Some of my photos, opinions please

One picture removed, I didn't read the forum rules prior to reading. Sorry I'm using an iPhone app.

50mm
Auto white balance
F5.6

Welcome to Nikonites, Peekcha. Maybe it's my eyes, but they both seem to be slightly out of focus. Other than that, nice subject matter.

how's this, the other one was a small file.

Shallow DOF is a very hard thing to get just right let alone master...I try to do it all the time and I am still nowhere near being able to pull it off to my own personal satisfaction...I think I need more glass!

Peekcha I'm guessing you live in a pretty neat place in Illinois based on these two fine pictures you have presented us?

That second pic is quite a bit different looking than the first one! I would like to get that kind of pink against something that was bright blue...

It's not that interesting but the pictures them selves were taken at a local nursery so they had a few interesting flowers. And the bug was in my own back yard

I love the bokeh effect and have been trying to practice it but I don't have the proper glass for it.

Any pointers on how to get better at shallow DOF will be welcomed

Here is another one

Great subject matter but I would recommend a little better composition. Look into the Rule of Thirds to make your shots a little more interesting.

Come on folks, be honest with Peekcha - all are terrible photos, out of focus underexposed the one with the fly the background is busy and the subject is lost in the woodwork. Sorry Peekcha, the only way you are not going to make the same mistakes is to be aware of them. Telling you these are great shots would not be doing you a favor.

salvatore said:

Come on folks, be honest with Peekcha - all are terrible photos, out of focus underexposed the one with the fly the background is busy and the subject is lost in the woodwork. Sorry Peekcha, the only way you are not going to make the same mistakes is to be aware of them. Telling you these are great shots would not be doing you a favor.

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You've been here since May of this year. You should be put in charge of all critiques! Although, you have yet to upload any photos yourself. You also have the diplomacy skills of a water buffalo. We try to INSTRUCT, not just criticize. If you can't find a more polite way to talk, just stay out of it.

JM2CW.

BTW... If I'm too subtle, just let me know. I'll be more direct.

Carolina Photo Guy said:

You've been here since May of this year. You should be put in charge of all critiques! Although, you have yet to upload any photos yourself. You also have the diplomacy skills of a water buffalo. We try to INSTRUCT, not just criticize. If you can't find a more polite way to talk, just stay out of it.

JM2CW.

BTW... If I'm too subtle, just let me know. I'll be more direct.

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I stand by my comments Thank you for your 2CW. Sometimes the truth hurts, never the less it's the truth.

Thanks for all the responses, I don't mind being told my photos suck, just tell me HOW to improve them. I'm a novice in this so tell ms how to fix it

Peekcha said:

Thanks for all the responses, I don't mind being told my photos suck, just tell me HOW to improve them. I'm a novice in this so tell ms how to fix it

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Hey Peekcha, glad you understand. Getting a "sugar coat" never helps. Getting help on how to improve your photos is the way to go. For the first photo I would isolate the subject more and use an larger f stop such as f4 or as large as you can get it. That will give you better DOF, also adjust your contrast and focus, this will make your subject standout more. As for the flower - again contrast either in your camera setting or post processing with a touch of sharpening and contrast you will have a good photo.

The more I look at the photos in question the more truth and beauty I find in them...

Pink Flowers and A Locust on a Fence Post...I'm all in...

Carolina Photo Guy said:

You've been here since May of this year. You should be put in charge of all critiques! Although, you have yet to upload any photos yourself. You also have the diplomacy skills of a water buffalo. We try to INSTRUCT, not just criticize. If you can't find a more polite way to talk, just stay out of it.

JM2CW.

BTW... If I'm too subtle, just let me know. I'll be more direct.

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Pete, we really are going to get along well.

salvatore said:

I stand by my comments Thank you for your 2CW. Sometimes the truth hurts, never the less it's the truth.

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You can criticize, critique, and be honest without being an outright phallus about it. Being truthful does not always equate to being rude. Such attitudes have the possibility of alienating a budding photographer and may even scare them off. If I had such ham-fisted critiques of my early photos then I would have possibly given it up. Just some food for thought.

Peekcha said:

Thanks for all the responses, I don't mind being told my photos suck, just tell me HOW to improve them. I'm a novice in this so tell ms how to fix it

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The thing I love most about photography is that it is all subjective. What looks good to one may not look good to another. As long as I'm happy with my shots then that's ultimately all that matters. Just keep shooting, read your cameras manual, look into composition and exposure "guidelines" online, read the manual again and shoot some more. The more you learn about your camera, and the more comfortable you become with it, the better you'll become. The better you become the more fun you're going to have. The more fun you have the more you're going to want to shoot. It's a vicious cycle that will soon consume a good portion of your life, in a good way.

Will, excellent post! I couldn't have said it better!

How's this guys?

It looks great --- but it depends on what you were trying to capture. If you wanted a blurred foreground as well as blurred back ground then you nailed it.

Tell us what you were trying to achieve and we can be more helpful.

Yeah that's what I was going for, I just wanted to focus on the buds

Your most recent submission is heads and shoulders above the first two you posted. Here's why:

You're thinking outside the box. It's what separates the ho-hum from the great. When we look at flowers, we all have the same eagle-eyed view. Any time you can change that perspective is a good thing.

Peekcha said:

View attachment 4641

How's this guys?

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Now you're talkin'! If you were trying to focus just on the buds of this flower.....you nailed it! Like Anthony said, you're thinking outside the box now.

Thanks i do have one question though, one of the buds is out of focus. Is there something I should try or do different to achieve the same effect but have all the buds in focus?