Do you all think I am a good photographer?

Question

These are my photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fiveashes/sets/72157594524262236/show/


I'm only just starting out with photography before I used to do some graphic design. I feel like my photography is a bit 'scattergun' as I've had no input from anyone else and I've bee trying different bits and bobs. So I would love some feedback to help me focus on developing myself in the right direction.

Also please tell me which one you think is the best or worst?

Wow! Thank you so much for the overwhelming amount of detailed feedback. I was ready to be completely torn to shreds! But I feel a renewed enthusiasm to go out and take more photos now. I really appreciate the advice that people have taken the time to give me and I will be putting it in to practice at the weekend. I'd love to hear any more thoughts before the question closes.

Answer 1

Your photographs show a lot of promise and I definitely think you are in the right direction. Your photographs show flexibility and do not just adhere to one style. And this is truly remarkable. I really enjoyed the black and white photo of the two dogs. It appears to be somewhat emotive. That's my bias, emotive art. I also loved the photograph of the road. You appear to capture the moment quite well. It is amazing how you have managed to breathe life into what is naturally still. The elements are merged together to provide viewers with something more than the obvious. This particular photograph did not simply recreate the landscape but engage our fading perception of reality. You accomplished this by making use of the colors of the sky and contrasting that with what appears to be the subject, the road. It forces us to think about nature of reality by also using symbolism in proportion and depth perception. Other notables include "Dogs Life Watching the World go by", "flower_tree1", and "Light Tunnel." Light Tunnel reminds of Claude Monet, French Impressionist. Like Monet, you have blurred natural colors to create a perceptual experience. Although you have requested that viewers comment on the best and the worst photographs, I could not provide any negative comments. There reason is that I liked them all, they all had there own appeal. So, I didn't find any that were utterly horrible. There are all pretty good, so keep up the good work. In terms of direction, have you thought about were you are going as a photographer - commercial or just artistic expression? Whatever you plan on pursuing will contribute greatly to developing your signature, your unique photography technique. I wish you all the best in your pursuits as a photographer.

Answer 2

I find "weathervane2" and "susex downs" strong compositions. The rest of the photos does not show any sense of emotional response nor does it focus on any interesting subjects.

First and foremost, I would like to encourage you to keep on shooting. Knowing your camera well is vital. You control the camera, not the other way round. Many people buy expensive cameras but only 1 in 100 shots taken by them are good. Without knowing basic photography skills, you cannot acquire desired results.

It would be good to understand that in photography, lighting is everything. Learn about forms of lighting(diffused lighting, single light source, backlight, high key, natural light etc) and how it interacts with the environment and how it affects your composition.

Next, understand about basic camera/light setup and colour calibrations. This is important so that captured colours are accurate or close to what your eye sees.

Learn how perspective, scale(in relation between people and the environment) gives a dynamic depth(like "susex downs").

There are a lot of things to learn in photography. I am not perfect myself and can't tell you everything. There are many types of photography(potrait, architecture, fashion spreads, still life, macro etc) with each of them requiring certain aesthetics to be enhanced, thus requiring different camera setups and composition.

To tell you the truth, most photographers' out there would not admit that some of their best works are nothing more than a fluke, captured by chance through the lens.

*I am not a professional photographer myself, I am a digital imager who works for a professional photographer.

Answer 3

A lot of your photographs are nice. The wide landscape looking down is the best. I studied photography and it was my major, but by the time I graduated I had also done a lot of studying in graphic design because of the new digital cameras coming out. So, I studied the internet and Adobe programs, as well. (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, ...) After I graduated, I looked for work in photography, but everything had changed to digital, not pure photography. I did a few catalogs and events, but it was not going as good as I had hoped. Luckily, I had also studied graphic design and now work in advertisement. Not photographing, but editing and putting ads together. This is just a small warning and I might be totally wrong, but be careful depending on photography.

Hope this helps and good luck,
mr19th

Answer 4

I appreciated your use of compostion rules. Great use of contrasting, excellent rule of thirds, fabulous hidden triangles, great depth of field. Great subject matter, I'd say yes, you are a good photographer.
{I didn't really enjoy the two picture of the dog's chewing or the dog in the car. Maybe use a different lense, wide angle maybe?}
{Also, the self portaits were a bit flat, the Lighting wasn't impressive, it's hard to do a self-photo when holding your own camera, try using a shutter relase cable and a tripod, or use a timer and try some back lighting to soften the silhouette more, by using two large mirrors you can direct the light directly behind yourself}
Again, You're work is great!

Answer 5

Yes I enjoyed your pictures. Nicely done. Great eye for composition. At least your taste matches mine very closely.

The worst in my opinion. The dog with his nose up to the camera, the avocet (bird) with over saturated black and white.

The best in my opinion. The light through the trees. (several) Field with two people walking in distance. Vine covered steps.

Just a comment aside. The most exciting was the girl! I would like to choose her setting, make up and clothing and photograph her! Woo hoo.

Answer 6

I think you are a gifted photographer, a little constructive criticism here, your outdoor photo's are beautiful along with the animals, your people shots need a little work.But all in all they are beautiful shots.You have a very talented eye through the lens.I'm going to download a couple as my desktop.Good luck.Andreym love your sky photos wow those are great.

Answer 7

I like your photos especially the ones with the sky and trees. I like to take photos of the sky too, mainly at sunset because you get some nice colors. Some pictures are not clear around the edges so I think you should use a camera with a better macro-focus option. U can see some of my sky pictrues here if u like : http://new.photos.yahoo.com/slideshow?view=album&c=andreym24&albumID=576460762390596930&phdone=http%3A%2F%2Fnew.photos.yahoo.com%2Fandreym24%2Falbum%2F576460762390596930

Answer 8

Nice photos. I like the ones of the orchids the best. I would frame those and hang them in my apartment.
Infinity Roxy-nice photos too. Where are these beautiful landscapes?

Answer 9

I think you're a good photographer for just beginning. The 6th over left on the bottom row was my favorite.

Answer 10

There is no best or worse, but you do have an eye for graphics. I also see the photoshop as good work