My Photography Course Images

[Kiwi 7]

These are some of the images that I took at Autographica 12 for the BTEC photography course that I am doing at collage. They form part of my portrait assignment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used the same B&W image of Sir Patrick Moore, but changed the background to a coloured, starry sky.

 

Edited November 20, 2008 by Kiwi 7

[nicky]

Patrick Moore ones are pretty strong character shots

[gilgalad70]

Pretty gooduns Kiwi, Loved Patrick Moores shirts.. almost outdid Gary Lockwoods, and he's from Malibu!

 

Kept quiet about sneaking Caroline out the room, eh... Did you ask her daughters permission if you could borrow Mum?

[Dragon Home]

As usual your photos are great. Love the one of Sir Patrick.

[descartes]

Your photographs all have a look of professionalism.

Your study of Patrick is full of character - absolutely first class.

Keep up the good work.

[nicky]

Caroline...Did you ask her daughters permission if you could borrow Mum?

Got any pics of the daughters?

[von Dawson's Express]

What a nice set of pictures!, Well done you, I see you getting some big numbers in your course!

Keep it up and all the best on your course

Regards and bests

von Dawson's Express

[Kiwi 7]

Thank you all for your kind remarks.

 

They are very much appreciated.

[gilgalad70]

Caroline had just the one daughter there AFAIK. Definitely got her Mum's genes, lets just say that.

 

I'd have thought you'd have been at the show, nicky, or were you too engrossed in the London Cosplay show at Docklands, with added Merlin.. I don't think I heard one positive comment about that show all Sunday..

[nicky]

Caroline had just the one daughter there AFAIK. Definitely got her Mum's genes, lets just say that.

 

I'd have thought you'd have been at the show, nicky, or were you too engrossed in the London Cosplay show at Docklands, with added Merlin.. I don't think I heard one positive comment about that show all Sunday..

I've never been to an Autographica, why did you think I'd be at this one? I do however keep an eye on the guests coming just in case I do wanna go. The next one with Ernest Borgnine could be my first but depending on other guests it'll prob just be a day-trip, no dinner. And I havent been in the UK since C14.

 

How old is Caroline's daughter? I bet she's a sexy little minx too.

[Dragon Home]

The daughter that was at Autographica is only 14 - I understand she does have an older one who is doing her "A" levels (I think) we were talking about her going to Uni on Saturday and also a son.

 

Anne

Carolines guest assistant on Sat

[keith_photo]

These are some of the images that I took at Autographica 12 for the BTEC photography course that I am doing at collage. They form part of my portrait assignment.

 

 

Ciaran - If you really want some objective and honest 'critique' of your photos, then here's mine.

 

You pictures are certainly better than snaps - in the main.

 

The one of Caroline is not good colour, she looks green. Dont think it will impress your course tutor.

 

A portrait, persay, is not just a quick shot of someone next to a bunch of flowers. Sure its nice to shoot someone within a context rather than just 'up against a wall', but the dark lady (sorry no idea who it is, wasnt at the show) is literally that, just shot next to some flowers. Underexposed too, as her skin is darker, it looks too dark, because your camera and flash have exposed for the lightness of the vase next to her.

 

Whereas Susan George, still looking good even at her age, is a nice subject, but again skin tone is not right, very greeny/blue. Now it may be different on YOUR Screen, of course, but LOOK at the image. Dony just say, "fine they look OK".

 

The poses of Susan on the balcony are a good idea, but not executed that well. I know from where you were shooting you could not remove the tubular glass and barrier, but a picture of Susan George standing next to a piece of artwork, but BEHIND something, just really is poor. A bit of thought in placement of subjects is required in all forms of photography if one wants to progess from an amateur snapper to something more.

 

The Patrick Moore pics just do not work. You've converted them to black and white, but as is often the case the lighter areas come out too light, lacking contrast and just looking washed out. They need to be strionger and darker if B&W is to be used asthe medium.

The b&w foreground and colour background can be used very effectively in some images, but in your convertion really unless you'd mentioned you'd done it, you cant really see it.

 

You have got to start with a darker more saturated image before converting it to B&W, otherwise you'll always get it looking washed out. Some quality SLRs do have a 'black and white' facility so it will shoot the image in B&W - not done it myself, but I'm sure it would work better than just removing the colour in photoshop.

 

Thats about it - hope Ive not disappointed you, but its easy to get carried away by someone who only shoots with their camera phone praising your pics, but if you are serious enough about photography to be doing a course of some sort, you should be realistic enough to take a long hard look at your own work and compare it to others. Ask why someone else's works better than yours. Ask yourself whether a pose that work well with one person did not work with someone else.

 

Dont forget - a portrait is still a portrait if it not of someone famous. Grab a friend and experiment with them. Maybe another photographer on your course - you are used to posing yourself, so maybe pick a pretty girl on your course and help each other out - bounce ideas off each other.

 

And finally, what I tell everyone who asks me how to get better - BE YOUR OWN HARSHEST CRITIC.

 

I know people who are professional photographers who are very undemanding in their work standards and I know amateurs who reject all but their very best images. I would be very disappointed if these images were meant to representative of your 'best' work, unless your standards are only fairly mediocre.

 

Just my two-pen'orth

Edited November 3, 2008 by keith_photo

[showmasters]

well i think they look good

 

jason

[Kiwi 7]

Thank you for your appreciative post, Jason.

 

It is difficult for me to reply to you, keith_photo - you are clearly looking at my images as if you are judging the efforts of a very experienced photographer. If that was the case, then very harsh criticism would possibly be justified. Also, by implying that the comments made in this thread by others, are worthless because those forum members are perceived to be nothing more than ‘camera phone snappers’, is undiplomatic to say the least.

 

Let me put it from my point of view. I have just started my BTEC Level 1 in digital photography. Six weeks ago I had never held a digital SLR (I now have a Canon 450D with 18-55 zoom for starters). I didn’t know about things like ‘depth of field’, nor could I tell an f-stop from a door stop!!

 

For my assignment that week, I had to produce eight, different portraits. I took the photos under my Dad’s guidance, and he is an LRPS. He advised me to concentrate on basics like using the correct camera settings, careful focussing, using the ‘rule of thirds’ and composing the picture in the viewfinder. Bear in mind that I had very limited time with the guests who agreed to pose for me, and I had to use whatever light was there at the time. It was difficult to find good locations in the hotel when there were lots of people milling round and ’getting in the way’.

 

Caroline Munro next to the flowers does need some adjustment in Photoshop (which is also part of my course) to give better flesh tones. The composition may be simple, but the idea was for a straightforward ‘head & shoulders’, in available light (no flash), with the subject ‘on the third’, in focus but with the background out of focus.

 

My Dad says that black people are notoriously difficult to photograph, and as I only had the camera’s flash to use in a dark space, my photo of Trina Parks is not especially good. Yes, I have lessons to learn from this, but at least I tried.

 

Susan George was more than happy to pose for me, but her time was limited, as were suitable locations where I could photograph her. For the head & shoulders image, I tried ‘fill-in flash’. It was the first time I had used this technique, but you only learn about it by doing it. I also wanted some half-length and full-length shots of Susan by the big vases, but there aren’t that many places where you can stand to take them without getting your feet wet! I also took them with the idea of cropping them creatively later, in Photoshop.

 

How wrong you are, keith_photo, about my photo of Sir Patrick Moore - it was not converted to B&W but was taken using the camera’s monochrome setting. I had to take the photo of him exactly where he was, and the room, and its lighting, was poor for photography! I am aware that contrast adjustment in Photoshop is required - my dad is an expert in traditional, darkroom B&W printing and he says that, with the ‘correct tonal adjustment’ this shot has the potential to make an excellent monochrome portrait, especially with close cropping. If you have never used the B&W facility on a digital camera, what qualifies you to give an opinion on how to use it?!

 

I replaced the background as a bit of Photoshop practice. Patrick’s spiky hair was tricky to do but I’m pleased with the result and I learnt a lot from doing it. Anyway, I’d rather see a “Sky at Night†background for him rather than “Radisson wood, curtains and door handleâ€!

 

I did take a number of other portraits of friends at Autographica, but didn’t post them as I didn’t think they would have been of interest to others on the forum.

 

I do try to look critically at what I do, and I am doing this course precisely because there is so much to learn about digital photography. As my Dad keeps telling me - you have to learn to walk before you can run!

[keith_photo]

Thank you for your appreciative post, Jason.

 

It is difficult for me to reply to you, keith_photo - you are clearly looking at my images as if you are judging the efforts of a very experienced photographer. If that was the case, then very harsh criticism would possibly be justified. Also, by implying that the comments made in this thread by others, are worthless because those forum members are perceived to be nothing more than ‘camera phone snappers’, is undiplomatic to say the least.

 

Let me put it from my point of view. I have just started my BTEC Level 1 in digital photography. Six weeks ago I had never held a digital SLR (I now have a Canon 450D with 18-55 zoom for starters). I didn’t know about things like ‘depth of field’, nor could I tell an f-stop from a door stop!!

 

For my assignment that week, I had to produce eight, different portraits. I took the photos under my Dad’s guidance, and he is an LRPS. He advised me to concentrate on basics like using the correct camera settings, careful focussing, using the ‘rule of thirds’ and composing the picture in the viewfinder. Bear in mind that I had very limited time with the guests who agreed to pose for me, and I had to use whatever light was there at the time. It was difficult to find good locations in the hotel when there were lots of people milling round and ’getting in the way’.

 

Caroline Munro next to the flowers does need some adjustment in Photoshop (which is also part of my course) to give better flesh tones. The composition may be simple, but the idea was for a straightforward ‘head & shoulders’, in available light (no flash), with the subject ‘on the third’, in focus but with the background out of focus.

 

My Dad says that black people are notoriously difficult to photograph, and as I only had the camera’s flash to use in a dark space, my photo of Trina Parks is not especially good. Yes, I have lessons to learn from this, but at least I tried.

 

Susan George was more than happy to pose for me, but her time was limited, as were suitable locations where I could photograph her. For the head & shoulders image, I tried ‘fill-in flash’. It was the first time I had used this technique, but you only learn about it by doing it. I also wanted some half-length and full-length shots of Susan by the big vases, but there aren’t that many places where you can stand to take them without getting your feet wet! I also took them with the idea of cropping them creatively later, in Photoshop.

 

How wrong you are, keith_photo, about my photo of Sir Patrick Moore - it was not converted to B&W but was taken using the camera’s monochrome setting. I had to take the photo of him exactly where he was, and the room, and its lighting, was poor for photography! I am aware that contrast adjustment in Photoshop is required - my dad is an expert in traditional, darkroom B&W printing and he says that, with the ‘correct tonal adjustment’ this shot has the potential to make an excellent monochrome portrait, especially with close cropping. If you have never used the B&W facility on a digital camera, what qualifies you to give an opinion on how to use it?!

 

I replaced the background as a bit of Photoshop practice. Patrick’s spiky hair was tricky to do but I’m pleased with the result and I learnt a lot from doing it. Anyway, I’d rather see a “Sky at Night†background for him rather than “Radisson wood, curtains and door handleâ€!

 

I did take a number of other portraits of friends at Autographica, but didn’t post them as I didn’t think they would have been of interest to others on the forum.

 

I do try to look critically at what I do, and I am doing this course precisely because there is so much to learn about digital photography. As my Dad keeps telling me - you have to learn to walk before you can run!

 

Ciaran, I'm glad you have now had time to again look at your pictures and I hope you appreciate that I spent time in looking at them and giving you my HONEST Critique.

 

Not to belittle opinions of amateur users, I'd have thought an honest opinion from a Professional would be of use to you.

 

I started out many years ago, shooting in B&W and having to process, print that medium and also learn the 'art' of slide developing etc.

 

Everyone starts somewhere, but I always feel that its an easy kop out to say "yeah they are OK" when yes they are, BUT they could be better very easily with a bit of thought etc.

 

Youve not been doing it long and with digital and Auto focus it does make it much easier to get up to speed sooner.

 

So many people these days can go into a shop but a digital SLR, couple of lenses and hey whoopee do - they are looked at as a photographer.

 

Conversely, you can give a raw amateur all the equipment in the world, the best position at an event possible, but they will still turn out rubbish. I know, both my sons have at various times used my equipment and their results have been awful.

 

But depending on what type and/or style of photography interests you, your technique and expertise needs different qualities.

 

Your dad should be able to guide you to a certain extent. Yes he has a Licentiate, but I'm always dubious about the quality of the RPS certification after being shown a variety of entries from people I know which frankly were not up to or close to a professional standard.

 

As long as you strive to improve and seriously look at other people's photos, asking why that worked, or did not work. And maybe try different types of photography. Most wedding photographers could not get much covering a soccer match and the scruffy paps waiting outside Amy Winehouse's abode 24 hours a day would not be the kind of people you'd want doing a Society Ball.

 

Friday I was doing a School Prizegiving, Saturday a launch party for a new Pub, this morning a Remembrance Day service and tomorrow Beyonce at a photocall and then Robert De Niro at a Press Conference.

 

All need different skills - often 'people' skills as much as photographic ones - and you taylor your photos to whoever is paying the bills.

 

So whether you find my advice of use or not, just enjoy what you are doing, try different things and dont be afraid to break a few rules - the rule of thirds is the most commonly broken rule in the book - especially if you are aiming for something 'arty'

Edited November 10, 2008 by keith_photo

[Count Fooku]

 

Conversely, you can give a raw amateur all the equipment in the world, the best position at an event possible, but they will still turn out rubbish. I know, both my sons have at various times used my equipment and their results have been awful.

 

 

Why am I suddenly thinking of the Competitive Dad character from the Fast Show!