One for Mr Darcy

Got a thin skin? Then look elsewhere. Post a link to an image that you've made, and invite others to offer their critiques. Honesty is encouraged, but please be positive in your constructive criticism. Flaming and just plain nastiness will not be tolerated. Please note that this is not an area for you to showcase your images, nor is this a place for you to show-off where you have been. This is an area for you to post images so that you may share with us a technique that you have mastered, or are trying to master. Typically, no more than about four images should be posted in any one post or thread, and the maximum size of any side of any image should not exceed 950 px.

Moderators: Greg B, Nnnnsic, Geoff, Glen, gstark, Moderators

Forum rules
Please note that image critiquing is a matter of give and take: if you post images for critique, and you then expect to receive criticism, then it is also reasonable, fair and appropriate that, in return, you post your critique of the images of other members here as a matter of courtesy. So please do offer your critique of the images of others; your opinion is important, and will help everyone here enjoy their visit to far greater extent.

Also please note that, unless you state something to the contrary, other members might attempt to repost your image with their own post processing applied. We see this as an acceptable form of critique, but should you prefer that others not modify your work, this is perfectly ok, and you should state this, either within your post, or within your signature.

Images posted here should conform with the general forum guidelines. Image sizes should not exceed 950 pixels along the largest side (height or width) and typically no more than four images per post or thread.

Please also ensure that you have a meaningful location included in your profile. Please refer to the FAQ for details of what "meaningful" is.

One for Mr Darcy

Postby colin_12 on Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:44 pm

This pic is thanks to Mr Darcy as it was taken with his lens.
An interesting night as always, This is about the best I took I think.
Anything I could do to improve this people?

Image
Regards Colin
Cameras, lenses and a lust for life
User avatar
colin_12
Senior Member
 
Posts: 1853
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:10 pm
Location: Hazelbrook

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby phillipb on Sat Nov 28, 2009 3:32 pm

Nice lighting Colin,
I would try a vertical crop just ahead of the flowers and maybe a touch behind the chair and top.
__________
Phillip


**Nikon D7000**
User avatar
phillipb
Senior Member
 
Posts: 2599
Joined: Sat Aug 07, 2004 10:56 am
Location: Milperra (Sydney) **Nikon D7000**

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby biggerry on Sat Nov 28, 2009 6:17 pm

Nice Colin, I would keep the black space on the left but trim abit off the top :)

Are you gonna tell us where, when and why :up: :up:
gerry's photography journey
No amount of processing will fix bad composition - trust me i have tried.
User avatar
biggerry
Senior Member
 
Posts: 5930
Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 12:40 am
Location: Under the flight path, Newtown, Sydney

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby colin_12 on Sat Nov 28, 2009 8:38 pm

Sorry Gerry, that would be good wouldn't it. :oops:

This was one of the models from our florists wearable art fashion parade. It is a part of their graduation night.

This lass was part of a group who were dressed for a wedding theme. The "chair back" is actually a pair of furry wings.
I would also have liked to have more below where I have croped, but there was someone who stood up to get a pic. :|

I will put up some more when I have gone through them.
Regards Colin
Cameras, lenses and a lust for life
User avatar
colin_12
Senior Member
 
Posts: 1853
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:10 pm
Location: Hazelbrook

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby zafra52 on Sun Nov 29, 2009 3:28 pm

Consider a square crop on this image with equal margins around your subject and see if it improves the overall image.
It might not work, but you loose nothing for trying. I like the soft light and the black background, but as is I belives it steals the viewer's attention.
User avatar
zafra52
Senior Member
 
Posts: 4827
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:22 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby colin_12 on Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:16 pm

Here we go.
I think I have been able to satisfy most thiughts on this.......

Image

:mrgreen:
Regards Colin
Cameras, lenses and a lust for life
User avatar
colin_12
Senior Member
 
Posts: 1853
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:10 pm
Location: Hazelbrook

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby aim54x on Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:20 pm

A great image there Colin....I have to admit that the crop works very well!
Cameron
Nikon F/Nikon 1 | Hasselblad V/XPAN| Leica M/LTM |Sony α/FE/E/Maxxum/M42
Wishlist Nikkor 24/85 f/1.4| Fuji Natura Black
Scout-Images | Flickr | 365Project
User avatar
aim54x
Senior Member
 
Posts: 7305
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 10:13 pm
Location: Penshurst, Sydney

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby Mr Darcy on Mon Nov 30, 2009 9:11 am

:agree:
Greg
It's easy to be good... when there is nothing else to do
User avatar
Mr Darcy
Senior Member
 
Posts: 3414
Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:35 pm
Location: The somewhat singed and blackened Blue Mountains

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby zafra52 on Mon Nov 30, 2009 6:37 pm

Personally, I think it works better providing there is enough resolution in the image. But it is more important that you like it.
User avatar
zafra52
Senior Member
 
Posts: 4827
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:22 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby colin_12 on Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:45 pm

Here are a couple more from the night. The theme was Metamorphosis.
These are the ones that the boss wanted a couple more of.
I really need to set up a studio or something at these events. :|

I don't know what this lass was but her costume started as a closed structure and then she let it open down around her.
Image

A peacock
Image

The egg as it is about to hatch
Image

This gent was a real crowd pleaser
Image

...and yes please critique these......
Regards Colin
Cameras, lenses and a lust for life
User avatar
colin_12
Senior Member
 
Posts: 1853
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:10 pm
Location: Hazelbrook

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby biggerry on Wed Dec 02, 2009 10:25 pm

thanks for the story update colin! Looks like it was a good night!

I think the first image in teh second set needs a bit of brightening, there are great colours here that need to sing!
Image

I like the last two, the egg hatching is very surreal, great light there! The final one, lol, he looks manly there! my only suggestion would be a crop, basically get in tighter on him
gerry's photography journey
No amount of processing will fix bad composition - trust me i have tried.
User avatar
biggerry
Senior Member
 
Posts: 5930
Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 12:40 am
Location: Under the flight path, Newtown, Sydney

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby wazonthehill2 on Thu Dec 03, 2009 6:29 pm

well done Col
Not a fungi to be seen

Like them all
Would suggest that on the first one, possibly reduce the red as the skin is a bit distracting in colour (but may be correct)

On the opening flower, between yours and Buggery's. I prefer the darker one, colours are more vibrant
whizzzz, there goes life again.....
But now captured on a Canon 40D with bits

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wazonthehill/
User avatar
wazonthehill2
Member
 
Posts: 146
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:42 pm
Location: Valentine Newcastle NSW Australia

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby zafra52 on Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:38 pm

I agree with the others that the first one of the second set is the best. However, I suggest you play with with the white balance, the curves or adjust the aperture (if you can) to get more natural colours, if you can.
I believe you missed the second with the model moving perhaps too quickly with that tight framing.
The third one, I think needs a human element to put into context for I wouldn' have know it was meant to be a fire egg. The last one has too many elements in it. I suggest you concentrate on the torso of the male model leaving his twiggy wings visible as much as you can cutting out the rest. This would mean perhaps a loss of resolution or a smaller image. I hope you I am not being too hard. I know these kind of events are not that easy to photographs. Just out of curiosity what ISO did you use. Even with a monopod It would have to be as high as you can to avoid using flash.
User avatar
zafra52
Senior Member
 
Posts: 4827
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:22 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby colin_12 on Fri Dec 04, 2009 9:56 pm

Thanks all,
There are some interesting suggestions here.
I will have a bash at these when time allows and pop them up.
Zafra,
I was iso 1000 - 2000 and between 2.8 and 3.5 apature with speeds of between 1/50th to 1/250th of a second.
No mono pod just a very short step ladder to balance on. I do try to make it as difficult as I can for myself. :mrgreen:
The whole parade went for about 3/4 to 1 hour. :up:
Regards Colin
Cameras, lenses and a lust for life
User avatar
colin_12
Senior Member
 
Posts: 1853
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:10 pm
Location: Hazelbrook

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby biggerry on Sat Dec 05, 2009 9:04 pm

between yours and Buggery's


lol, your lucky the 'u' key is next to the 'i' key, otherwise I might get the wrong idea.. :wink:
gerry's photography journey
No amount of processing will fix bad composition - trust me i have tried.
User avatar
biggerry
Senior Member
 
Posts: 5930
Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 12:40 am
Location: Under the flight path, Newtown, Sydney

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby Mr Darcy on Sun Dec 06, 2009 10:00 am

biggerry wrote:
between yours and Buggery's


lol, your lucky the 'u' key is next to the 'i' key, otherwise I might get the wrong idea.. :wink:

Hmm. Now you mention it.... :twisted:
Greg
It's easy to be good... when there is nothing else to do
User avatar
Mr Darcy
Senior Member
 
Posts: 3414
Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:35 pm
Location: The somewhat singed and blackened Blue Mountains

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby gstark on Sun Dec 06, 2009 10:29 am

I think that the issue I have with these is not your treatment of the images and subjects, Colin, but how the people have approached their tasks.

The first image and its derivative, as well as the third one from the second set work very well, and to a lesser extent, the final image in that set.

But the question is "why?"

For me, that comes down to the simplicity within the subject matter itself; in each of those images the subject is quite simple. Easy to comprehend and view, somewhat easy to compose a photo around, and quite pleasant and enjoyable subjects to look at.

With the other images, the designs presented by the students -you did say they were student, didn't you? - are very complex. Overly so in my humble opinion. They have seriously failed to observe the KISS principle. There is way too much to look at, and to try to understand within what they are proposing.

That is not Colin's issue: he is there as an observer. But that does detract from the images in that the content appears complex, messy, and overdone.
g.
Gary Stark
Nikon, Canon, Bronica .... stuff
The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it - US Pres. Bartlet
User avatar
gstark
Site Admin
 
Posts: 22918
Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2004 11:41 pm
Location: Bondi, NSW

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby wendellt on Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:30 pm

very nice use of negative space although the square crop does do it justice
i think maybe for improvement tone down the red hues or turn this into a black and white image for maximum impact i find the warm tungsten redish tone to be jaring for such a soft and gentle moment shown in the image
Wendell Levi Teodoro
My Agents
Press - Getty Images
Creative Rep - T.I.D. FashionID, DBP Productions & The Nest Agency
My Book - Zeduce
User avatar
wendellt
Outstanding Member of the year (Don't try this at home.)
 
Posts: 4078
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2005 10:04 am
Location: Dilettante Outside the City Walls, Sydney

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby colin_12 on Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:14 pm

Now that you mention it Wendell the tone is a bit on the red side.

Here we are......
Image

I don't know that I can get a decent B&W out of it though, more practice I think.......
Image

Thankyou all for the constructive comments.
Regards Colin
Cameras, lenses and a lust for life
User avatar
colin_12
Senior Member
 
Posts: 1853
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:10 pm
Location: Hazelbrook

Re: One for Mr Darcy

Postby Mr Darcy on Fri Dec 11, 2009 11:01 am

Both a great improvement, now I see them on my good monitor - I looked at them earlier on my notebook & the BW looked distinctly blue. I really am going to have to calibrate it.

Perhaps try the BW with the square crop.
Greg
It's easy to be good... when there is nothing else to do
User avatar
Mr Darcy
Senior Member
 
Posts: 3414
Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:35 pm
Location: The somewhat singed and blackened Blue Mountains


Return to Image Reviews and Critiques