My Top 10 Photos: What Could Have Been Better (Part 1)
Have you ever participated in a photo critique? No not the Instagram troll who rips apart every photo they see or criticizes Julia Roberts for being too fat. That's not what I mean by critique. I mean having a photographer give you constructive criticism about your photos. It's a little intimidating - OK a lot - but SO valuable in your journey toward making better photos.
This week I want to do a critique of some of my work. I'm going to share my favorite 10 photos that I have made, and give you my reasons why. Since I tend to be such a harsh critic of my own work, this wasn't an easy task. Surely I have 10 photos that I love, right?! Well, yes. But telling you why I love them is proving to be pretty tough. Now telling you what I initially didn't like about them, wasn't too tough. So I will take you through these 10 photos - what I liked, what I didn't (or still don't), and why they made the cut.
At some point in our journey together, we will start doing critiques together. It's such an invaluable way to learn and grow. But in the meantime, I hope you can learn from my sharing these photos with you.
#1 Sunset Over Parliament
Some of why we like or love our own photos has to do with the memories they provoke. The set up for the shot, the lead-up, the process, the memory of that moment…THAT'S exactly why a critique from an impartial party is a good idea. She takes away all the emotion and just gives it to you straight. BUT since I'm my own critic I'll do my best to give my two cents without the emotion.
What I like about this first one is the striking sky - the colors, the clouds. It's sometimes tough to photograph iconic buildings in a unique way. Well, this sky definitely gave me the inside scoop on making Parliament particularly unique that evening!
What I didn't necessarily like about the original photo was that the white balance (the color cast) was off which gave the image a blue hue. And the details were lost in the front of the building and on the bridge because all the light was coming from behind them. Both of these issues were fixed pretty quickly in Lightroom® (my post-processing software of choice). And now I'll say, I'm pretty darn pleased with the result.
#2 Classic Toulouse Architecture
I like this one because of the perspective. The architecture in France is ornate, ancient, so different than anything we really see in the United States. So I really wanted to capture the details and the uniqueness (is that a word?) of the style. This perspective against the blue sky highlights the dormers in a Mansard roof (I got that from my brilliant architect husband). It provides a clean background, so the emphasis is clearly on the building and nothing else.
When I first looked at this one I thought "yeah I like it." The one criticism I have is that there are some blown out areas in the clouds. But in general, the overall exposure is pretty good, so I made peace with it. Clouds can add interest to a sky, but they can be tricky when it comes to distracting blown-out highlights. But we can't really control clouds, now can we?
#3 Path Along the Canal du Midi
Ahhh reflections. I'm a sucker for them. This photo to me is about the reflections, but also about the runner playing her role in the story, running by herself along the path. She draws the eye and gives the scene more complexity. The color, the leading lines, the story, and the reflections all make this one a favorite.
Upon first glance, I really wanted to love this one, but there were some flaws in the original. First, there were car lights coming down the road to the left which were distracting. A simple crop fixed that. Second, the main scene is the canal with reflections, but the runner is a focal point as a contextual element. BUT she is not sharply in focus when I zoom all the way in. And a few years ago, I was all about the sharp focus - if it's not sharp, it's not a good photo. But when zoomed out to a normal view, it's clear she is a runner, and she still adds to the story. And overall I do like the photo. So I moved on (mostly).
#4 Leading Stairway in Albi
The leading lines of the stairs, and the door posing the question "what’s behind it?" are the elements I like best in this photo. But also the texture, the colors, and of course…the shutters. The composition feels to me like you as the viewer are being led down the steps to the door, but then past it, and down further to…somewhere. It's a feeling I get when I see this photo that puts it in my top ten.
The main negative in this shot was that there were blown-out highlights on the left side of the photograph, where the sun is hitting the brick wall. It really washed out the color and texture of the wall, as well as the definition of the shutters. But a simple Lightroom® fix and the wall is back in all its glory. I still feel like there is a distraction in the upper left corner of the photo, but I generally like the composition so much that I don't really look at it anymore.
#5 Albi at Sunrise
This one is a classic landscape at sunrise photo. The colors, the way the cathedral is lit by the sun, the textures of the water, stone, bricks… And I like the balance of the sunlit cathedral to the left, with the bridges connecting to the right side of the photo where other, but less significant, buildings anchor.
The light was so low when I made this photo, that it was a little off-balance, lighting wise. The cathedral had a lovely red glow, but the rest of the image, especially the river was a bit flat. A simple Lightroom® fix to bring up some detail in the shadows and add a bit of punch, and now the image is more balanced and one of my all-time favorites.
Well, this blog post is getting REALLY long, but I'm on a roll here. So I decided to break it into 2 posts - part 1 and part 2. Let's wrap up Part 1 at the halfway point, shall we?
I think this is a good opportunity for you to meander over to your computer and glance through your photos. What do you like? What don't you like? It really is a fantastic way to learn, improve, and laugh about all the moments along the way.
Starting in 2020 we're going to do some fun critiques, contests, and chuckling over in the Facebook Group. You won't want to miss is, so I’ll see you there!
Until next week…