Appraisal 1 - Comments

[jimgreid]

Personally a wee bit disappointed at the comments from Mark but thought he was very fair on the beginners. What are your thoughts about last night. Particularly interested to hear from the new members.

[chrisb]

I found Mark's comments helpful and useful. Not just about my own images either, and it made me realise there's a lot to learn still !

He was right on the button with his comments about the two ducks which was one of my images, I did have an image with more separation between the birds, only it was not sharp enough so I had to submit the poorer composition in favour of the better clarity.

I tried shouting at the ducks to do another swimpast but they didn't seem too interested to be honest. 

Chris

[Deb]

No appraiser has ever pleased all the people all the time! Especially at MCCC.

Whether you agreed with the some of the comments some of the time or none of the comments at all, Appraisal 1's appraiser did cover loads of basic points that you may hear again and again - here are a few things that he mentioned ...

• images should be pin sharp where they are meant to be sharp
• correct exposure - no blown highlights; detail in the shadows
• depth of field should be correct for the image
• rule of thirds composition is a good rule, but it can be broken, sometimes
• obvious subject is essential
• no distractions/clutter, especially in the corners where the eye is drawn to it
• not too much sky/foreground unless really interesting
• straight horizon
• no cut-off appendages, which generally means arms/legs,but also wheels
• great idea + great composition = good mark even if it is not pin sharp
• lettering on kayaks should be avoided, but great on motorcycles when it shows that the image is pin sharp
• cars/vehicles should show motion (e.g., blur in wheels)
• show the driver's eyes, if possible
• sunsets need strong subject in silhouette
• festival/fringe people-shots should show subject engaging with photographer and/or other people
• eyes should always have a highlight in them to shows life in the subject (often done in PS)
• landscapes need to convey a mood or an atmosphere
• photographers should add something to the image otherwise it is a 'record shot'
• skies need to have interest, such as dramatic clouds
• clone out intrusive weeds in windmill shots, even if you really like them
• eye contact with a model adds to the interest of a picture
• shoot low, shoot high because a plain subject taken at an interesting angle can result in a great shot
• crop appropriately - tight to close in on subject and avoid clutter - give space to a subject that needs to move in to it
• don't enlarge your image too much because this can cause jagged edges and pixilation

Roll on Appraisal 2 with different hints, tips, and opinions!

[Fred]

Hi Well I thought that Mark was fair overall and gave good remarks over all, as Deb has pointed out, and after all it was "Marks" own option on what he saw in the image on display.

Fred

[Margaret]

Debs' comments are really helpful - I did put a picture in that was too busy - and paid the price!!  I thought it was nice at the time.......all judges will have their own preference - don't like horses hooves that go a certain way...so I think that what Debs has given us is a good guideline to follow.  Thanks Deb