Which pictures do you like?

[Calift]

Hello,

I am interested in entering a local photography competition at the fair at the end of summer. I am an amateur photographer and like playing around with the camera, but have never taken formal classes (or really know what I’m doing sometimes ).

I love great photography that is genuine and interesting. Problem is, I’m not sure any of my shots are! Could you please tell me if you think any of the following are worth entering in one of the many fair categories?

Please be honest and please critique! Tell me which you love, hate, or how it could be improved.

Thanks!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

 

[NeverhadaPC]

#1: the tongue kills it for me... otherwise that is a great picture.
#6: uninteresting subject. The haze/fog makes the image look out of focus
---
Rest are really nice!!!

 

[mackmgg]

What are the rules of the contest? I know at my local fair they let you enter one per category. It's always worth entering photos. Even if you don't win, you may get some critique from other people there.

Is that your dog? If so, try taking another one and seeing if you can get the tongue sharper. If you can, that would be the best in my opinion. The sunset could be good, but I don't really like tilted horizons.

 

[Waybo]

Hello,

#1
Not sure about the tongue.

#2
Good, but might have been better if you were slightly higher, shooting down at it?

#3 & #4: No major Wows, no complaints.

#5
I don't care for the angled horizon.

#6
I like it, but the horizon needs a little straightening.

#7
Something's off, not sure what.

Good luck!

 

[marsmissions]

I kind of like the one of the foliage with the water droplets, and the one of the insect is nice.

The dog shot violates a few rules of portraiture.. One of them being it isn't focused on the eyes. Focusing on the eyes, even on a dog, is important.

#3 just isn't super interesting. It's a bit dark.

#5 has a crooked horizon line. The horizon on a landscape shot should almost always be horizontal... it isn't more interesting because it's askew, it's just awkward.

#6 could stand to be edited a bit, the sky is very overexposed, it would be pretty easy to bring the exposure of the sky down a bit if you shot in a RAW format.

#7 isn't bad but I don't think it could win a competition.


So to recap, focus on your composition, be wary of where you're focusing, and pick numbers 2 or 4.

 

[Calift]

Thanks for the comments. There are not a lot of rules, but you are right about the one per category. I would love to enter all 21 categories but I need to narrow down photos and see if any are worth it.

Yup- that's my dog. And because you asked I have A LOT more photos of her... haha some are more clear, but are they too boring? When I see pet pictures I see my affectionate, smart, darling Phoebe, but do other people just see a dog?

Are any of these sunsets better? I agree the tilt is kind of distracting!

 

[Calift]

I just read the other comments now .... after posting that reply. Thanks again for those critiques, they are just what I needed to hear!

 

[Tomorrow]

#1 - I like the framing and the depth of field, but the blurry tongue is bad. Really bad, unfortunately.

#2 - Not my favorite. I think I would have preferred color for this one, and too much of the subject is out of focus. A slightly flatter field might have helped.

#3 - Didn't impress me at first, but grew on me quickly. B&W makes this one, IMO.

#4 - My favorite of the bunch...

#5 - ...with this one a close second. Good use of color here.

#6 - Boring picture if you look at it superficially, but VERY moody. If you're trying to evoke a certain feeling, this one does it better than any of the others.

#7 - This one's somewhat interesting, but others in the bunch are more so.

I'm not sure what the theme or judging criteria are for this contest, but I think #4 and #5 are great shots.

 

[Koffie]

#1
Liked this picture, but do not find it amazing, because of reasons already mentioned
#2
Very interesting, I have rarely seen a shot like this, and the B/W makes it feel more alien in a good way imo
#3
I think it might have lost some of its charm in the B/W
#4
Is a very nice picture, but I have the feeling I have seen this before therefore not unique enough
#5
Looks good, but the sky is a bit too bright I think, and the angle in the Horizon makes it look weird. I would even say the angle of the horizon had to be the other way around to balance the lines, but maybe if I would see it angled the other way around I would have to agree it needs to be level.
#6
I really like this picture, but besides the sloped horizon, I am really put off by this picture being shot in portrait. There is too much bright sky in this picture for this dark and moody forest. Looking at your pictures, I noticed that exactly the landscapes are shot in portrait.
#7
Interesting to have spotted this smooth texture, but as a photograph I do not find it very interesting.

Regarding the other pictures:
I really like the dog with the Watermelon
The sunsets are ok, but I miss the feeling in these sunsets that was present in the sunset with the sloped horizon.

 

[joemod]

I very much like the watermelon dog picture. If I was there I would have run straight to the dog to hug her. I also like #2 and #3 in that order.