Ekka Carnival

[>JJ<]

Gday, JJ here, first timer.

I have had a browse around your site and am liking what I see!, please hit me up with some critical feedback, be mean!

These are some photos from a carnival we just had here in Brisbane, Australia.

I got stopped at the gate for having "a possible weapon" (my tripod) so I had to leave it at the gate, these are all hand held.

[>JJ<]

The slingshot.........moo ha ha

[shesells]

Gday, JJ here, first timer.

I have had a browse around your site and am liking what I see!, please hit me up with some critical feedback, be mean!

.

Allright fresh meat! heh ;) These all seem to be long exposures, right?
1. I love everything about this shot. It really has the feel of the carnival to me. However, It needs a little something to make it POP. You know, rachet up the contrast or a bit of sharpening.
2. It doesn't really bother me too much that your subject is right in the middle, but the fact that it appears to be leaning does. Can you straighten it. Now if you could have gotten a shot from on top of that...ohhhh yes.
3. Kind of a nice shot, but still has leaning things. Does that thing actually lean? The shots I've seen of ferris wheels that I like is when the ferris wheel is completly in focus and everything else is moving. Maybe someone here can tell you (and me) how to do that.
4. I don't know how I feel about this one, sorry
5. The sling shot animation is cool.
6.MY FAV! This is the most interesting and in my opinion best shot of the bunch.

Others will be along to give you some technical pointers that would improve your shots next time. My overall thought is that they are a tad flat but good otherwise.
Kit

[opus]

I love the first one and it is, in my opinion, very professional looking. I feel I have seen similar in books. I really like it a lot. I have problems with the rest, mostly for being rather soft and compositionally not strong.

Can you go back to the festival and take pictures at dusk, rather than at night? Get a lovely blue/navy post-sunset sky in the background of these colors. Then take some full-on shots of the rides while paying attention to what "else" is on the edges of the frame. Position yourself so that you're not including things that aren't the subject you want us to see. For instance, every element in the first shot is part of the story. My eye travels around the picture and takes in the story without wondering why each element is there. But the second one, I wonder, "what should I look at? The ferris wheel? But there's a big pole in front of it. Should I look at the pole? But there's another pole off to the side. Should I look at that pole? Or maybe the tents below. But they're cut off. Just what exactly is this picture about?" If it's about the whole atmosphere of the carnival, then I want to see a shot with the perfect balance of tension and beauty. I think that's what the first shot provides, and beautifully, IMO.

[>JJ<]

Allright fresh meat! heh ;) These all seem to be long exposures, right?
1. I love everything about this shot. It really has the feel of the carnival to me. However, It needs a little something to make it POP. You know, rachet up the contrast or a bit of sharpening.
2. It doesn't really bother me too much that your subject is right in the middle, but the fact that it appears to be leaning does. Can you straighten it. Now if you could have gotten a shot from on top of that...ohhhh yes.
3. Kind of a nice shot, but still has leaning things. Does that thing actually lean? The shots I've seen of ferris wheels that I like is when the ferris wheel is completly in focus and everything else is moving. Maybe someone here can tell you (and me) how to do that.
4. I don't know how I feel about this one, sorry
5. The sling shot animation is cool.
6.MY FAV! This is the most interesting and in my opinion best shot of the bunch.

Others will be along to give you some technical pointers that would improve your shots next time. My overall thought is that they are a tad flat but good otherwise.
Kit

WOW!! , thanks for the helpfull feedback!!!!

Its really hard to find someone that will really critique your work properly!, thanks!!


Ok I understand and agree with most of your comments, 1. I played with the first one's contrast... I think it takes away from the 'rope' that is connecting the seats to the structure, they become more faint, but the image does seem to PoP more.

2.I straightened the 'pole', thanks for highlighting this!, i didn't really notice, it looks alot better now.

3.Here is a different shot of the same ride, it spins around so is hard to get straight.

P.S Unfortunately I only have a basic camera with Max exposure of 2seconds. So if you call that long exposure well then it is.

[>JJ<]

I love the first one and it is, in my opinion, very professional looking. I feel I have seen similar in books. I really like it a lot. I have problems with the rest, mostly for being rather soft and compositionally not strong.

Can you go back to the festival and take pictures at dusk, rather than at night? Get a lovely blue/navy post-sunset sky in the background of these colors. Then take some full-on shots of the rides while paying attention to what "else" is on the edges of the frame. Position yourself so that you're not including things that aren't the subject you want us to see. For instance, every element in the first shot is part of the story. My eye travels around the picture and takes in the story without wondering why each element is there. But the second one, I wonder, "what should I look at? The ferris wheel? But there's a big pole in front of it. Should I look at the pole? But there's another pole off to the side. Should I look at that pole? Or maybe the tents below. But they're cut off. Just what exactly is this picture about?" If it's about the whole atmosphere of the carnival, then I want to see a shot with the perfect balance of tension and beauty. I think that's what the first shot provides, and beautifully, IMO.

Thanks for the feedback kellybean!

I agree with your opening comment, I also think that the other pictures don’t have a certain oomph that the first has.

I like your idea of capturing the elements that aren’t supposed to be there in the right way, I can really appreciate this!!, thanks!. I agree with how you are reading the 'pole shot' there is to much other crap in the image.

I wish I could go back now!!, I am re-inspired now!, but the show only came for a week. Thanks anyway kellybean, I will have to get the camera ready for next year.