friends and family that mean so much to me.
It is easy to get bored with a certain photographic subject because it is so easy to feel like you’re seeing the same things over and over again. One of the things I noticed right off with iLife and Karl’s style is that he is able to really bring out the personality of the couple through the shots but he is able to combine all the elements of composition, lighting, texture, contrast, moment, and pose to tell a story that is unique to each couple with whom he works.
I am always impressed with photographers, of any type, who are able to make each shot more than just a photo, each expression and pose really say something, and weave into each image a sense of timelessness. And Karl does that very well.
Nicely done!
“Ask Jason” Reminders and a New Regular Column
First off, I’d like to remind you that I am still accepting your submissions for photo reviews wherein you send me one of your photos (800px on the longest side) and I will look at it and write up my thoughts here on the blog. Just if you’ve read any of my other photo reviews you will know that I try to bring out all of the positive aspects of your shot while also pointing out what I would do differently or what you might consider doing for future images.
I have found that it can be a great learning experience and a chance to get your images out in front of a new audience as well. However, if you are nervous about using your name, just ask and I’ll make sure it is listed as anonymous. So send in your photos today!
Now that one project is over it’s time for another one to begin! Starting today, use the “Contact” button up at the top to send me Photoshop-related questions that you would like to know more about and each week I will answer them here on the blog. Whether it’s a question about technique, composition, shortcuts, or whatever! So start sending me your questions and see them answered right here in the coming days!
Interview Me
For the next edition of the Photoshop Interviews series I thought I would do something different.
I get asked a lot of questions by readers about me, my process, where I get inspiration, how to do this or that, and countless other things. So, instead of doing it on an individual basis I thought I would open it up to everyone to submit questions so that I could respond to everyone in the form of an interview.
Send in your questions either in the comments below or by emailing me by the end of the day tomorrow (Friday) and I’ll respond in Monday’s post. I will determine which questions are most relevant and moderate any duplicate questions.
I’m also thinking of expanding this idea into a regular series along the lines of an “Ask Jason” column where you can send in your Photoshop/Photography/Design/Whatever questions and I’ll answer them each week or so. Let me know what you think of that idea and if you have any questions that you would like to ask as part of that series.
Also, while I have you here, I just want to remind you that I am still accepting submissions for Photo Reviews. If you have a shot you would like me to look at and provide a critique, please check out my photo reviews post for complete info!
The lines are open! Let the inquisition begin!
Photo Review: Sangeeth V.S.
Today we welcome photo hobbyist Sangeeth V.S. for our latest photo review. First off, as always, some background on the image from the photographer:
I’m a photography hobbyist. My interest in photography grew after I started posting photos in Flickr… My camera is a P&S – Canon Powershot S2 IS… I had visualized such a sunset and I almost captured what I had in mind. But I’m not satisfied with the area around the sun. Not sure what it is but I somehow get the feeling that it’s not right. Or is it how the sun looks like?
Let’s start with the positives. I think the framing and overall composition shows attention to detail and everything holds together quite well. The horizon is on (or close to) the lower third line and the sun and center of the boat are on or close to the right-hand third line which helps give the image a nice balanced feel.
I’m always a big fan of sun rays, both in photographs and in reality and I think they really add something to an image. Here, they’re subtle but I think they work by introducing the “dynamic diagonals” that really contribute to the interest of a piece. They also serve to direct the viewers eye from the outside edges and the top down towards the sun and boat.
I also like the highlighted edges of the clouds and think that they, too, act as a guide for the viewer as they move through the image. They aren’t too distracting because they are a similar color to the rest of the sky but the highlights make them pop and tie things together nicely.
I think the overall color works for the shot and there is enough variation to keep it from looking too flat.
A couple of thoughts about how to improve the image. First off, with regards to the concerns about the area around the sun, it looks to me that it is either just how your camera captured the image or the result of your processing, or a little of both. The sun is pretty difficult to shoot in almost any situation because it is just this overwhelming light source that is difficult, if not impossible to tame when it’s in the frame. To fix the issue, I think a little cloning over the problem areas would work, but you’d want to make sure that you still keep those areas a little brighter – even as a gradient to blend it with the surrounding sky – so it doesn’t look too processed.
It’s a little thing, but I would probably clone out the dark cloud in the sky, the boats along the horizon, and the dark object along the bottom edge so the viewer isn’t taken away from the main subject.
The last thing I would suggest would be to lighten the water a tad so the boat is a little more noticeable. I know you’re going for a more silhouetted look, but you don’t want to lose the boat. But you don’t want to lose the effect either. You just need a tiny bit of adjustment to find that balance.
All in all, I like the image and there are a lot of really good things at work here. Thanks for the submission, Sangeeth!
If you would like to submit one of your photos for review, get all the information you need on our photo reviews post today!
Review: HDR PhotoStudio
Last week I downloaded a copy of HDR PhotoStudio from Unified Color. I’ve played around with a couple of different HDR plugins and have to say that this one really delivers.
For those who are still new to the whole concept of HDR, here’s a quick rundown to get you up to speed. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and basically you create an HDR image by combining multiple images together – each at a different exposure – to take advantage of the details in the highlight and shadow areas so the final image can more closely resemble the tonal range seen by the eye at the time of capture. The result is an image with a great deal of tonal depth where, when done correctly, retains a great deal of information in both the brightest areas as well as the darkest without clipping – unless you’re ok with a certain amount of clipping for the effect.
There are schools of HDR photography where the final image is on the more surreal side of things. I’m wuite impressed with it when it’s done right but more often than not, this style of HDR is overdone, in my opinion, and can be more of a distraction and can get in the way of creating a pleasing path for the eyes through the image.
For me, the real power of HDR comes with the added clarity, sharpness and tonal depth that can come from the merger of multiple exposures. But one of the added benefits of HDR PhotoStudio that really sold me was how you can apply an HDR effect on a single image. Let me offer an example.
Before:
You may have seen this image posted here before. It’s one of my shots from Kim’s and my trip to Paris last year (taken at Versailles). I processed the shot entirely in Lightroom and was quite pleased with the sharpness and depth that came with the enhanced features of Lightroom 2.
Then, I brought it into HDR PhotoStudio…
As you can see, the resulting image is much sharper and the statue is all the more separated from the background and shows a lot more of the three-dimensionality of the actual subject.
The Pros:
I really like the simple yet comprehensive interface of HDR PhotoStudio. It is very easy to find your way around and work your processing. Moving right down the list of adjustments from one to the next you can have a pretty good workflow already laid out for you. First you can rotate your image and crop it as necessary before setting your brightness and contrast and your white balance (or “whiteness” as they call it). Then the real fun starts as you move into your local contrast and shadow/highlight adjustments to really get that HDR effect moving. A great feature of this software is the ability to reduce the amount of halo that is generated during these processes. It’s only a checkbox where a slider might be more beneficial in a futre version, but it does a good job overall.
I found myself using the sharpness and saturation adjustments – the next two down in the list - only sparingly. They each do a good job but one of the things that creates sharpness is contrast along edges of objects in the scene and while making your local contrast adjustments a good amount of sharpness is introduced. As I said, I had also worked with this image in Lightroom ahead of time so the color was already where I wanted it to be. That said, like the other tools, the adjustments are smooth and do a good job of helping you dial in just what you want.
The Cons:
There aren’t really a lot of cons here. I’m a big fan of looking back and forth between the before and after versions and there isn’t a method for comparing the two.
The other thing I think could be improved upon would be making the adjustments re-editable. I haven’t seen it in other HDR apps so it may just be the nature of it, but it would be nice if you could go back to the Local Contrast settings, for example, if after closing the dialog box and moving on to Shadow/Highlight you decide you need to change something. You can undo to go back, but the settings in the dialog box are reset once it’s reopened. Like I said, though, it may just be a reality of where HDR technology is right now, but it’s something to keep in mind when working with it.
In the End:
Overall, I really like HDR PhotoStudio. It’s interface is intuitive and clean-looking in its design. Adjustments allow for a good deal of control over your image so you can get just what you’re looking for. The price tag is also set within reach (at $149.99, or $127.99 through this link just for my readers) making it fairly competitive with the Photomatix bundle.
I still want to do some more playing with it, and will, but I can honestly say that it is worth the investment if you’ve been looking to get into HDR photography or find a better way to process your HDR images. Give it a shot.
Review: BorrowLenses.com
Recently I had the pleasure of using the services of BorrowLenses.com to get my hands on a Lensbaby Composer. I had never used one before but thought that it would be fun to try.
The whole process went quite smoothly. I made the request for the Composer on a Wednesday evening, it was shipped from CA on Thursday, and arrived Friday morning for a week. The lens was packaged extremely well in it’s own nylon pouch surrounded in thick foam rubber that both fit the box perfectly and had a cutout for the lens that made for a snug fit and a safe delivery.
Once the Lensbaby arrived, I got a chance to take a few shots with it and thought it was a well-made and interesting tool. The Composer is a combination between a bellows and a tilt-shift system that allows you to create some special effects in-camera without having to do it all in post. This version of the Lensbaby also features a locking ring to make sure your composition is set without fear. It also comes with aperture discs to allow you to have even more control.
After playing with the lens I realized two things:
- I didn’t give myself enough time to really put it through its paces given my hectic schedule lately.
- I’m glad that I at least got to try it out even though I don’t see myself ever buying one.
That brings me to the best part of the whole BorrowLenses.com concept. If you don’t have the money to invest in a new lens, you have a special need or event coming up or if you want to test drive one that you might be considering, the folks over there are prompt, knowledgeable, and easy to work with so you can get exactly what you need.
When all was said and done, all I had to do is pack up the lens as I received it, seal the box, and place the pre-paid shipping label over the original and drop it off with FedEx. Very straight forward and user-friendly.
Next time I need some specialty glass, want to supplement my kit, or just want to go for a test drive, I know I’ll be heading back over to BorrowLenses.com. Check ‘em out!
Photo Review: Erik Anderson
This edition of our photo review series features a shot from self-proclaimed “government lackey” from DC and amateur photographer, Erik Anderson.
Before we begin, here’s a little context of the shot from Erik:
I’ve only been taking pictures sporadically for a couple of years now as a hobby. This was taken on a visit to the Grand Canyon as my fiancee and I were driving across the country to Los Angeles. The weather was very strange that day. It was mostly cloudy with scattered rain/sleet/snow showers rolling through all day.
The photo was taken with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, ISO 100, f/8, shutter speed 1/125, focal length of 32mm, jpeg file format. I had the camera set on the landscape setting, b/c the primary intent of my shooting that day was to document our visit and I’m not comfortable enough with Manual settings yet. I’m just starting to scratch the surface of what can be done in post-processing, learning from tips and tutorials from various blogs and the like. Also, because I’m an amateur, I couldn’t justify the cost of Photoshop CS or Lightroom so I did my noodling in Photoshop Elements.
I always like to start with the positives. One of the first things that strikes me about this shot is how twisted and almost arthritic the branches are. They show the strength and enduring nature of this tree that has been through a great deal to maintain it’s view of the canyon. Being in focus is always a plus too, especially when the subject is something as hard as aged wood and stone.
I like how the lower half of the tree appears to have more sun to highlight it’s lines and separate it from the darker canyon walls behind. At the same time, the more distant parts of the canyon that recede towards the horizon and the bright sky push the upper portions of the tree more to shadow creating a great contrast making those branches reall stand out as well.
I’m always a fan of the combination of warm and cool colors in the same image, and I really enjoy more muted hues as well. This shot does a nice job of moving from warm at the bottom to very cool at the horizon and eventually to neutral at the top with the sky and clouds. It really helps direct the eye from bottom to top and from foreground to background.
There are only a couple of areas for improvement that I see here. First, the horizon is going slightly uphill from left to right. When fixing this in post, you will end up having to crop the image a touch which will make you lose a little bit of room around the tree but it might be worth it so the horizon isn’t distracting.
I think the foreground could use a little bit of sharpening, just to make it stand out even more. Wood and stone – and other hard surfaces, like metal, for that matter – can take a bit more sharpening than, say faces.
I think the tree could afford to be a touch brighter too. Perhaps some dodging and burning and/or a Curves adjustment to lighten the highlights and midtones – while keeping the shadows whre they are – would really make it pop. It would also saturate the ground a tad.
Finally, I’d do some adjustments to the sky. It’s not blown out, but it’s bright enough to draw the eyes away from the tree.
I have to say, though, that I really like this shot and the subject. It has great potential and with a little more processing it could be quite good.
Thanks for sharing it, Erik!
If you would like to submit one of your photos for review, get all the information you need on our photo reviews post today!
Reminders: Photo Projects, Contest & Reviews
- As February comes to a close later this week, we are once again coming up on another edition of the “On the 4th” photo project – to be posted next Tuesday, March 3rd. If you released your shutter on February 4th and would like to participate in this month’s installment of the project, please email me your shot by this weekend to be included!
- This week’s edition of Geographic Composition is for the theme “Contrasts”. If you would like to participate, please send in your submission by tomorrow (Wednesday) night.
- Also, I know I mentioned it last week but remember that Saturday is the last day to submit your photos for consideration in our monthly photo contest and your chance to win a $25 Gift Card to B&H!
- The photo reviews have been really well-received from the comments and emails I have gotten from some of you! Thank you for your kind words and I’m glad to hear that it is helpful, not only to the one being reviewed, but to other viewers of the photo as well. I have another review lined up for next week but I am always looking for more. If you would like me to review one of your photos here on the blog, please send it to me at reviews@jasondmoore.com and I’ll add it to the schedule!
Photo Review: Kevin Mullins
This marks our first edition of my new photo review series with a shot submitted by reader Kevin Mullins.
First, a little background info on the photo:
The image was taken using natural light of my sister-in-law and her 8 month old son. The camera was an EOS 5D Mk II using an 85mm lens and f1/2 1/80 sec and ISO 500 (as it was late in the afternoon).
The first thing that really struck me with this photo is the tone and color. There is a great amount of range in the natural light which provides a really soft feel to the image and really helps define the fore, middle, and backgrounds, making them distinct plains of the photo. The eyes are naturally drawn to the lighter areas of an image first, so the fact that the little boy is the brightest subject in the photo really helps inform us that he’s the main subject.
The verticall lines in the doorway in the background divide the image into thirds, always a helpful thing to consider when composing a shot, and direct our gaze downward from the top of the frame to the eyes of the subjects. Likewise, Kevin’s sister-in-law is looking at the boy which makes us want to see what she is looking at too. Combine that with the boy locking his eyes with the camera really makes it a compelling shot.
After being drawn to the lightest areas first, the eyes are drawn to the sharpest areas before less sharp areas. The one criticism I have is that the boy’s face isn’t as sharp as it probably could be. However, with portraits of children, especially babies, a softness can really be an asset. Also, the softness can be excused somewhat because this image captures the sense of the moment very well and you can’t always have every element perfect during those fleeting moments. For me, it is almost always better for an image to tell a story and convey emotion than to be “spot on” everywhere else.
Overall, I really like this image. It’s is well composed, with a great use of natural light and depth of field, nicely processed, and it definitely has the added benefit of communicating with the viewer.
Well done, Kevin!
If you would like to submit one of your photos for review, get all the information you need on photo reviews post today!
New: Photo Reviews
I got an email the other night from the folks at the Muskogee Camera Club. They wrote to let me know that they just sent me the latest shots from their members for me to judge. Basically, I will see what they have done and offer my comments and suggestions and choose the best shot from each class. I really appreciate the opportunity and the confidence they have placed in me to review the work of the members.
The email got me to thinking about what we’re all about here and it sparked an idea for, yet another, new series for the blog: photo reviews. Like everyone out there, even seasoned pros, I am still learning and growing as a photographer and in my skills in post-processing. And it is always appreciated when a fellow photographer offers an opinion of my work. It’s not always high praise or ego massage, but because it comes from someone who is also out there shooting and understands the art it can really help me to challenge my own assumptions and build towards being a better photographer the next time around.
So, starting today, I invite you to send in your photos for review here on the blog so that we can all see your work and, hopefully, you will be able to take away something that helps you grow as a visual artist in this amazing medium of ours.
Here’s how it’s going to work:
- Send me your final shot, processed however you like, as an email attachment no larger than 800px on the longest side.
- Please do not submit more than one photo for me to review at a time. It could really fill my inbox and I want to make sure as many people get a turn as possible.
- I will post your photo here on the blog (giving you credit and linking to your site, if you have one) and offer my thoughts about what works and what could be improved. I will try to highlight the positives but I also want to be honest and fair and will point out areas that I feel could be improved or things to consider in the future.
- Sometimes, if something jumps out at me, I may take the image and make an adjustment here or there as a way to offer a suggestion for alternative processing. I want it to be clear that I would not be taking any credit for such images and the originals always remain the property of their respective creators. I would only include an alternate process if, and only if, I am given permission by the photographer when the image is submitted. If anyone is uncomfortable with me processing one of their shots and displaying it publicly here on the blog, please let me know when you submit and I will, absolutely, respect your wishes.
- Also, if you would prefer that your photo is not open to comments from the general readership, let me know and I will disable comments for your post. Though I will say that my opinions aren’t the only ones with value and others may have helpful input as well.
- If you submit a photo that is then reviewed here, you can feel free to send in another shot which will be added to the list for a future review.
Basically that’s it! Once again, there’s no alterior motives here, just the desire to share photos and learn. If you would like to have your photo reviewed here, send it along to reviews@jasondmoore.com!
I’m looking forward to it!
