Your photos (169) |
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 Hints and tips by Philip Grosset If you'd like to submit photos for criticism, click here. |
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with comments from Philip Grosset "Hello I sent in two photos earlier and found your comments very helpful. I am sending you a photo from a recent trip I took with Habitat for Humanity to Kenya. It is a portrait of a recently circumcised boy -indicated by the mud on his face. The mud has two functions; one it "disguises" him from his mother who feeling sympathetic may forget he is a man and want to hug or comfort him-he cannot be touched for a month and also since he cannot bathe for a month the mud acts as a cleansing agent. The second photo is of a leopard we came across on safari. I would appreciate any comments and advice you have. Also I am interested in starting to enter some contests as a method of learning more about the craft of photography.....I could not find any advice on your site specific to this issue....is there an area I missed? If there isn't I'd love any thoughts you have on that area. Thanks so much for putting together such a fun and informative site." (Denise Faccini, from BC) |
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| This is a fine dramatic photo, but it's usually better to leave more space in front of your subject's eyes than behind them, so that there is plenty of space for him to look into. In a side view like this, this often means keeping the eyes central. | |||||||||||||||||
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| Your photo on the left was well take, but ideally it would have been even more effective if we could also have seen the leopard's eyes. Then it might have been worth coming in even closer, as on the right. I realise you probably couldn't have done this, but a contest winning photo really has to be something quite out of the ordinary. Read the rules carefully and study previous prizewinning photos. If possible, start off with a competition run by a specialist publication (a woman's magazine, a travel magazine, a local paper?) in an area in which you have particular expertise. If you're interested in selling pictures, have a look at the Photos that Sell book recommended at the foot of my More Books page. The sort of photos that sell could very well be the sort that win contests! "I sent you a photo recently and appreciated your comments. Please see attached a couple that I took on my recent holiday. Whilst fairly happy, I have decided to upgrade to a SLR camera to try and improve. The first is of Bryce Canyon in Utah, the second is Monument Valley. The guide pointed out the tree to use in the picture, apparently a popular picture. Would appreciate your feedback again. Thanks" (Simon Pickard) |
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| Your photo on the left isn't really sharp and the colorless sky makes it all look just a little drab. On the right, I've tried moving in closer and adding a touch of blue to the sky. It still isn't too sharp, though. I don't know what camera you were using, but either a SLR or a digital might make quite a difference. I myself would seriously consider a digital as it's so much easier to carry around, and such a help being able to see an immediate playback. For more about this, please see my Going Digital page. |
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| The most effective place for the main subject is seldom right in the middle of the picture, as in your photo on the left here. I prefer the composition on the right. It was a good idea to use the tree for framing, but I'm afraid there's still that problem about a lack of real sharpness. | |||||||||||||||||
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