My NYIP instructor is Philip Mauro, and he will be reviewing all of the pictures that I submit for my projects. Overall he liked the 3 images I sent in, but he pointed out several things with each one that would improve the overall impact of the image. I'm not sure how I missed some of these things, since they seemed so obvious once he mentioned them, but I think I was focusing more on the creative side of things at the time, and less on the technical; something which is probably common with most photographers who have decided to turn their hobby into a business. I still have a LOT to learn, so his suggestion were, and will continue to be, very helpful in my development.
At any rate, without boring you with more inane blather, here are the 3 images I submitted for the Unit 1 photo projects.
Photo #1 - Stopped Motion
Project Criteria - Freeze motion with a fast shutter speed, imply a sense of motion with a slow shutter speed, or capture a sharp object in motion using panning. I chose to use a fast shutter speed and freeze the motion.
Photo #2 - Shallow depth of field.
Project Criteria - Use a large aperture to blur the background of the image, and make the subject stand out.
Photo #3 - Extreme depth of field
Project Criteria - Use a small aperture to imply distance and a greater depth of field within your image.
The main thing my instructor commented on was my tight use of cropping. He suggested that I crop the images a bit further out, and that I zoom out more when capturing my images digitally, in order to include more of the scene. Then I can adjust the crop when I bring the images into my editing program.
In the first picture the crop is definitely rather tight, and it was necessary to cut out some extraneous elements that I didn't want to appear in the image. But with a little more thought I could have framed the image a bit better, and achieved a more pleasing composition. He did like the overall look of the image though, and the elements that were contained within, and commented that I captured the pouring liquid at "just the right moment."
The second picture could have actually benefited from a slightly tighter crop, as the black line down the right side of the image (the dividing line between the window panes,) is rather distracting. I'm not sure how I missed this, since it seems to obvious, but then again I'm still an amateur, and I'm learning. Also, he commented on the fact that her hair was too dark, fading almost to solid black, and that I should have found a way to light her hair while I was shooting the image, or edit that area of the picture within my editing program, to lighten it up, and bring some detail back into her hair. I definitely agree, and that is just one of the many things I'll work on as I progress through the course.
In the final picture, he once again suggested that I shouldn't have cropped the image as tightly as I did. It almost seems like I'm cutting something off the top of one of the masts, and he mentioned that he might have cropped further out on the right side of the image, to show more of the dock (my leading line,) coming in from the bottom and right side of the picture. Again, an excellent point, and something to think about in the future.
Overall, he said I was "three for three" with the images, and he looks forward to my next submissions. He also mentioned that I don't have to merely submitted the minimum number of required images for each project, and suggested that I submit additional images for review, as this would give me more practice with the techniques presented in each lesson. I have taken all his comments and suggestions to heart, and I look forward to applying some of them to the next series of pictures I submit for my Unit 2 photo projects. I will post those pictures, along with any pertinent comments from my instructor that I think are insightful, as soon as I receive my next critique.
In the meantime I will post information about what I'm currently working on, and what I've learned during my progress though the New York Institute of Photography's Complete Course In Professional Photography. So stay tuned!
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