Red Leaf

[Mark1616]

I have decided that I will not get any better unless I ask for advice from those of you who really know what you are doing, so here is one to start.

I have in the last week moved from a Minolta Dimage 7 to a KM 5D.

Let me know what you think and what could be done to make it better. (Probably less dof would help.... too late now.... lol).

Thanks,

Mark.

[Hards80]

welcome mark...

there is much to learn from posting your photos and getting critiques, don't forget to self-critique!.. there is also a lot to learn from viewing others photos, critiqing them yourself and viewing the comments from others.. so i encourage you to spend some time browsing the pictures!!

anyways... on to your pic... the red looks nice against the green.. very pleasing color combination..

but the composition lets you down here... you have it dead-center in the frame.. it is also curled up, so we can't see the form of the leaf very welll.. try shooting from an angle that shows the shape and form of the leaf.. and then place it more offcenter in the shot..

so the rule of thirds is a good starting point..
http://photoinf.com/General/Geoff_La...mposition.html
second paragraph.. put your mouse over the boat picture to see a graphical representation of the rule.. basically you put your subjects on the lines that split your photo up into 1/3rds.. there are lines that go horizontal and vertical.. the best place to place your subject is at the intersections.. there is a good explanation of some other techniques in there as well..

DOF- the way you have this composed right now would look better with less DOF.. but if you shot a red leaf on the ground maybe with a backdrop of something else, you may want to keep it all sharp to emphasize the shapes... its hard to give you a concrete rule here as there really isn't one.. it will come in time..

you will need to invest in a photoediting package sometime.. photoshop elements is a good start and will do nearly anything you could want of it.. here you will need to learn to crop and resize, use unsharp mask and boost saturation, etc.. buy one of the kelby books "photoshop elements for photographers", it will give you a good start..

anyways, i think you have enough to work on for now.. so i will let you get away from your computer and go do some shooting.. there is no substitute for practice.. and thoughtful practice as well.. don't go out there just shooting away at everything.. take some time and study your subject... think about what you want to convey and how you could do so.. take a notebook and jot down your thoughts.. then when you go back and review you will know what you were thinking and be able to see just how close you were to this vision.. then do more of what worked and less of what didn't.. that simple really

good luck and remember to have fun too!!
---------
dustin

www.hardwickphotos.com

[Mark1616]

Thanks a lot Dustin.

I do have PSP7, but don't know a huge amount about using in apart from to crop and enhance colours using the 'idiots' version of the tools (don't know how to use curves etc).

Here is a pic which I took from another angle, but part of it was hidden. I have used a bit of unsharp mask which has really helped...... amazing!!!! (btw, have I used too much mask here?

Thanks

Mark.

[kenmck15]

hey mate
I think the unsharp mask looks excellent in this image

nice one