Criticisms?

[Jeff Boerio]

I'm interested in thoughts of the following images. I know what I like and don't like about them, and am curious if my likes/dislikes match what some of the pros have to say.

1. http://www.rockinbdigital.com/gallery/data/media/20/CRW_6282_900.jpg

2. http://www.rockinbdigital.com/gallery/data/media/20/CRW_6449_900.jpg

3. http://www.rockinbdigital.com/gallery/data/media/20/CRW_6465_900.jpg

Thanks.

- Jeff

[Keith Schoeler]

A couple quick thoughts...

#1 First reaction is that it needs to be tighter for this type of detail shot. I think the angle may work if you had the reach, but not as it is.

#2 Composition is a bit boring... Photo is too flat.

#3 Only thing that strikes me on this is that it is lacking punch. Otherwise a clean pan.

[Jeff Boerio]

A couple quick thoughts...

#1 First reaction is that it needs to be tighter for this type of detail shot. I think the angle may work if you had the reach, but not as it is.

Yeah, 200mm isn't enough sometimes.

#2 Composition is a bit boring... Photo is too flat.

What might I do to make such a shot more interesting? What I found interesting about this image was the flame out the exhaust. Getting bright colors at dusk is a little more difficult. Shutter speed was 1/350 at f5.6.

#3 Only thing that strikes me on this is that it is lacking punch. Otherwise a clean pan.

I see what you mean. I just spent a few minutes in Photoshop with Selective Color and pulling out more yellow. It seems to make a pretty nice difference.

Thanks forthe feedback Keith.

- Jeff

[Mark Delbrueck]

On the first shot, I'd crop slightly tighter, or darken the front (or lower left) of the image. That bright patch of grass takes a good bit away from the image.

[Michael Chu]

1) I think the angle is a bit much. I find myself needing to tilt my head to see the image. And getting closer helps too. Good capture though :)

2) To be honest, the photo looks a little boring. I know how exciting it is to see flames shoot out the exhaust, but for all I know, the car could've been just sitting there with those flamethrower kits turned on, you know what I mean? With some curve/level adjustments and maybe some color balance and layer masks, I think you could get some more color out of there

3) Nice clean pan but I also agree that the photo lacks punch. Try playing around with it some more like levels, curves, color balance, all sorts of stuff to try and get that yellow to pop out. It just needs more contrast, it looks a little too flat right now

[John Thawley]

Jeff:

First, you need to work at getting the focal point off center...

In #1, the angle is unnecessary. Even if you were tighter, the angle is in the car's curb hopping.... a level image would accentuate the hop. Also, one or two photo holes over would have cleared out some of those scraggy photogs hanging in the apex of turn 1. :) It's tough to get clean backgrounds here, though.

Example: http://community.automotivephoto.net/photopost/data/519/medium/IMG_10635.jpg

In #2 Car would have had more impact in the lower left... brining it closer to the viewer... you were a little late. Color is off... not sure if that's post processing or exposure.

Example: http://community.automotivephoto.net/photopost/data/505/IMG_7810.jpg

#3. Here again, the angled perspective is gratuitious. You have nice linear lines in the grandstand background that would give more illusion of speed to the image. So, the angle now detracts. The angle composition is typically used to add a slashing attack feel to an image. You want to be careful not to over use it or allow it to become a crutch.

Esample: http://gallery.johnthawley.com/albums/albuq05/acy.jpg

Nice efforts though.

[Jeff Boerio]

Jeff:

First, you need to work at getting the focal point off center...

You don't know how many images I threw away this weekend because of this very thing. :) This was my first time shooting since seeing all the comments here about getting the cars lower in the frame. It's so comfortable, with the 10D, to have the subject lined up with all the AF points. And despite telling myself each time I was shooting, I would routinely wind up with cars square in the frame. :rolleyes:

More practice is obviously the key.

I also used the Custom Function to change where the AF point was, although for almost all my pictures (away from Turn 1) were almost always at the infinity point.

In #1, the angle is unnecessary. Even if you were tighter, the angle is in the car's curb hopping.... a level image would accentuate the hop. Also, one or two photo holes over would have cleared out some of those scraggy photogs hanging in the apex of turn 1. :) It's tough to get clean backgrounds here, though.

Example: http://community.automotivephoto.net/photopost/data/519/medium/IMG_10635.jpg

Yeah, I see what you mean. Thanks.

In #2 Car would have had more impact in the lower left... brining it closer to the viewer... you were a little late. Color is off... not sure if that's post processing or exposure.

Example: http://community.automotivephoto.net/photopost/data/505/IMG_7810.jpg

No post-processing here, so maybe there's something I can fix with exposure settings or curves.

#3. Here again, the angled perspective is gratuitious. You have nice linear lines in the grandstand background that would give more illusion of speed to the image. So, the angle now detracts. The angle composition is typically used to add a slashing attack feel to an image. You want to be careful not to over use it or allow it to become a crutch.

Esample: http://gallery.johnthawley.com/albums/albuq05/acy.jpg

I appreciate this feedback, and this is one of the things that *I* didn't like about the image. I do have others that are level.

Nice efforts though.

Thanks for the feedback.

- Jeff

[Joel Parker]

as for #2 and colors, shooting with the sunset behind you would have gotten you better color, and pretty headlights :). My shots from later that night ended up with some nice colors on the front of the cars, though still not as much as I would like.

[John Thawley]

Jeff:

I don't recall the pattern to the focal points on the 10D. However, you can select them individually. You should be shooting (primarily) in TV mode and using a single focal point. If you can set the focal point to the bottom center, you will start to automatically lift your lens.... put the little red light on the door or the front grill.

The full array of sensors averages the scene.... not good. You'll end up with a lot of soft images using the full array.

JT

[Joel Parker]

I believe the 10D has a 7 point cross-type AF pattern

[Jeff Boerio]

Jeff:

I don't recall the pattern to the focal points on the 10D. However, you can select them individually. You should be shooting (primarily) in TV mode and using a single focal point. If you can set the focal point to the bottom center, you will start to automatically lift your lens.... put the little red light on the door or the front grill.

The full array of sensors averages the scene.... not good. You'll end up with a lot of soft images using the full array.

JT

10D has 7 focus points. 5 across the center, 1 on top (center) and 1 on bottom (center). I was mostly using the bottom center focus point, and in TV mode, with shutter speeds ranging from 1/60 to 1/250, sometimes extending to 1/350 and 1/500 (when I was trying to catch wheel hop types of things).

I was using Evaluative metering.

It takes lots of practice to break the learned habit of centering everything.

- Jeff