Frozen Album
photo critique – TRS system
Hello Christian,
Yesterday I submitted 3 pictures as you requested however, I’d like to submit 3 more pix, this is just in keeping with my ice storm theme. Something that we just had recently in Toronto. You can just delete my take of the Toronto at Night and My fall Pix.
Here’s two more that I feel like sharing from my Frozen Album.
I feel that there is something unique in everything. Ordinary things tend to be ordinary but sometimes given the right conditions, sometimes they shine. Just like with the picnic table in the Dog Park, it’s colours popped and looked interesting when the ice storm came. Same with the wagon wheel. Actually it is an old old wagon, maybe more than 50 years old wagon displayed at the Distillery. It was amazing. I have other pix of it. I found it quite interesting,especially when it some of it’s parts were wrapped in ice. Here I used a flash as the day was so dreary and the ice storm was just a day after. So tried to experiment on my flash and it worked.
anyway, looking forward for your thoughts.
Jane Mendita
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Jane
thank you for your submission. I enjoy seeing your images . Let’s have a look and let me know what you think. As a general rule for the future, people need to do their own critique as well, so please comment below and your own ratings using
Tudor Rating SystemI would include all your images into Landscape photography category and compare with what I would believe the best and the worst landscape images might be. You are free to do your own interpretation, or even encourage other photographers to express their say here.
Frozen leaf
Content 7 out of 10. I believe the image is original, I do not see many of this type, definitely I can see your interest and preferences. A leaf detail would be boring, but a frozen leaf is better.
Composition 7 out of 10 . I am perceiving the intention to move the leaf to one side, and the intention to tilt the image slightly to create a subtle lack of balance. I am not sure this is intentional but in my opinion it works pretty well here. I can see the intention of the rule of thirds and even if it is not used perfectly, I definitely see the sensible size of the subject in the image very well proportioned
Image quality 8 out of 10. I see the depth of field, clear image, good quality picture. I would have wanted to have this taken a little bit further and get a bit more vibrance to it, or on the other way, decrease the saturation subtly to make a statement
Overall image – 7+ which makes it a good photograph
Frozen Table
Content 6 out of 10
I rated this as 6, as I believe the above image is better, despite the same intent showing frozen nature.They are not the same. One is a dead leaf, one is an object. I believe the leaf works better in this context
Composition 6 out of 10
I am not able to spot the intention in terms of composition. If this is about the icicles, they are to small in teh image. If this is a about the icicles and the table, there is no clear composition
there is a rhythm, some diagonal, but there is no clear delimitation what we are talking about
Image quality 8 out of 10
Image good quality, nice contrast,sharpness and depth of field. I like the vibrant colours. I see you control your camera well.
TRS rating 6.6 rounded to 6.5 is I believe the Frozen Leaf is better
Frozen wheel
Content 7 out of 10
I enjoy your interpretation, but the wheel and being frozen have no obvious meaning, unlike the frozen leaf that says winter, time, life/death or whatever, and brings feeling the me as a viewer
Composition 5 out of 10
I cannot see the composition here. Not really symmetry, not really rule of thirds. This could have been better with some intention
image quality 5 out of 10
The camera flash directly towards to subject is not the best choice in my opinion. Despite the other qualities in the image, I can see you master your equipment well.
TRS mark 6-, still a decent result
Jane
thank you for your submission, your ratings are good in my opinion and you are doing good photography overall. I see consistency, intention and good skills. If you disagree with any of my comments, let me know. Also if you could comment below with your own rating, trying to ignore mine, it might help to understand you as a photographer
thank you
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![Frozen Album photo critique – TRS system Hello Christian, Yesterday I submitted 3 pictures as you requested however, I’d like to submit 3 more pix, this is just in keeping […]](https://academy-of-photography.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/frozen-leaf_reduced-size-465x190.jpg "frozen album – photo critique")
Frozen Leaf
Content 6 out of 10
Generally I like to see things of nature right there waiting to be photographed they are some what forgotten at times. I like the fact that you have captured the frozen water drops over the leaf.
Composition 6 out of 10
I can see the rule of thirds here in your image maybe a slightly bigger aperture lets say f/5.6 may have been require just enough to bring into focus the branch a little more, Generally the size of the image in proportion is well received.
Image Quality 7 out of 10
I would of liked to see a little more depth of field but overall quality is very good the image is a little dark, which could be improved with post processing if available to you, or maybe a one stop exposure compensation to brighten the little slightly.
Overall 7+ which again make this a good entry photograph
Frozen Table
Content 6 out of 10
I am giving this image a 6 I like the colours as they pop right out and are pleasing to the eye.
The frozen ice capture is well in keeping with modern day photographs
Composition 6 out of 10
Composition can be difficult to place on some subject at times, the understanding of taking images of ice can sometimes through the composition out the window at times generally the look is good however I would personally move around the subject before pressing the shutter if not to just explore what other possible angles are available.
Image quality 7.5 out of 10
I like the quality its eye catching and sharp the bokeh (background blur) is also very nice my favourite image so far nicely done.
Overall TRS 7 I prefer this to the leaf
Frozen Wheel
Content 6 out of 10
I can see the overall subject to be achieved however it needs to be relayed in a way that would be pleasing to the eye.
Composition 5 out of 10
I can see clearly what you wanted to show in this image but sadly the image is cut from the top, if you either started the image from the mid-point of the wheel hub and then showed much more of the wheel spokes then your composition would have been great, also using direct flash is to harsh here, try stopping down the flash strength as the harsh flash will blow out detail and create shadows where you want detail.
Overall TRS of 6 The idea was there that’s the main thing.
Jane
Thank you for submitting your work, overall I feel you have the eye of a good photographer I can see that you can find detail in subjects all around you. I feel that with continued practise you will hone in those skills and progress very soon to the next level.
Many Thanks
Hello Christian,
Thank you so much Christian for your feedback. I do agree with your ratings. Especially with the wheel, as I have a better picture of a portion of the wheel where only a part of it is shown, which makes it more balanced. It is always good to have someone see what you don’t see, especially that I am still learning. I really appreciate your feedback because it will definitely help me focus and improve my skills in photography. Learning from you and from other photographers is definitely a great opportunity. Thanks for the encouragement as well. I will keep practising and continue learning from your website.
Jane
Hello Simon,
Thanks so much for your feedback. Great opportunity for me to be more adept at taking pix. I feel the same way with the wheel. I do have another picture of the wheel with just the spokes or a portion of it showing. I think it makes a better statement as you said. This is just an amazing opportunity to learn and grow. Still lots to learn, your feedback is well taken.
Jane
Your Very Welcome Jane, Photography is an amazing passion, I understand that you are still learning keep taking your camera everywhere you go, there are thousands of opportunities everyday to capture images all around us.
It takes time to hone in each of our skills, there is never any rush select what you really enjoy photographing & go for it 🙂
look forward to some more of your images in the future.
Simon
http://www.simoneverettphotographykent.co.uk
Image Title : Frozen Leaf
Author : Jane Mendita
Comments : Robert Chircop
Content: 8/10
It would be impossible to find such an image, occurring naturally, in low latitudes and sub-tropical weather conditions as we have here in Malta. It reminds us of freezing sub-zero temperatures! The icicles here make the image interesting. I like the contrast between the warm colour of the leaf and the frozen water.
Composition 6/10
I’m not so convinced about the tilted presentation of the image. I would have preferred to see the icicles fall straight down, as I would normally expect. I feel that the twig on the left competes with the main subject – the frozen leaf (or leaves) and is therefore a distraction. This applies also the bottom left red triangular shape that finds its way in the image. I think that the eye must be totally focused on the frozen leaf. In my opinion this could be improved, compositionally speaking.
Image quality 7/10
I like the blurred background although the black and green vertical lines somewhat divert the viewer’s attention. I would have preferred more uniform bokeh. Despite this, there is a wide tonal range with consideration for preventing blown-out highlights.
Final mark = 7/10. This is a good image.
Regards.
Robert Chircop.
Image Title : Frozen Table
Author : Jane Mendita
Comments : Robert Chircop
Content: 4/10
Icy cold bench top. It says that it’s cold, freezing in fact, but not much more.
Composition 5/10
This image lacks drama! The pov (point of view) could have played a very important aspect in this photo. The camera has been held in a comfortable and common viewpoint – in a slightly misaligned position creating a possibly unintended tilt to the icicles. You might have moved in closer to the icicles making them the main subject. Here you have to ‘work the subject’, take many photos and see what works best. There seems to be a lack of experimentation.
Image quality 5/10
This image is not tack sharp. The out-of-focus background is not controlled albeit I like your attempt to use a shallow dof (depth of field) to create the effect.
Final mark = 5-
Image Title : Frozen Wheel
Author : Jane Mendita
Comments : Robert Chircop
Content: 6/10
This is a nice image. The interest lies in the old wheel’s design with its bolted hub and what seems to be a square nut. The icicles seem coincidental, almost an afterthought.
Composition 7/10
Placing the image off centre is pleasing as it is not a simple ‘bull’s eye’ shot. The cropped spokes emerging out of the old and icy hub really works here. I like the colours too. Well done. The spokes direct the viewer to the wheels centre. Nice touch.
Image quality 6/10
I would have used a higher f-stop, e.g. f/9 so as to achieve a greater DOF (depth of field) and the wheel’s hub in sharper focus. The pop up flash worked as the camera was hand held. The burst of light given out by the flash did create some out specular highlights, although these are not too unsightly.
The quality of this image could be significantly improved by setting up the camera on a tripod and shoot at a higher f-stop using your camera’s lowest ISO setting, probably ISO 100. This setup will exclude the use of flash resulting in a sharper, more textured and detailed image. A cable release or a shutter delay setting of about 2 seconds may also be employed so as to eliminate any camera shake induced by the slapping mirror.
Final mark = 6/10
Hello Robert,
Thanks for you’re comments. Always good to see different points of view. It helps a lot, as one of my goals to is really take sharp photos that are not just photos, something I can be proud of and say “I took that”. Something that will leave an impression to me and my audience.
Just a little note though, regarding the Frozen leaf, I did not tilt the camera as it was taken as is. This was taken during the ice storm -with freezing rain. So the icicles were just as they are. It was amazing that everything was encased in ice. I do have other pictures of frozen objects, perhaps I can share it with you later. It is beautiful but on the other hand quite dangerous to be out at that time. If you don’t mind, kindly visit my facebook page. I have two albums in it with some images of the ice storm in Toronto. You can check out – “Photobytes and the Rhythm of Life” (my Facebook Page).
Anyway, I do appreciate your feedback as they are very helpful. The tips you gave are useful, especially on camera settings, composition etc. also this goes to Simon and Christian as well. Varying perspectives help.
Thanks again,
Jane
Jane,
Thank you for your feedback. You have some very, very beautiful images on your Facebook page. Among many other, I particularly like the close-up of the red leaf and the one showing the wooden bridge covered with fallen leaves. ‘Nature’s way of Sculpting ICE’ is very interesting too. Excellent work Jane.
I also really admire your poetry and writing skills. Soul touching and evocative.
Regards,
Robert