Just Want To Introduce Myself

you'll want to upload larger images

this probably won't print due to noise in the sky. though the camera should have a larger setting than this.


i would say this is unprintable as well, there is a lot of noise in it. you have to be careful of noise, they won't print it if it has that gritty look.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Apart from that...... Welcome to the site :)

Welcome Gregory!

If you are relatively new to digital photography, as many of us here were when we joined...take your time and enjoy the ride! There will be a lot to learn about image quality, pricing, marketing and a million other things. With that said, this site it's a great place to be. These forums Are a great place to learn. There are some amazing professionals willing to share there knowledge. As with any new buisness, it doesn't happen over night and it has it's ups and downs but if you are willing to put time in, learn from others, and stick it out over time, you've got a fighting chance. Keep in mind, online art/photography sales are as much about marketing to and being found by your audience as it is about making great art...if it's never seen, it can't sell. When people give you input on quality, pricing or anything else listen to all opinions, learn what you can from it and go back and try to implement it! Above all else, the more you take photos, the better you will get at both photography and post processing! Keep at it and best of luck!

Again, Welcome!
Matt

Here are 2 threads that's have a ton of great info in them! A lot to read...but worth it!


http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=970972

http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=1192902

Matt

Thanks Mike! Thankfully a printout of the abandoned boat came out really well. I agree about the splash one though. I have to reconsider that one.

Thanks Isabel! I am so happy to be here!

Thanks so much Matt!!

Welcome Gregory ! I am new here to FAA and the world of photography. Good luck and most of all have fun and enjoy the world of photography !

I like this shot, but I think there is too much sky. It may look good as a panorama type shot.

beautiful little gem. Welcome!

Welcome! I grew up in NJ and looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Watch your horizon. This shot is leaning to the left.I like this one below



but it's really small, only 10X7. You're selling yourself short with small images. Only a few of my sales have been smaller than 14X11. Most are 16X24 and up.Not a big fan of the filter applied, but that's subjective. Some poeple will like it for precisely that reason.

This one appears to be leaning to the left also.



I like the composition and the boat in the foreground. I believe it could sell. Not sure if there is too much noise or grain in the shot and the image is still somewhat small.

What kind of DSLR do you have? And can you anonymous supplier please message me? I reay need as lens on the short end.

Welcome, Gregory! I love that someone anonymously bought you a camera! :-)

Two links you might enjoy exploring:

http://digital-photography-school.com/

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/

Greetings,
Sure appears to me that You have an Eye for Photography!
I would say get at it and stick with it.
Happy to have You as a fellow Fine Art America member.

Last week I started a FREE Co-Op for fellow Artists an many
Fine Art America members are joining and Building Audience
for their Creations and it is "FREE".
http://www.FreeViral.com/?r=429357

Sincerely You New FAA Friend,
Brady

welcome to FAA, Gregory.

Thank you so much everyone! I a learning so much already! It's a big difference talking to you all rather than my many friends who all seem to love my work, but do not have the professional eye. I needed the professional feedback, it's invaluable, thank you! I am curious, can anyone let me know what does seem to work, if anything, as well as the areas that I need to improve on? I want to know what is working so I keep going in that area, while working on my weaknesses. I think my compositions, the actual compositions are my strengths, but I need work in post processing. My personal philosophy is to do minimal processing and let the scene speak for itself, but I know I still need work and to learn in processing. I have Lightroom, and Fotor, and am learning the processing ropes still. I am loving the critiquing, thank you and please feel free to give feedback anytime for any reason. I am a student of life and photograph :)

friends will almost always say nice things and almost never buy anything.

the one thing i would change is to reduce the amount of times you god in your bio. it may turn off those that don't like that kind of thing. i find its best to leave religion and politics out of that area.


this is nice, but dark, and noisy in the sky, the trees are outlined.

always edit - the camera will never get it right, there is no harm in editing something. what you see in my folder is not what it looked like when i shot it. the scene almost never speaks for itself.


i can see this selling. i don't like the building in the background, but it shows location someone can find later.


i like the form, but nothing else. it's very dark and dull. and very tight in the frame. the background is dark and muddy, and the foreground is too dark. if you can come back there in the winter when everything is frozen. or find a wicked sky and get closer you could get an abstract from it.


the pond is nice, but the frame is not. the tree is too bulky, too dark, and too much in the way. the bottom half frames the pond well, but it takes up too much of the shot. i like the backlight on the wheat, if you can get it through that grass of that pond and forget about the tree, it would be stronger, especially if you can get geese flying at the same time (impossible to do you would have to add it).


i like the dramatic sky, but its a bit dull, doesn't pop. and there is little story or scale of the waves. if there was a dock, especially a battered dock. or something else to look at it would be better. i would explain that this was before a big storm, unless you live in the north east, a noreaster doesn't mean much to everyone else. but the story should be more self explanatory, than clouds and waves. the eyes should lock onto a central theme, right now it goes to the sky and there isn't much else. its also not in focus and its a bit noisy. in low light always shoot with a tripod on the lowest iso you can get away with. use center focus to lock onto something, and increase the depth.

the advantage is you seem to live near the water, so you can get winter and sunset shots better than others. you have to keep in mind the story or theme of the shot. a dock shows scale and gives distance and something for the viewer to look at. props usually helps a shot.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Thanks Mike!

Gregory, many Christians here create a gallery for Christian artwork. Can be anything from pictures of churches, images classically associated with Christianity or ones with bible verses etc. on them.

I do leave some that are landscapes in other galleries because while my title or description might have a part of a hymn or something.. the image itself is neutral to others. I don't hide that I'm a believer on my bio ( on my artist website its mentioned in my "about" section. I do realize that for some it might cause them to not buy my work while for others it might have the opposite effect. I believe most people aren't really bothered by it, whatever they believe or don't believe, as they just are looking at the work itself but I do keep the reference to God somewhat subdued yet evident as that's whom I wish to give the glory to :)

I hope you will enjoy being on FAA. For me its been a real opportunity to learn from the wisdom and work of others here.. Mike Savad is one I enjoy learning from but I haven't been brave enough to ask him to critique my work :)