New Here

[hollywoodlooker]

Hi, I am new here, and wanted to upload a picture to have critiqued. I am fairly new to photography, and this is taken with a Minolta srT101.

[Photo-John]

Welcome, Chuck! Glad to have you.

My first impression of this photo is that it's very busy. There are a lot of shapes and stuff and it's not readily apparent what the subject is. Ater looking at it for a while I think you want me to see the kids and how they're all looking at something. I can't tell what they're looking at, though. Altogether the photo ends up being not focused enough. And by focused I mean subject-wise, not unsharp.

Trying to include too much and not getting close enough are common problems for begining photographers. The immediate solution is to always tell yourself to get closer. Beginning photographers usually shoot way too wide. Next time you're taking a picture, try to really see what's in the viewfinder. This isn't something that comes naturally. People have to learn to see.

Another thing that's important is to learn to understand what it really is you're trying to photograph. This is another thing that doesn't come naturally. Often, we see something and it speaks to us and we want to take a picture. Unfortunately, what it is that makes us want to take the picture isn't always obvious or conscious. The photographer needs to learn to identify and distill what's really important in a scene and remove everything else. The first thing you can do, which I already mentioned, is get closer. After that, you can play with lenses, angles, aperture - there are all kinds of tools available. But before you can do that stuff, you need to become self-aware so that you know what's inspiring you to take a picture.

I realize I just threw a lot of stuff at you. Try to absorb it and keep shooting. I think the photo you posted, in spite of being vague, still has some emotion, and to me that's the most important thing. For now, try to identify what's really important, and get closer. That will help a lot. Keep shooting and post more. We'll be here to help.

By the way, where in Montana are you? I used to live north of Missoula and I really love Montana.

[hollywoodlooker]

Thanks for the response, I appreciate all of your advice. I live in Helena.

[swmdrayfan]

P-J's pretty much summed up whatever needs to be said. We constantly learn from each other on this board. Hope you'll be a frequent flier here.

[CLKunst]

Welcome to the PR boards! I have a question, are you using the Kodak Black and White + 400 film that can be developed like color prints? I ask because you mentioned you prefer film to digital and these seem to bear the characteristic stamp of that film type. It's muddy and rosy not really a true black and white. While it is convenient to develop at the local lab it has a lot to be desired in tonality and contrasts. Use it for practice, but when you get serious you might want to invest in some good professional black and white film like Tri-X, Fujifilm Neopan or Ilford and learn to develop it yourself.

Regards,