This is the gallery for critiques from images submitted from HLP Online Creative Advanced photography course. The artist's names are purposefully left off. Keep in mind that these are critiques not criticisms. They are meant to make suggestions on changes to improve the image or move it in a different direction.
~ SPRING 2021 ~
Not In Kansas Anymore: beautiful perspective. It does a masterful job at highlighting the lines, shapes and shadows. Beautiful textures too.
Movement of Nature: LOVE!!!!
Just a Trim: Beautiful capture of the intricacies of nature. The textures and exposure compliment each other so well. I love the dark background to help enrich the colors.
Morning Light: This is a beautiful study of Lowkey imagery. The richness of the colors blooms from the dark. Also the lines are lovely and intriguing. There is some implied lines as well as visible with the viewer being force up the the two leaves that are orange, focused and creating a triangle.
Pink Dogwood no. 1 and no. 2: Both of these are lovely. I think No. 1 has a more organic flow. You start in the upper left with an easy wave taking you through the image. I found myself lost in the lines, forgetting what I was truly looking at. (that's a good thing). No. 2 is
a little chopped. It feels like two different images put together. I love the lower petal and I love the top section, but together there are so many lines.
KATHY
Hummingbird Crack: I love the negative space, the color and the line down the right side getting progressively longer and thinner as you move down the image. The bokeh is just ridiculously amazing.
Ready: This feels so sweet. I would try a slightly narrower aperture so there is a consistent crisp focus across the entire fern. I love the curls and the placement in the frame.
Just a Drop: First bravo for "creating" natural drops. If you wanted to push the abstract idea, you could go even tighter on the area in crisp focus, with the complex lines of the flower the droplets would be powerful to hold the viewer.
BW drop: YES, that's what I meant, now push your contrast to be less midtone and you are there!
Cacti: beautiful starburst. I love that you are exercising between wide and narrower apertures. I would spot out the branch in the sky on the right side but other than that bravo.
Up the River: Wow, such great perspective. I would maybe play with the dark and light juxtaposition going on and darken the blacks on the left and increase the clarity a bit to make the textures of the rocks really pop out.
A Bloom By Any Other Name: This looks great. the Monotone nature of the scene is really welcoming and that's funny considering the subject. The line of the cactus arm is really well placed.
Lost: I think this one needs a little something. I think just pushing the clarity on the entire image, and putting a little bit of extra exposure on the center tree will help to add the depth that is present and highlight the vastness. Also, I recommend that if you are going to have sunspots to really highlight them to show that it was on purpose.
Evening Wander: I am obsessed with this image. Everything about it works SO WELL! the line of the road with the people at the end with just enough light on them to give them importance and the placement of the sun with the starburst effect. It's a calm wander at a beautiful time of day.
Prickers No. 1 and No. 2: I love both of these. I enjoy the first one, but am so effected by the second one. the complexity of the thorns and the black and white just adds to the anxiety but not so much that you look away.
Busy bee this week! I'm going to show all but critique my favorite and least favorites.
Sunrise: This really is interesting. the flow from the center to ward the bottom is so subtle and the colors are just yummy.
All in Pink: I love the line of the curl and the colors captured. It pulls you up at a lovely slow pace.
Lines of Green: I like the lines and color very much. I don't need the dirt. It stops the flow for me. Try just a spot to remove and see what you think.
THe CLAW: This is so creepy, I LOVE IT! I would take the placement a little more in either direction, It's a little centered for me. I do love the negative space, it gives a little breathing room to a complicated subject.
I want to love this but feel that the perspective could be a little more intriguing, maybe a look "down" the stem or up the stem.
Crown: I love the shapes captured here. I would love for the dof to be a little bit deeper to get more of the entire flower in crisp focus. Super cool shapes and lines.
For Love of Imogene: This is perfection! I love the contrast and the details. Beautiful interpretation of a master.
With a Twist: Lovely composition. make sure your lens is clean. I'm not sure if the spots are on the flower or on the lens. Either way it's really lovely. well done!
The Scream: This makes me giggle for some reason. It's a perfect capture and example of the time for a fast shutter speed. I love the textures.
So Close: Great example of ghosting. I love her almost touching the fork! The texture of the cake gives a great juxtaposition to the ghost. The triangular composition is perfectly placed.
I'm COMING: Wonderful example of panning. Spot on focus! This creates an interesting story. Having such a grey sky with the white cars and the one red building makes it feel like a spot of color and a pop of energy.
Contemplation: The lighting of the window creates a beautiful light. THe balance of the blouse and the curtains, textures of the bracelet and earrings creates a nice balance. Your expression is complex and the fact that it's a self-portrait makes it even more remarkable.
Bump in the Night: I love the darkness. The placement of her eyes could be better. Possibly mover her to the right it will give an air of watching a spooky movie or something like that. There needs to be a little bit more story told here.
the edge: The placement of the tulip needs adjusted a bit. A little more or less will pull the focus and guide the viewer to where you would want them to go. I love the light. Make it about the light. Remember to highlight what the purpose of the story is.
The Rim: I like the start here. I love the details in the tulip just want it to be a little more apparent. Try bumping up your contrast a bit.
Trilogy: I want to keep these three together. They all work really well. Remember if you have the subject looking in an obvious direction it's a good idea to give them a little extra room to develop the thought of "what" they are looking at. WIth exception of the last one. It's the Finn Album cover! I love it
I love the eye contact of this one. It can use just a tiny bit more exposure on the face and it will be incredible.
In Between: This is discussing the image above and below. The image above is much more successful in lighting and composition. It has moved her off center making it more intriguing and creating a lovely line from her hairline along her jaw and then to her chin and lips moving up the rouge strand of hair. The triangle created there keeps a lovely balance while at the same time keeping the focus moving around her face. The little bit of extra exposure helps in that area too. It's peaceful and content instead of sad.
The image below feels trapped in the middle and with the lighting conveys a sadness.
Don't mess with me: That an interesting image. Great take on lowkey. You could push the dark a little more by underexposing it. I love the line from the eye down to the nose. Super intense.
Lowkey in Color vs Black and white: (above and below) Both images are lovely. They both have such texture and stillness about them. Perfect exposure. The composition of the color is a little too centered for me. I'd love him shifted to the right so his eye is in the cross-roads spot of rules of thirds and place his line of sight directly at the upper left corner enhancing the stillness almost like holding your breath.
The Black and white has more of a story. The eye contact and the lighting lends itself to his texture and attention. THe placement of the left eye pulls you in and makes you just want to love on him. I also love the slight lighting on the eye on the right. It makes the lighting feel more intentional. Beautiful examples of lowkey photography.
A Cold Night: Both the image above and below are lovely for very different reasons. I prefer the composition of the above black and white. I like how the snow is more visible and looks bigger. It's like the cover of a spy novel. The noise in the color image is so dramatic that it looks intentional. It can be avoided by not trying to expose the darkness too much. But it is a good example of noise isn't bad or good it's just noise. It can be a tool for you. They are both very intriguing.
Holiding on: the beautiful movement of the water makes the crispness of the snow stand out even more. It's a great example of lowkey utilizing image characteristics to create the darkness.
Bare: This highkey image has a great composition that really highlights the juxtaposition of the sharp tree against the soft snow.
Cold Shoulder: This image was taken a little bit TOO far. The highlights feel blownout. I think a little less exposure would also help to crisp up the bench. I do love the starkness just think it could still be achieved with a little less exposure and would help to give it some depth.
The Journey: This is lovely. The lines are so exact to pull you slowly up and the organic curve of the right side of the leaf is almost a relief as it slides you back to the beginning. The visibility of the veins and the coloring are also spot on. Nice job.
Super fun: I love the idea of this image but for the concept of highkey it's not quite there. I think if you positioned with the sun a little more to the side or almost behind and then exposed for the buddha you could have gotten what you were going for. Love the idea and definitely worth another shot
Still Here: This is a great idea. I love exploring still lifes. A couple of notes on the elements. Try to have a common thread to them. The eggs with the cup could be morning. The eggs, bowl and apple are round but the height of the mug pulls a rectangle in. So I think there is one element to many in the composition. For exposure don't be afraid to let the exposure highlight some of your image. Lowkey doesn't mean underexposed. I would expose for the mug and if the white eggs are too over exposed, then switch them out for brown or reduce them to three and place the white one in the back.
On the Verge: I really like this one. I would give a tiny more exposure to her face to pull her out of the shadows so to speak. She just needs a little bit more light.
Just right: See how the coloring of her skin is just a little bit brighter? That gives the separation from the background. The softness is still there she is just more important than the darknesss here. Really nice work!
Dark and Light: I'm going to do a double critique on these two images. With both highkey and lowkey images you want to limit the midtones and even more with a black and white image. You need to introduce either a darker black or a brighter white to create the separation of the spectrum. The composition on these are great. The focus on his eyes and facial features is a great step with this portrait series. Nice job!
~ FALL 2020 ~
All together Now - This is fun. It's how portraits should be. is it perfect now, but the viewer feels the love and fun. I think putting it in black & White is a good call. It cuts down on distractions.
Still having Fun - Same critique as above but I would convert to black and white. It will make the stuff around less obvious and keep your eye from being pulled because of the reds.
Vertical vs Horizontal - remember the guidelines, if it doesn't add to your story get rid of it. Even portraits have stories beyond the person. I prefer the vertical. I like her expression and I also feel that it gives me more of a story line for some reason. Editing NOTE: pull your contrast farther apart to avoid the muddiness.
Same notes as above about exposure. I love this one. I think a little exposure will create a more defined edge on her profile. She looks so vulnerable. It's a little heart breaking for me for some reason. That is a good thing. You took me to an emotional place in a very organic way.
FOMO - This is a great story. The colors are all in the same palette so they work really well together. You could also convert to black and white and explore how that feels. but I think both will work. The placement of her in the frame is great. I love her shoes. Well done!
I like both of these images. It gives an intensity. The only thing that detracts for me is the blinds. Maybe try putting something in front of them. like a dark backdrop. Or try a different time of day and open them up. I love the outline the light is making. and the light in the first one is really soft and lovely. I would explore this a bit more. I'm going to mull it over and come up with some more suggestions.
image A
image B
Comparison of A and B: I prefer A. The movement of the bee and the angle of the flowers in A creates a seamless flow. There is also an equal focus across the elements. With B, Because the wings are in focus compared to the rest of the bee. I would crop in and let it be about the wings. The movement is fighting otherwise.
the Climb - I love the curve of the bee around the end of the flower. I would maybe move it up higher in the frame via crop. This would make it feel like a huge achievement. Really nice work.
I'm going to talk about these as a group. The one above is hard for me to know what the focus is. I also don't love the bright light between her legs. but if you turn it vertical and crop up a bit I do like their expressions and it will make it about their friendship.
I would suggest the same with the cropping on this one too. so that you don't notice she doesn't have feet. DOn't be afraid to take your ISO higher so that you can increase your shutter speed to avoid motion blur. Her focus is a bit soft.
The notes on the previous image could be applied here too. I like him looking at you. I'd make it more about that than the sunset. You just need more exposure in the shadows.
Another step into exploring the theme of man vs nature. I love the lines here. There is a great deal of green that can get really midtone so I would try to either add more contract/clarity to the grass or darken the green in the tonality. I would also enhance the contrast to the sky. Puffy clouds are a great conduit to create contrast to a blue sky in a bw image.
A really good example to your theme.
High Key - The high key compositional element of this is wonderful. It makes the veins in the shadows stand out so nicely. I really appreciate the composition the most. The lines keep pulling you in and along petal by petal.
This is a great monochrome example. There are two ways to go with an image like this... 1) peaceful and calm - like you have it OR 2) add more energy by tilting so the stem comes down from the upper left corner at a steep angle. It will create more energy to make it more exciting. Two ways to go depending on your intention. I would also add a little bit of contrast to it to let the stem/dark greens offset the light green and white highlights a little more.
There is alot going on here and I'm not sure what I'm looking at. The round berries are really fighting colorwise with the orange at the bottom. I also really don't like the stringy stuff. It feels messy. The focus is great here but now hone in on what your are wanting to show and why. I would try the berries without anything else on a white or really blurred background.
I like the focus but it feels truncated. I am not sure what you are telling me. The focus is so strong I think you could show more of the scene and just focus on the flower in the foreground. Maybe a vertical composition instead of horizontal will help with this. This will help create a more minimal look. Right now your eye is pulled all over the place because of shapes and colors and trying to figure out exactly what this is.
Beautiful colors and focus. It makes me look directly at the flower in a sea of similar flowers. One idea to add a little bit of energy is to move it to a thirds position I think this would engage the viewer a little more.
The lines of the image really pulls the eye. The subject is a little bit trapped but the lines and spot of color make up for it. It is interesting and I find I keep looking at it.
Great composition. The triangles point to the dog's head and the line of sight makes us "look" towards the right. The exposure is great. You can see the mountains as well as the rock and detail of the fur. I think it would be lovely in black and white too.
Great exposure. The only thing that compositionally kind of bugs me is that her feet are completely concealed. But honestly that's my only critique. Your eye is really developing!
This screams for black and white. I'd like you to try a little something with Penny, explore having her not look at you. If the dog was looking at you and she was looking towards the left or at the dog it would be a little bit more of a story that the viewer could fill in the blanks on and create their own scenario from their history. With that said... I really love it.
This is a before and after critique... The reasons this is self-critiqued so well is she fixed what enhanced her story and nothing else. The first had too much in the frame that didn't need to be there and it's crooked, well probably not really crooked just the items in the scene are sloped. So she cropped in to what is most important, straightened the line to get rid of the feeling of falling to the left, eliminated the lights the trash in the background and the sky because none of them are necessary to tell the story. The solid green gives a beautiful backdrop, the pumpkins clue you in on where they are and when, and the kids are just perfect from head to toe. Super successful!
Beautiful action shot from the market. It tells a great story with the mask, the warehouse of vendors with very little people, the line from her face with mask, down her arm to the bag, to the jars that lead you up to the cone and out the back of the warehouse is very successful. Really nice image!
I love the exposure on this one, the only thing that bugs me a bit is the focus. The center needs to be in focus for this one. everything around it is but the dead center isn't. Don't be afraid to let your aperture take your DOF wider to get the main subject in crisp focus. Other than that I really like it. The monochromatic feel really works well here.
I like the use of depth of field to focus towards the center and give the depth to the pile. I would adjust your WB a touch cooler. The grapes are warm on their own and the lighting there was really yellow so it just feels a little over warm.
I'm intrigued by the lines of the roots and the creaminess of the leeks. I want you to take your question of why you are taking the photograph and what is the best way to highlight that. The point of it is getting a little lost with no clear focus and a lot of lines that aren't really leading you in a particular direction for any particular reason.
Same notes on coloring as the previous grapes. I like the idea here it just needs a little bit of love. maybe try a bracketed approach of your widest aperture, next stop smaller and then one more smaller. See if you can notice the difference in the crispness of the focus. I think you will like it.
Great exaggeration of the eyes! No easy task with a moving subject. Cats can notoriously be difficult for this type of shot. Try exposing it just a touch more so the whites brighten up some. I believe that will bring out the catchlights of her eyes and pull you even farther towards them. I feel like I'm in a staring contest!!
You Won't Recognize the House - Very intriguing storytelling. I think you could guide the viewer into what you are focused on either via DOF or increase the clarity on the main focus and the foreground. It will keep the eye from wandering into the background (which has it's own story) Another possibility could be to pull the house and tree a little towards the left edge and lose a tiny bit of foreground. remember that items closer to the edge creates more energy and in this case unease.
Reflections - I like this one. I'm a big fan of reflection images. Bumping up the contrast will give it a little umph. the tons with the grey sky makes it a little flat.
A Girl and Her Dog - I love the movement of this one. The hair going in the same direction as the line of sight is really strong. Taking it black and white just intensifies that compositional elements.
Blue Ridge: This type of image pulls at the memories and heartstrings of so many people around the world. It will always be a hit... but, this one could use a little assistance. A polarizing filter would have helped to cut down on the haze of the atmosphere. Underexposing it a bit more will make the clouds more pronounced and the colors more saturated in a really rich way. The ratio os land to sky is great. It gives more importance to the land (aka mountains) than the sky. Suggestion: would also be interesting in a really contrasty black and white.
Tomatoes: I like this but honestly don't LOVE it. For this type of shot that has a pile of something, really anything. You need to either have everything in focus. The best way to do this is to shoot straight down with a little bit of a forgiving aperture like f6. Or you need to have a focus that pulls you to ONE or a group of tomatoes that tells your story. For me I would have focused in on the finger print of the one towards the left side. The last note is that the white balance could go a tiny bit cooler. It's turning the color towards an orange instead of a read and feels too warm. Good celebration of summer though.
Has Anyone Seen my Trashcan?: I love this one. Something about it makes it funny to me. the black and white works and the perspective of them coming towards you works as well. It's intriguing and begs you to come up with the perfect caption for it. Nice work!
what am i?: This suffers a bit like the tomatoes. It needs more focus, probably must a millimeter farther back would have given a crisp focus to some area. That's really all it needs. The lack of context makes it a mystery of what exactly this is...the beauty of macro (and the curse) Just be careful with focus. I like the colors and the depth developed with the focus.
All Tomatoes: I like the idea of this shot but there is alot going on. The colors are fighting the pull of where to look. the yellow sign, with the green table with the red rope is kind of fighting each other. So, the idea of the sign all tomatoes but there aren't any tomatoes is great but you cant really tell that there aren't any tomatoes. Think through the whole story and how to incorporate that with your composition.
The Market: I really like this one to tell the big picture story. I would have liked to have a little pull back to show that these are the ONLY vendors here right now. but I like the story.
Bad Apple: This looks so good. It is a tricky spot to shoot with a super bright background and a very shaded table, but it was important to show the Bad Apple sign. Don't be afraid to decide what your story is about and then ONLY focus on that.
Beginning and End: I love the idea of this series. Just a few notes: I would level out the sign. It sags slightly to the right. I love the eye contact with lucy. Lots of symbolism here with Penny looking backwards and smiling with lucy locking eye contact with confidence and strength. Try making a second image that comes in closer to the girls, losing the school part of the sign. See how you feel about that.
Young Feminist: this is great. One posing note is to maybe have her left hand in her back pocket to break up the line of the body. I also really like the glimpse of the basketball hoop. Great exposure.
Sisters: Great image. I'm a sucker for a walking away shot. This is a great candidate for black and white.
Penny: Beautiful color theory example. It feels like she is growing beyond the frame. Great work, very genuine feeling.
Twirl: Love the movement and the colors. I'd like for you to explore your framing and take a step back for a little bit and see how you frame without filling it. this is a great candidate to have their full skirts visible. You could also see how it looks in a really contrasty black and white. I think it might be interesting.
Full twirl: LOVE LOVE LOVE! I love the wave of movement. This could be a candidate to pull back a tiny bit and see more arm. That may be just a matter of moving your perspective towards the left a bit. You'd also lose the car then too. Remember that if something in the frame isn't a part of the story you are trying to tell then try to get rid of it.
Up a Tree: I love the story being told here. It's the perfect juxtaposition between land and water all wrapped up in a mystery. I'm not sure what is around it but I feel like there could be a little bit more room left off the bow of the boat. Even though it isn't "moving" there is a perceived energy movement, but it may be that it introduces too much depending on what is in the environment.
Lone tree: the convergence of the lines all head toward the tree. It works really well. the telephone lines, mowing line and the tree line all force your viewer towards the lone tree. It is a tiny bit dark in the blacks for me. You're losing a bit of detail in the leaves because of it. but great work other than that.
Bypass: This one is so similar to the previous subject but such a different story. It has nothing todo with the tree and everything to do with the phone lines and pole. Depending on your intentions this may or may not be successful. The downward slant of the lines rushes you through the frame so quickly that you have no time to even notice anything else. But it's enough to make me think about that as the story and juxtaposition of man vs nature, frenzied pace vs slow walk. Interesting
pink lemonade: This is lovely. The colors are spot on. The composition is good but I'm missing a little bit of complexity. It's almost TOO perfect of a flower with nothing else to catapult it. Lovely Image
Knowing Smile: The lighting is great. You've got the rule of thirds down pat on this one. I particularly like the slightly crooked part and necklace, it lends to the story of growing up, doing things on your own. I would also try cropping in vertically and converting to black and white. It's going to really bring out her freckles and really the background isn't part of the story so try making it as much about her as possible compositionally.
The Joy of Penny: LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. The movement is infectious. You get the feeling of getting to experience that joy or wearing mom's wrap that you haven't been allowed to touch for years. I like the slight blur of the movement to show the action. I also like your composition of taking part of the movement outside of the frame.
This one is less successful. Generally you don't want to crop off parts at joints, so showing her feet would have helped. I also think changing perspective could have incorporated the line of the tree she's holding onto as part of the story. Lastly, having her playing, not acknowledging the camera would lend itself to the story of freedom by ourselves and exploring the world on our own.
Lucky Justice: Bravo! The idea and execution are spot on. The inclusion of the details of the scene in just enough exposure sort of speaks to their roles in society. Having the guy in the foreground looking away from them reinforces it even more. I would love to see a collection of this day's shooting. See what story unfolds and if it holds up to someone who didn't know what it was all about. Really outstanding work and love that you ventured out.
Forget Me Not: I love the composition. It lends to intricate layering that I feel develops more story into a simple subject and focusing on the middle ground highlights the tiny details of the buds and the furriness of them. It's a little over exposed causing a loss of details in the flower petals.
Red: I love the focus and depth of field on this one. Focusing on the ribs of the flower highlights the lines of it and almost feels prehistoric. The color composition is spot on letting the red dominate over a green backdrop. Very nice work.
Bloom: I love the story of the bloom. I think giving a little less exposure would develop even more of the delicate detail of the flower.
Great lines: The Triangle flower pulls first attention but then the line of the leaves on the left side, up the petals, to the stem pull you up to the top flower and the buds waiting the bloom. It's full of detail and shapes and story. The vertical composition is great as well. i don't think it would have been as effective horizontally.
Lone Oak (above): I like the progression of the trees on the left up to the big oak on the right. I think if you crop to get rid of the little bit of larger tree on left side frame the progression will be more pronounced.
Lone Oak in BW (below): Ok full disclaimer, I love black and white. Prefer it 99% of the time above color. I really like it in BW. I like how it makes the clouds have a larger role in the story. COMPARISON:I also prefer the vertical orientation. It helps to isolate the big tree more, make it feel bigger and the inclusion of the grass on both sides of the road feels more complete and thougthful.
One Room bw (above): Taking the image of the building to the edge of the frame gives a feeling of intimacy for me. It also makes the tree feel like it's looming and has seen the history in the building unfold. It's a little eerie but in an intriguing way.
One Room (below):The composition of the color image is so different from the color. The horizontal composition feels like you can breath. Less looming. Also, having the entirity of the building and the large tree contained in the frame feels safer and seeing the mowing lines feels like it's kept and that people are around.
COMPARE: I really like them both for the reasons shown above. Both show the merits of choices in composition and equipment.
Tennis ANYONE?ANYONE? : I'm going to critique these together. I think the biggest problem with these is equipment/shutter speed. There is movement from either the subject or the camera causing a soft focus. Taking them to black and white is a good instinct, it's more forgiving for soft focus. Think about what your subject is... tennis? or the tennis players? The first would need more movement of what tennis is, think either big picture of court included or more detail of tennis racquets, balls, etc. Or the people playing tennis. I like the idea of both I think it needs to be flushed out a little more. Think it through and go at it again. Use your fastest lens (getting your widest aperture) so you can get a shutter speed that will freeze movement a little bit better.
1) Sea of Leaves: The coloring is beautiful, great exposure. It feels little complicated with movement in a ton of different directions but most in the vertical direction with the horizontal composition feels a little truncated. I find with these types of images, there needs to be a focus. A trunk, leave, sunburst, something to anchor the image.
2) I See You: This is lovely. I really love the repetition of pattern between the leaf and her sparkly top. The lines really lend themselves to reading the image for longer. A second image to think about is to either crop her vertically, or pull in closer to give her a larger real estate in the image. Beat your viewer over the head with why you took this image. Really nice work!
3) Peek A Boo: She gets a little lost in this one. I think changing your perspective to being a little bit lower, maybe eye level, will have the connection into her eyes and make the composition stronger. I think this is a great candidate for black and white as well. I think it would lend a separation between her and the tree, and her and the background.
4) Shaker Dr: Go vertical here OR crop in alot more to lose the tree on the right. The bird draws your eye because of the color but is still so small and not as focused as the sign so it's getting a bit lost.
5) lucy with glasses: The exposure it great. I love the subtle light. Compositional placement is good. You could possibly move her slightly to the right so that her left eye is on the thirds cross, that will keep her slightly off center. I love the capture of her pursed lips, seems perfect for a teenager.