Photo feedback and Critique
first time with a dslr… constructive criticism appreciated hehe ty
First thing.
Try not to cut your object off.
See the top you have cut the shoe/toungue off.
The bokeh is nice! Did you do that on purpose? Or was it rookie luck? 
I would play around with the exposure a bit (you have digital so take a couple of different shots on different settings (using manual on the camera) and see the difference it makes.
The centre of the shoe is a bit under exposed to me.
It’s a static object so go for a slower shutter to get the exposure right.
The slowest shutter setting you can get away with is always best.
If you were handheld then use a tripod to remove camera shake (allowing slower shutter).
Don’t forget the rule of thirds.
The Jordan 1 Royals. Nice shoe! If you are into your sneaker photography and use instagram, check out @angelfunk, he’s a guy in melbourne that works at Kickz101, @mrfoamersimpson and @the_perfect_pair. 3 guys that generally have dope sneaker shots. (and RARE kicks to boot)
I’ve been out and done a little more shooting. Here are a few favourites. Critique welcomed.
First shot: well it’s a small rail so no one really cares, but to tidy it up, you could move to get the rail out of the bottom left corner. Also, timing to get the chairlift out from behind him. just nitpicks really. oh and the ride is centered.
2nd shot: the border on the right is odd. You’ve got the sequence layering getting weird at the end. The 2nd last one looks weird overlapped onto the 3rd last. It’s not your fault - I just don’t think this sequence works. the watermarking on the stairs is cute but does nothing. Just stick it in a corner, like on the other shots.
3rd shot: I don’t think this should be a sequence. Just a single shot of the 4th frame would work. He’s only doing a gap to back(?) lip so showing all the frames is redundant. also, if you’re doing a sequence move more to the side so there’s less overlap and frame wider so you don’t cut him in half at the end.
First shot: well it’s a small rail so no one really cares
3rd shot: I don’t think this should be a sequence. Just a single shot of the 4th frame would work. He’s only doing a gap to back(?) lip so showing all the frames is redundant.
What sort of comments are these though, really? Are you some kind of park elitist?
If I moved to the right to remove the rail on the left in the top image, I’m almost in line with the landing for the stair set. Because of the width of it and shooting with a 70-200, it would nearly be a front on view. I’m sure you’d love coming down off such a small rail that no one cares about to bowl over someone trying to take pictures only to completely screw up your line into the next feature. I always find the critique people offer when they’re not in the position to shoot it themselves interesting.
The sequence is obviously not redundant, as it’s a gap to frontside lip. But i guess you covered your bases there with the question mark.
I was aware of the cut on the last frame of the gap but not entirely worried, I wasn’t originally going to stitch either of them but just decided to give them a run. In all honesty I don’t mind a little bit of an overlap on rail seqs, but that’s just me.
Plenty of frames were removed out of both. There isn’t much you miss at 14fps. The overlap was kept as it’s the same way i’ve done all of mine so far, I find it strange having something that happens AFTER the previous shot to be behind the previous shot, but that’s just me, I guess I can take a look at my layers and see how it looks.
Thanks for the comments otherwise.
I have to agree with Marc on the middle shot with the last two frames.
I think because the rider is now moving away from the camera, the layer should be reversed for those ones. If its not too much work, try flipping those around and see how they look to you. 
First shot: well it’s a small rail so no one really cares
3rd shot: I don’t think this should be a sequence. Just a single shot of the 4th frame would work. He’s only doing a gap to back(?) lip so showing all the frames is redundant.
What sort of comments are these though, really? Are you some kind of park elitist?
If I moved to the right to remove the rail on the left in the top image, I’m almost in line with the landing for the stair set. Because of the width of it and shooting with a 70-200, it would nearly be a front on view. I’m sure you’d love coming down off such a small rail that no one cares about to bowl over someone trying to take pictures only to completely screw up your line into the next feature. I always find the critique people offer when they’re not in the position to shoot it themselves interesting.
The sequence is obviously not redundant, as it’s a gap to frontside lip. But i guess you covered your bases there with the question mark.
I was aware of the cut on the last frame of the gap but not entirely worried, I wasn’t originally going to stitch either of them but just decided to give them a run. In all honesty I don’t mind a little bit of an overlap on rail seqs, but that’s just me.
Plenty of frames were removed out of both. There isn’t much you miss at 14fps. The overlap was kept as it’s the same way i’ve done all of mine so far, I find it strange having something that happens AFTER the previous shot to be behind the previous shot, but that’s just me, I guess I can take a look at my layers and see how it looks.Thanks for the comments otherwise.
not a park elitist, but seriously, shouldn’t that shot have been an in-camera delete? I doubt the rider was stoked on it with that body position (but I’m not saying you’re a bad photographer though). Seriously, were you expecting us to say, “sick photo!”?
I always find the critique people offer when they’re not in the position to shoot it themselves interesting.
Well, I’m half the world away from you and can only look at your photo. Are you saying that we forum members must know the spot you’re at to be able to complain about a rail in the corner of the photo? Or if we knew the spot, we’d be more understanding?
Sometimes, it’s possible to move to a better angle, sometimes you’re standing on the edge of a cliff and can’t back up to make the shot. Don’t take it so personally.
In your case, if you can’t completely cut out the offending rail, why not incorporate it into your photo? Play with the lines and all that?
Why isn’t it redundant? From that fourth frame we know how he’s going to land and unless he spins out, we know what will happen. The only thing we don’t know is that it’s a lipslide. I would prefer it being labeled a lipslide than having 8 frames. I had to spend a few seconds figuring out what you were trying to show. I’d rather see the guy being all steezy in the air above a kinked rail and read the caption.
Look in mags - what do they show? Unless it’s a how-to feature, they don’t show many sequences unless it’s a huge jump or a real tech rail move.
Thanks for letting me know it’s a frontside lip. It’s one of those things that I don’t really pay attention to since I don’t shoot rails.
Anyways, you seem to have an expensive camera and you watermark your photos so I assume you’re taking shred photography seriously. The best way for you to use this critique thread is to put your BEST stuff up and see what gets said.
That will really push you to improve.
When I was starting out, there was a site called Wheelsandwax.com . It was amazing. It had loads of big name working pros and photo editors, who had no time for crap. The critiques on that site were legendary and it was actually really educational to read what was wrong with everyone’s photos. It really made you think before you pressed the shutter button on your next shoot. You’d ask yourself, “If I take this shot will it be good enough for wheelsandwax? No? Better look for a better angle. Better check the background. Better move the bags out of the way. Better reframe to get the lurkers out of the shot”
I only put up two shots that I thought were bangers…and they were ripped to shreds. It made me realize that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was and that I needed to work harder to improve.
So, believe it or not, I’m trying to help you. Here’s the challenge - put up your best shot that is so sick that I have absolutely nothing critical to say about it. Something that makes me want to say, “Get this off the web and send it to a mag!!!!”
It’s a Critique thread grahamgee.
I’m sure MarcD had no intention to offend you.
Infact I thought he found little fault in your shots, and said he was being picky in his critique.
I don’t agree with Marc’s “in-camera delete” comment. Some of the most fun I have shooting photos is of smaller objects/tricks because it’s an interesting challenge. I don’t think this thread is meant for posting only huge stylish tricks or your very best photos. That’s why it’s the critique thread.
I tend to agree with him on the gap lip photo, though. Shooting single photos of gap to grinds is super fun because getting the timing good enough to show that it’s a gap lip without the sequence can be pretty difficult. I reckon turn off sequence mode next time and see how you go with that timing. It’s all for fun anyway.
just to clarify, the in-camera delete is referring to the rider’s body position. I have nothing against small rails.
Also, imo, this thread is for posting either
a)your best shots - to get everyone’s opinion. It’s sort of a reality check as we sometimes fall in love with our own photos and lose objectivity. Not saying it has to be pro-level, just that you think it’s awesome.
b)shots that you know didn’t come out right and want to know how to make it better
it’s even better if you add a self-crit too
edit: actually, Darb put it best in the first post of this thread:
So as it states post a photo (try to keep it to one at a time for accurate and ease of critiquing) Anyone feeling like saying there thought on the photos feel free to. But the one liners of “great pic” love it!” and so on are not really helping so lets keep them to a min.
So post away share your best work and if you want to know how someone took that amazing shots ask and we will all try to help one another out.
Let me clear something up.
I didn’t take offence at all to the critique, just how the jabby comments that I’d outlined came across. To be honest, some of the critique that was handed, I’d picked up on myself, but figured I’d throw them up to see what people thought.
I’m all for criticism as long as it’s constructive. There’s a way you can go about things without the arrogance. I just didn’t think it was necessary.
We don’t all have access to professional riders, or huge features. It’s been a low season (as it stood a couple of days ago, Tahoe has had 12% of its usual snowfall at this stage). I’m sure you understand it’s tough to get the little things right (charlifts etc) in the park when it’s a busy place.
So park features etc aren’t being changed a lot with the exception of re-cutting jumps. They just don’t have the snow.
As far as taking things seriously, yes and no (it really is just a hobby at this stage, having only sold a few canvases of my landscape work). I’ve not done a huge deal of snow shooting and this is the first chance i’ve had to actually make some good fun use of the capabilities of the 1DX’s shutter. When I was shooting on a 5DII I could get 3.5fps out of it. I figured while the weather was bad, I’d sit down, crack a beer and give the stitching a go. It’s all practice, right?
That being said, here’s one from today.
Keep it constructive is all I ask. We’ve got plans to get out and do a lot more urban stuff around here in the coming weeks so I really would appreciate it.
With that lens, do you always get vignetting? Apart from that, I like it. Shoot a bunch more like that and send them to Thrive.
Don’t know if that rider is famous or anything, but if he is, then you could sell this shot imo.
If he’s not, keep that spot in a file in your head, and network to find a sponsored rider. Show him that pic, and get a similar shot with said rider.
Ways to meet sponsored dudes - get a bunch of shots, like this one, then go by a shop and ask to be introduced to the shop riders. You can then show examples of your work. Think a minimum of 7 to 10 shots.
With that lens, do you always get vignetting? Apart from that, I like it. Shoot a bunch more like that and send them to Thrive.
Don’t know if that rider is famous or anything, but if he is, then you could sell this shot imo.If he’s not, keep that spot in a file in your head, and network to find a sponsored rider. Show him that pic, and get a similar shot with said rider.
Ways to meet sponsored dudes - get a bunch of shots, like this one, then go by a shop and ask to be introduced to the shop riders. You can then show examples of your work. Think a minimum of 7 to 10 shots.
This is exactly what I’m looking for - Thanks man!
the lens is the Canon 8-15mm Fisheye. To give you an idea, this is at 13mm. At 15mm you don’t have any at all, but you lose a lot of the distortion and detail (which is what I was kind of aiming for with the bent trees and what not)
At 8mm on a full frame sensor it shoots 180 degrees, but on a 6x4 you’re probably only using 50%, the rest is black, with a full circle for the shot. Something I really think I’ve only ever done once and been happy with the result.
He’s a young gun, not yet sponsored but wants something with Thrive. Was here with a local shop rider that had taken out some high placings in local slopestyle/railjam comps, this guy was part of the crew they ride with. Thanks for the tips on the riders I’ll definitely build up to something like that. I met these guys literally from one of the crew stopping by while I was shooting the jump line at the park.
I’ve planned on doing something like this to send to PBR, the rep that looks after me has asked for a decent sized print for her office with some prominent PBR placement. It’s the least I can do in exchange for 35 cartons and a bunch of product.