Lesson 1

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  • #18329
    Kirk
    Participant

    Ok, here is assignment 1. The hardest part was finding something I wanted to take a picture of. I settled on this cheap buddah head.

    Let me know what you think!

    Kirk Wyckoff

    #20177
    Duncan Rawlinson
    Keymaster

    Hey Kyrk!!! Welcome to the student forum! You’re now part of our community. So welcome. Leave your shoes at the door, and grab a drink 😉 Make yourself at home.

    Here’s a little spiel about getting on the forum here.

    Did you confirm that you are on the email list by clicking on that link in the email you received?

    Also, are you on twitter? If so follow: http://twitter.com/photographyicon There will be updates posted there.

    If you could add your twitter username in a response here that would be great. (so I can add you to the twitter list) If not no worries!

    Also you can edit your forum signature and add your pic here.

    You’ve taken steps to become a better photographer already. You’re on your way!

    Not only have you enrolled in the course but you’ve taken action by submitting your first photos!

    As they say here in Australia “good on ya mate”

    Now, the critique.

    Your first submission is a dandy. You’ve done well although you kinda ‘cheated’ a little. Not in a bad way or anything. You just picked an object that may seem mundane to you but it’s not really that mundane… Either way I’m not trying to teach you how to find boring things. I’m trying to teach you to work on how you see the world…

    I like what you’ve done here.

    You’ve done a few things that are very promising. You chose an interesting composition, you shot in shallow depth of field, and you got very close.

    All of these are great tools in the photographers toolkit and you will learn how to refine those as you get through the course.

    In this case your focus and depth of field control could be a little better. In this case it’s focusing on the ear which I would suggest isn’t as important as the eyes but you may disagree…

    The most important thing you can take away from this lesson is how much better your photos get by doing one simple thing. Getting close. If you can work on anything to improve your photos dramatically it’s get closer. Move your feet and always try to get closer. Don’t zoom.

    You’ve done that here and you can see how much more dynamic your images will become.

    I’m pleased with your first assignment and I’ll see you on the next assignment.

    Don’t forget to check out the general chat area of this student forum where you can share photos, ask questions, and participate in the monthly photo contest.

    #20178
    Kirk
    Participant

    Thanks for the feedback. One question I have and I always struggle with this… composition. I hate centered photos unless they fill out the whole frame. Basically, if they are truly the whole subject and nothing else matters. In my photo, do you feel that having nothing on the right side hurt the picture? My goal, and this is going to sound weird, was to balance the image with the green color contrasting the dark brown. Does that make sense? Did it work? I agree I should have focused on the eyes by the way! I was trying to show the texture of the statue and I thought the ears had better grooves. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!

    Kirk

    #20179
    Duncan Rawlinson
    Keymaster

    Hi Kirk,

    Nice to see a face on your avatar. If you have a website or something you can also add it.

    You are already thinking well ahead! Every question you just asked is spot on!

    Having nothing but negative space in your image is great!

    Balancing your image with color is a fantastic idea as well.

    What’s interesting is those very questions are addressed in upcoming lessons!!! So yes your instincts are good and you will explore these ideas more fully in upcoming lessons.

    I look forward to working with you.

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