Looking for some feedback

[Miltz]

I'd really like to feedback on my images and website. Getting a stranger's point of view is better than friends and family...lol Constructive criticism is the key so be nice. Thanks in advance. Feel free to ask any questions.

http://www.miltonphotography.com

 

[Team Timm]

I'd really like to feedback on my images and website. Getting a stranger's point of view is better than friends and family...lol Constructive criticism is the key so be nice. Thanks in advance. Feel free to ask any questions.

A website or even some images might be useful.

 

[RemarkabLee]

Link?

 

[Shrink]

I think your post looks very nice.

Was there supposed to be more?

 

[Doylem]

How did we manage to communicate before the internet?

 

[Miltz]

Sorry folks, I was up all night working on it. Still sleepy...lol ..

http://www.miltonphotography.com

 

[sjschall]

Beautiful images, your HDR stuff is really nice. The website is cool too, I like the simplicity.

 

[Miltz]

Beautiful images, your HDR stuff is really nice. The website is cool too, I like the simplicity.

Thank you

 

[Doylem]

Having a load of big photos on the same page makes for slow loading. Better to have thumbnails to click on?

 

[jaysen]

I'm no professional so take my comments with a grain of salt;

Overall most of your images have good composition but lack substance... some of your HDR stuff is way too much for my liking - to each their own.

With your HDR hard to tell if your stuff is in/out of focus.

My favorite of all that you have posted would be the macro image of the ant. It appears slightly out of focus (too much to the left of the subject) but not bad... and i'm not an animal/insect photo type of guy. My second fav would be the rooster but you killed it with the HDR. Let's see the original.

 

[Miltz]

Having a load of big photos on the same page makes for slow loading. Better to have thumbnails to click on?

Well these are high resolution thumbnails. When you click on the actual image it takes it full screen. With HD screens being standard now I felt it was good to take advantage of that will high res thumbnails. I have no issues with speed on any of my computers. All use verizon fios for internet service provider. Loading speed is dependent mostly on broadband speed.

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I'm no professional so take my comments with a grain of salt;

Overall most of your images have good composition but lack substance... some of your HDR stuff is way too much for my liking - to each their own.

With your HDR hard to tell if your stuff is in/out of focus.

My favorite of all that you have posted would be the macro image of the ant. It appears slightly out of focus (too much to the left of the subject) but not bad... and i'm not an animal/insect photo type of guy. My second fav would be the rooster but you killed it with the HDR. Let's see the original.

Thank you for your input. Can you further get into "lack substance"? I want to understand what you mean.

 

[jaysen]

Well these are high resolution thumbnails. When you click on the actual image it takes it full screen. With HD screens being standard now I felt it was good to take advantage of that will high res thumbnails. I have no issues with speed on any of my computers. All use verizon fios for internet service provider. Loading speed is dependent mostly on broadband speed.

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Thank you for your input. Can you further get into "lack substance"? I want to understand what you mean.

Most your images are scenery-style (not sure if this is the proper terminology) but don't offer anything that appeals to MY eye. Example; When looking at your picture it is composed well, but there's nothing in it visually appealing that says "LOOK AT ME"... Your cityscapes are nice but tone down the HDR.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Thank you for your input. Can you further get into "lack substance"? I want to understand what you mean.

A photo without substance is one that has nothing going for it. These three are the least interesting of your set:

Less is more by the way, as far as photography portfolios go. Limit your galleries to your REALLY good shots and sessions.

This is a bad shot because it's dead in the center:

This is MUCH better:

And yeah, lay off the HDR a bit. Clouds and water are gorgeous without it. Boosting your colors isn't bad itself otherwise.

 

[filmbufs]

You have a lot of nice images, so congrats on that! I particularly like some of your landscape shots. I don't know if you're using a template for your website or not. If you are able to customize it, I would suggest the following:

a) Try putting the My Photography link up at the top. In fact, I'd rename it Portfolio as well. (edit: more thoughts on this down below.)

b) When I view your portfolio, the thumbnails are huge. I wouldn't even call them thumbnails. When I clicked on one, it barely increases in size.

c) Like Doylem said, scrolling down to see each image can be slow. In addition, scrolling, for me, tends to hide portions of each image as I scroll down. I typically use the page up/down button on my keyboard and it can be tiresome to consistently scroll up/down incrementally just to see the entire image of one photo and have the same dilemma for each additional photo. I do like, however, that your page is dynamic, but that still doesn't alleviate the issue for me.

d) What is the purpose of your website? Currently, it appears the purpose is to sell your images. If so, I believe you need to rethink your design. • Your images shouldn't be contained within a Portfolio or My Photography buttons. • Instead, you might break down your images into categories to make it easier to shop. • And I would limit the amount of print sizes/options for purchase. I stopped counting how many variations were offered after 75 and it appears there were at least 150 more options after that. While it's good to provide options, that will typically only confuse a buyer. • If you really, really want to provide options, consider upselling a couple of options at checkout, otherwise offer only a few sizes and pick one finish you think will best represent your image (matte, glossy, etc.)

e) If your intent is to showcase your portfolio, I would still categorize your images and remove the buy buttons. You can always add another link to purchase a select group of images but I would only choose 'your best.' And then see item (d) above.

f) It might be good to have an About Me page and a Contact page. If someone wants to hire you, how do they contact you? If someone wants to purchase an image, a short bio or information about the artist can be helpful.

These are just my opinions and I hope they might help you. Congrats again on making the leap and putting your images into a website. I hope it goes well for you!

 

[themumu]

My overall impression is that you're trying too hard with the processing. Aside from the all out of whack colours on the HDR (which I suppose are a matter of taste), the images look kind of soft. It seems like a processing or compression side effect, not sure.

 

[Miltz]

A photo without substance is one that has nothing going for it. These three are the least interesting of your set:

Image

Image

Image

Less is more by the way, as far as photography portfolios go. Limit your galleries to your REALLY good shots and sessions.

This is a bad shot because it's dead in the center:

Image

This is MUCH better:

Image

And yeah, lay off the HDR a bit. Clouds and water are gorgeous without it. Boosting your colors isn't bad itself otherwise.

This is excellent feedback thank you. I personally like the HDR look, but I see what you mean by substance. I appreciate it.

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My overall impression is that you're trying too hard with the processing. Aside from the all out of whack colours on the HDR (which I suppose are a matter of taste), the images look kind of soft. It seems like a processing or compression side effect, not sure.

Soft as in lack contrast or sharpness?

----------

You have a lot of nice images, so congrats on that! I particularly like some of your landscape shots. I don't know if you're using a template for your website or not. If you are able to customize it, I would suggest the following:

a) Try putting the My Photography link up at the top. In fact, I'd rename it Portfolio as well. (edit: more thoughts on this down below.)

b) When I view your portfolio, the thumbnails are huge. I wouldn't even call them thumbnails. When I clicked on one, it barely increases in size.

c) Like Doylem said, scrolling down to see each image can be slow. In addition, scrolling, for me, tends to hide portions of each image as I scroll down. I typically use the page up/down button on my keyboard and it can be tiresome to consistently scroll up/down incrementally just to see the entire image of one photo and have the same dilemma for each additional photo. I do like, however, that your page is dynamic, but that still doesn't alleviate the issue for me.

d) What is the purpose of your website? Currently, it appears the purpose is to sell your images. If so, I believe you need to rethink your design. • Your images shouldn't be contained within a Portfolio or My Photography buttons. • Instead, you might break down your images into categories to make it easier to shop. • And I would limit the amount of print sizes/options for purchase. I stopped counting how many variations were offered after 75 and it appears there were at least 150 more options after that. While it's good to provide options, that will typically only confuse a buyer. • If you really, really want to provide options, consider upselling a couple of options at checkout, otherwise offer only a few sizes and pick one finish you think will best represent your image (matte, glossy, etc.)

e) If your intent is to showcase your portfolio, I would still categorize your images and remove the buy buttons. You can always add another link to purchase a select group of images but I would only choose 'your best.' And then see item (d) above.

f) It might be good to have an About Me page and a Contact page. If someone wants to hire you, how do they contact you? If someone wants to purchase an image, a short bio or information about the artist can be helpful.

These are just my opinions and I hope they might help you. Congrats again on making the leap and putting your images into a website. I hope it goes well for you!

This is really great. Thank you for taking the time out to respond. You have lots of great ideas and input.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Soft as in sharpness. Shots like these need to have more depth, they are getting into painting-like territory:

Should be possible by just tweaking your settings.

 

[Miltz]

Soft as in sharpness. Shots like these need to have more depth, they are getting into painting-like territory:

Image

Image

Should be possible by just tweaking your settings.

Yes, these two images were shot around F3.5 which isn't ideal, but I needed to use a lower f stop to get the shot since it was very dark and using a higher F stop would result in a higher ISO. Good Job in spotting it.

 

[phrehdd]

I found your work to be pleasing but some of the other comments that were constructive criticisms or suggestions were spot on.

My POV -

1) HDR is great to use but to get the maximum benefit you need to experiment a bit more and also consider learning how to do more localized adjustments otherwise the images begin to look artificial

2) Don't be afraid to do exercises in cropping various ways to see what gives your image the most impact or appeal. Images tell stories or often simply evoke various feelings.

3) Have a great subject, consider shooting from various vantage points and consider what lens to use. A wide angle and a telephoto can shoot the same subject but give very different perspectives which can impact your final image.

Overall, I appreciate your offerings and I do* know it is easier to critique than it often is to create. With that being said, please do consider my few peanuts of though tossed into the comment gallery.

(Just curious, what camera/lens combo were you using on these images?)

-----------
Fuji X-E1, Fuji X-E2, 35/1,4 18-55 55-200
Nikon FM2 105 macro
Fuji 645w, Minolta Flash meter

 

[Apple fanboy]

I like a lot of your stuff, but like others have said I think there was a bit too much HDR for my taste. I'd like to see some of those shots dialled back a bit.

 

[Miltz]

I found your work to be pleasing but some of the other comments that were constructive criticisms or suggestions were spot on.

My POV -

1) HDR is great to use but to get the maximum benefit you need to experiment a bit more and also consider learning how to do more localized adjustments otherwise the images begin to look artificial

2) Don't be afraid to do exercises in cropping various ways to see what gives your image the most impact or appeal. Images tell stories or often simply evoke various feelings.

3) Have a great subject, consider shooting from various vantage points and consider what lens to use. A wide angle and a telephoto can shoot the same subject but give very different perspectives which can impact your final image.

Overall, I appreciate your offerings and I do* know it is easier to critique than it often is to create. With that being said, please do consider my few peanuts of though tossed into the comment gallery.

(Just curious, what camera/lens combo were you using on these images?)

-----------
Fuji X-E1, Fuji X-E2, 35/1,4 18-55 55-200
Nikon FM2 105 macro
Fuji 645w, Minolta Flash meter

Various cameras and lens were used. Canon 40D, Canon XSI, Canon 6D, Canon EOS M, Sony NEX-5n, Iphone 5. Lens Canon 17-55 f2.8, Sigma 35mm 1.4, Canon 22mm F/2, Canon 18-55mm IS II, Sony Zeiss 35mm F2.8 etc

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I like a lot of your stuff, but like others have said I think there was a bit too much HDR for my taste. I'd like to see some of those shots dialled back a bit.

HDR seems to be love it or hate it. I really enjoy it. I've experimented with both ways and I personally prefer the HDR. (Years ago I said I would never do HDR, so things always change)

 

[Apple fanboy]

I don't mind some HDR (cloudy sky's etc), but some of your shots were just a bit ott for my taste. The pictures themselves looked good, just the PP which was not to my taste. But then it is horses for courses. We don't all like the same look. If we did it would be a boring old world.

 

[Phrasikleia]

I had a difficult time finding and viewing the photos on your website. No matter what I clicked on, I got a photo of a wooden bench on a hill. Then I finally clicked on something that gave me a huge long page of photos that was taking forever to load, so I closed the browser window. Life is just too short for that kind of thing!

It's great that you're reaching out for C&C. A lot of people never do that or quit when they think that they've had enough, and then they stagnate over time, becoming prisoners of their own little mental box without even realizing it. You'll get more in-depth and constructive criticism if you post a single photo at a time, however. Trying to review an entire portfolio is difficult, and the responses you receive will be be gross generalizations.

 

[Miltz]

I had a difficult time finding and viewing the photos on your website. No matter what I clicked on, I got a photo of a wooden bench on a hill. Then I finally clicked on something that gave me a huge long page of photos that was taking forever to load, so I closed the browser window. Life is just too short for that kind of thing!

It's great that you're reaching out for C&C. A lot of people never do that or quit when they think that they've had enough, and then they stagnate over time, becoming prisoners of their own little mental box without even realizing it. You'll get more in-depth and constructive criticism if you post a single photo at a time, however. Trying to review an entire portfolio is difficult, and the responses you receive will be be gross generalizations.

I'm sorry my site took forever to load. I guess I have to realize not everyone has a high end PC with really fast broadband like me. I also tested the load speed on my ipad air and it took 3 seconds for all the images to load. I don't think that's a long time. Perhaps it's slower on a older device. I prefer all the images to load at once rather than tiny thumbnails which then you have to click on one by one. I find that very irritating.

I really loved a lot of the images on your website. What kind of camera do you use? I'm going to guess it's a Nikon based on the dynamic range in your photos. I use a Canon 6D now which I love. (I don't like nikon controls or the menu systems, lol )You mentioned you don't use HDR, but you combine multiple exposures instead. What's the difference?

 

[Meister]

You already received some good feedback in this thread.
I think you have some very nice HDR photos there. I myself like hdr even though you overdo it sometimes there.
Still hdr is a great way to make landscape pop and look interesting
Since you asked for critique: i really miss some more interesting subjects.
It gets repetitive.
You should also overthink the website design. I wished there wouldve been thumbnails to enlarge.