Hello Charles,
My apologies for the delay in posting this critque. I’m currently traveling and photographing the Southwest of the United States in my RV. Right now I’m up in the mountains and there is no internet or cell phone reception at all.
No onto the assignment.
The first thing I should mention is that whilst I highly encourage experimentation I would advise you not to use tricks or gimmicks in your assignments, unless that’s what the assingment calls for. This just helps you lock down the fundamentals which is essential for getting nice images. You don’t want to rely on tricks to get good photographs, you want to be able to do it with standard methods and then choose when it’s appropirate to use these kinds of techniques like HDR or overlapping symetry.
What’s more I wouldn’t just pick and choose ild images from your library because you won’t learn as much. I would go out and shoot images specifically for each assignemnt. It looks like the HDR image was taken in 2013.
All of that said both of these images are outstanding. They are both quite dynamic and interesting.
Here is some of the EXIF data for these images:
HDR2.jpg
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Date Time Digitized: Jun 29, 2013, 10:44:54 PM
Date Time Original: Jun 29, 2013, 10:44:54 PM
Exif Version: 2.3
Exposure Bias Value: 0
Exposure Mode: Manual exposure
Exposure Program: Manual
Flash: Off, did not fire
Focal Plane Resolution Unit: 4
Focal Plane X Resolution: 160
Focal Plane Y Resolution: 160
Photographic Sensitivity (ISO): 100
Lens Model: EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Lens Serial Number: 0000c1838a
Lens Specification: 70, 200, 0, 0
Max Aperture Value: 2.971
Metering Mode: Pattern
RecommendedExposureIndex: 100
Scene Capture Type: Standard
SensitivityType: Recommended exposure index (REI)
Sub-second Time Digitized: 26
Sub-second Time Original: 26
White Balance: Auto white balance
Firmware: 1.0.7
Flash Compensation: 0
Image Number: 0
Lens ID: 251
Lens Info: 70, 200, 0, 0
Lens Model: EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Lens Serial Number: 0000c1838a
Serial Number: 025021001058
All of this EXIF for the HDR image doesn’t really apply given HDR is a combination of images… It’s most likely the data for the first image in the sequence.
One thing is clear, the colors are fantastic and kind of crazy. I would bring down the vibrance here but to each his own.
From a compositional standpoint I’m not too happy with the framing in that there is lots of extra stuff around the edges of the frame that adds nothing. In other words, get closer! Look at the assignment, it requires that you remove all distracting elements! So try to do that, exclude anything that doesn’t add value! You could have exluded large portions of the egde of the frame and the image would be much better/simpler.
For your next image:
government-building1.jpg
Aperture Value: 6
Color Space: sRGB
Components Configuration: 1, 2, 3, 0
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Date Time Digitized: Jan 7, 2013, 5:42:16 PM
Date Time Original: Jan 7, 2013, 5:42:16 PM
Exif Version: 2.2
Exposure Bias Value: 0
Exposure Mode: Manual exposure
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure Time: 1/160
Flash: Off, did not fire
FlashPix Version: 1.0
FNumber: 8
Focal Length: 24
Focal Plane Resolution Unit: inches
Focal Plane X Resolution: 3,942.505
Focal Plane Y Resolution: 3,950.617
ISO Speed Ratings: 100
Metering Mode: Pattern
Pixel X Dimension: 5,000
Pixel Y Dimension: 2,511
Scene Capture Type: Standard
Shutter Speed Value: 7.375
Sub-second Time: 64
Sub-second Time Digitized: 64
Sub-second Time Original: 64
White Balance: Auto white balance
As I mentioned previously I love that you’re experimenting and this is an outstanding image. The problem is this tells me nothing about your compositional skills, It does show me that you can use photoshop! If you’re going to do this, make it perfect this is not centered on a horizontal plane but I’m nitpicking. What’s more your depth of field is losing some focus near the tops of the buildings.
All of that said you have shown that you can choose a simplififed image from your image library! This is not the assignment, the assignment is to go and shoot an image. These images we’re taken in 2013 according to the EXIF data…
Whatever the case both of the images are compelling, I just don’t want you to short change yourself by going through the course by cherrypicking old images that appear to suit each assignment. You will get much more fromt he assignment if you shoot for the assignment.
Thanks and see on you on the next assignment.