Feedback Requested

as a thumb this looks nice. however its not in focus, its very noisy (probably won't print), and i think you had the aperture too open. it lacks depth and the windows have too much light.


i call this a peeping tom shot, because its pretty easy to not stand in a place where those leaves are not. they are rather distracting. the roots are blue, the white balance is off. there is a lot of glare on the trees. taken with a polarizer it might be better. without the leaves, with more contrast, this might make an ok black and white.


this would make a better hdr, there is little detail in the car and its hard to see. there is motion blur in this and it may not print. there is a lot of aberration in this


hdr for this as well. shadow lacks detail, the whites were clearly blown in this, loss of detail in the fence. this image would make an ok texture. but as a photo its not interesting. the road goes no where, there's a fence in the way back and it tells no story. if the trees were autumn. if the road continued and there was an old truck and so on, it would be more interesting. but taken in the middle of the day, without the bridge framing something, there just isn't anything.


when i look at these images i ignore title and descriptions and try to guess what i'm looking at--- i haven't a clue. there are a lot of things in here. a bit of tree on the right. stuff in the water. its taken midday, no polarizer, the colors are washed out, there is too much contrast, and the sky is blank. horizon should be straighter.


lady liberty doesn't tilt like the leaning tower of pisa. further, it's very bright on the water and the sky has no snap to it. its rather noisy, and isn't that sharp. the boat is cute, but you can't see it.


everything is nice, but that shed, i'd shoot it from the other side.


i really don't get these peep angles. why your shooting silos from the shadows. the corn is distracting and the main subject isn't in focus, contrast lacks as well.


i haven't a clue why you shot this. the thing on the left is distracting. it will be very hard to market.


a few issues with this - 1. i assume the background is white, so your white balance is off. 2. its a trademark. 3. its too close to the camera and its titled.


concept is ok, rather noisy, brush again.



while i know fast action is hard to get, be mindful of backgrounds and keeping the people in the frame, not cutting them in two.

looking over the photos they all seem to have the following issues:

1. many are not in focus.
2. your hiding behind weeds and such.
3. your contrast is set too high, and your taking it while the sun is at its worst.
4. many images have noise.
5. many subjects are cut off.
6. some images seem totally random, shoot what you think you can market.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Thank you very much for the feedback Mike, after reading many discussion threads in the past I somehow felt you may be the one the let it all hang out and be realistic. I very much appreciate the comments and it gives me a sense of where to go with my pictures.
Thank you again
John Turner

I like this one caught my eye immediately. I am not one to critisize others work and I see some decent shots that I personally like, but others may not.

I never ask for critiques and don't care, I have busted my #$%&- off and the two images I have sold we on old point and shoots. One I would never have bought for myself but someone else liked to t. I see and read so much "advice" here some good but it is you who has to decide what you offer for sale.

Many are quick to note the flaws but not the good and in the end most is opinion only based on their perception by looking at a screen and not a framed image presented as it should be. I have been amassing a collection of my images at home printed, framed, matted and on canvas and I know they are beautifully done because everyone who sees them this way says so, I am my worst critic so I need nobody to do it for me.

Mike's advice is sound. In general, I would add - Pay more attention to backgrounds. Try not to shoot landscapes, and some other outdoor scenes, in the middle of day (Mike's advice as well). Simplify your images (remove or reposition so as to eliminate distractions). Bald skies are typically unattractive.

This being said, you seem to have a decent eye and it shows in some of your selection of subjects and compositions. Your still life images are good, but you could improve the lighting.

Keep shooting!

oh and check the white balance should be added to my list


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

This one is leaning CW and is grainy and not in focus,

It might help to know what kind of gear you're using and what processing you're doing.

Edit -- didn't mean to pile on. Just saw this was one Mike memtioned

First, your work doesn't suck.

I do see room for improvement.

I few tendencies I see in your portfolio. You have some tilting horizons, easy fixes btw. In many, the subject is too small within the image, especially with wildlife though the chair shot above is a good example. You have a tendency to have the main subject partially blocked by something.

Those are where the improvements can easily come from.

Examples of the above.

Animal too small or partially blocked.



This has both issues. Now, the subject can be that size in the frame IF it is part of a more interesting landscape image but here there is not much to see around the raccoon. The second one is better.



Too small, blocked and very grainy. I have NEVER got an owl shot so you are doing better than me on that one and if you were just wanting a cool owl pic for Facebook, kudos but take a look at the level of competition here if you want to sell. http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/barred+owl/all same with the hawks.

I don't get the way selective color was used here at all.



Tilted horizon example.



You also have some strong work as it stands as well.

Another case of the shot leaning to the right is Oncoming with the Canadian Pacific trains. And the trains should be more of the frame

Thank you all for your feedback, it is very much appreciated. I now have some images to get rid of and improvements to be made to some existing as well. Some of the items I totally missed until it was pointed out and now it jumps out at me in volume. It should help me with anything else I post as well.
Again, Thank you very much
John Turner

The whole thing is underexposed with a few blown out highlights on the petals. I would like to see more subject matter and less of that dark background. The exact point of focus is behind the flower on the back leaves. Most of the flower is a bit soft and lacking the detail I would want to see in a photo like this. There is a green color cast. A little color cast is ok to make it look more natural, but I would have removed some or got the white balance better. I like Trilliums though so get some more if you can.

John one thing is not to worry about people thinking your work sucks. From the looks of your work I feel you don't have anything to worry about. You do fabulous work and should be proud of it. By being on this site or any art site. It gives you exposure, which is a good thing

It never hurts for someone to ask for feedback. It's up to the person asking for advice to decide which part of any to take. Most of the feedback here hit on a few recurring themes.

Hi Denise, I am not worried about what others think of my work, I love photography and that makes me happy but I value what others on this site see as there is many years of experience among the artist here. As with anything else we do if you only look at it with your own eyes you tend to skip over things because they become the normal. The comments from the folks here and you are very encouraging to me and gives me a fresh set of eyes to look at what I have posted. The feedback hit on many of the same issues so it tells me what I need to look closer at while adding my art to the site. I will keep this topic in my watched list and refer to it every time I am working on a photo as a great reminder to the people who have taken the time out of their own day to improve mine.
All is good.
John

You've gotten very good feedback. Generally your work is good, but it also has room for relatively easy improvement. One of the most unbiased positive critiques is a sale! Hopefully, when you make those improvements, you will get many kinds of positive feedback. I think you see well, and just need to get more analytical about your work. Just getting an owl at all is an accomplishment. Keep trying.