How could I have made these pictures better?

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Here are a few pictures of Milla Milla waterfall I took recently.
They have not been edited in any way except scaling.

These are typical of the pictures I take and the reason
I haven't bothered to create a web album yet.

What could I have done to get better pictures? Or is it
just a bad subject?

This is *the* picture everyone who goes there takes. I only
took it as an example.
http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01.jpg

I took about 4 versions of this one at different shutter speeds.
http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla04.jpg

Here are some others. There is a steady stream of people
through this area. Probably could have got it empty if I had
stayed there several hours.
http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla02.jpg
http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla03.jpg
http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla05.jpg

-Mike
 
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Kinon O'cann <Yes.it's.me.Bowser@?.?> wrote:

>> What could I have done to get better pictures? Or is it
>> just a bad subject?
>
>It's a nice subject, but I prefer the pix with people in them, since it
>provides a sense of scale to the falls. In the first shot, I have no idea
>how big the falls really are. Adding a few well-placed people helps the
>shot, in my ever-so-humble-opinion.

I'd say the same. A person actually -in- the falls might really
do the trick.
--
Ken Tough
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

> These are typical of the pictures I take and the reason
> I haven't bothered to create a web album yet.
>
> What could I have done to get better pictures? Or is it
> just a bad subject?

I shot this waterfall myself a few months ago. I don't claim my photos
are good, or better than yours, or anything, but they are a little
different:

http://www.derekfountain.org/photos/holidays/usa_2005/cairns/_cairns.html/images/img_1283.jpg.html
http://www.derekfountain.org/photos/holidays/usa_2005/cairns/_cairns.html/images/img_1287.jpg.html

I went for the longer exposure to give the cotton wool effect.

Getting people, or at least some background trees or something in the
shot gives a sense of scale, which helps with this subject. But the
overriding problem with your shots, other than incorrect exposure, is
that you seem to have concentrated on the plants in the foreground
rather than the waterfall!
 
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In article <4308821d$0$5318$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfreenews.net>,
"Mike Warren" <miwa-not-this-bit@or-this-cairnscarsound.com.au> wrote:

> Here are a few pictures of Milla Milla waterfall I took recently.
> They have not been edited in any way except scaling.
>
> These are typical of the pictures I take and the reason
> I haven't bothered to create a web album yet.
>
> What could I have done to get better pictures? Or is it
> just a bad subject?
>
> This is *the* picture everyone who goes there takes. I only
> took it as an example.
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01.jpg

I think you just answered one question. Don't take pictures where
everyone else does. When I was a kid my uncle/photographer told me
"Before to take a shot, look right below you on the ground. If you see
gum, footprints or cigarette butts then don't take the shot".

Nice framing though. The only slightly soft focus background hurts me.

>
> I took about 4 versions of this one at different shutter speeds.
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla04.jpg

My eye does not know where to go. The falls slightly clipped by the
leaves distracts me.

>
> Here are some others. There is a steady stream of people
> through this area. Probably could have got it empty if I had
> stayed there several hours.
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla02.jpg
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla03.jpg

(The fact that the woman in front of the falls is taking a picture is an
automatic turn off for me because it shows it is such an obvious shot)

> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla05.jpg

Sometimes there is nothing you can do so you stop hanging around and
explore instead. You can't always take the picture.

>
> -Mike
 
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Derek Fountain wrote:
> http://www.derekfountain.org/photos/holidays/usa_2005/cairns/_cairns.html/images/img_1283.jpg.html

Derek,

Did you use a polarizer here? I find I need one in order to get a rich
blue sky and green foliage like in your shots.

> http://www.derekfountain.org/photos/holidays/usa_2005/cairns/_cairns.html/images/img_1287.jpg.html

Including part of the waterfall's reflection in this shot is a nice
touch. I often do that myself with other subjects near a body of
water.

Mark
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Hello Mike,

Nice shots! I have a few ideas.

How much have you experimented with cropping in order to change the
framing/composition of the shots? A quick way to do this is just to
resize the browser window when displaying them on your computer. Then
when you see something you like, go for the final cut in Photoshop or
whatever editing software you use.

In photos with people, crop out the bottom so that they appear along
the bottom of the photo. To my eye, at least, I find this helps with
MillaMilla02.jpg

Ellinjaa01-Edit.jpg is my favorite of the lot. The person is in the
way, but I find that cropping it horizontally, at her shoulders, helps
a lot (and you hardly notice the blurry head that is left in the corner
if you do this). Love the similarity in pattern between the tree
branches and some of the water streams.

Leaves tend to produce glare, but using a polarizer helps give them a
richer, greener color.

HTH,

Mark
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla02.jpg

I like this one the best, but without the people would have been better.
Also, a quick crop to get the waterfall a bit away from the center of the
photo (and hence a bit closer to the rule of thirds) also seemed better to
me - but hey, that's just my opinion, and may or may not reflect upon
reality. : )

steve
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Some nice photos here - but I really dislike the convention for slow
shutter speeds when photographing waterfalls or moving water generally.
The 'cotton wool' effect is NOT how it looks in reality - the water
should look WET and TURBULENT - that's my opinion anyway.

Denis Boisclair
Cheshire, UK
 
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"Mike Warren" <miwa-not-this-bit@or-this-cairnscarsound.com.au> wrote in
message news:4308821d$0$5318$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfreenews.net...
> Here are a few pictures of Milla Milla waterfall I took recently.
> They have not been edited in any way except scaling.
>
> These are typical of the pictures I take and the reason
> I haven't bothered to create a web album yet.
>
> What could I have done to get better pictures? Or is it
> just a bad subject?

It's a nice subject, but I prefer the pix with people in them, since it
provides a sense of scale to the falls. In the first shot, I have no idea
how big the falls really are. Adding a few well-placed people helps the
shot, in my ever-so-humble-opinion.

>
> This is *the* picture everyone who goes there takes. I only
> took it as an example.
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01.jpg
>
> I took about 4 versions of this one at different shutter speeds.
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla04.jpg
>
> Here are some others. There is a steady stream of people
> through this area. Probably could have got it empty if I had
> stayed there several hours.
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla02.jpg
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla03.jpg
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla05.jpg
>
> -Mike
>
>
>
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Increasing the aperture would be nice to get a greater depth.
Your 18-70 DX lens can produce sharp images at f/8 - f/11 , use that to your
advantage.
Also for waterfall shots, I normally loves those silky water flow type ,
so for me your shots are quite excellent.
Putting human inside the frame somehow makes the picture more alive.

=bob=


"Mike Warren" <miwa-not-this-bit@or-this-cairnscarsound.com.au> wrote in
message news:4308821d$0$5318$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfreenews.net...
> Here are a few pictures of Milla Milla waterfall I took recently.
> They have not been edited in any way except scaling.
>
> These are typical of the pictures I take and the reason
> I haven't bothered to create a web album yet.
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article
<430888c7$0$17443$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au>,
"[BnH]" <b18[at]ii[dot]net> wrote:

> Increasing the aperture would be nice to get a greater depth.
> Your 18-70 DX lens can produce sharp images at f/8 - f/11 , use that to your
> advantage.
> Also for waterfall shots, I normally loves those silky water flow type ,

Boring.

> so for me your shots are quite excellent.
> Putting human inside the frame somehow makes the picture more alive.
>
> =bob=
>
>
> "Mike Warren" <miwa-not-this-bit@or-this-cairnscarsound.com.au> wrote in
> message news:4308821d$0$5318$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfreenews.net...
> > Here are a few pictures of Milla Milla waterfall I took recently.
> > They have not been edited in any way except scaling.
> >
> > These are typical of the pictures I take and the reason
> > I haven't bothered to create a web album yet.
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Mike Warren" <miwa-not-this-bit@or-this-cairnscarsound.com.au> wrote in
message news:4308821d$0$5318$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfreenews.net...
> Here are a few pictures of Milla Milla waterfall I took recently.
> They have not been edited in any way except scaling.
>
> These are typical of the pictures I take and the reason
> I haven't bothered to create a web album yet.
>
> What could I have done to get better pictures? Or is it
> just a bad subject?
>
> This is *the* picture everyone who goes there takes. I only
> took it as an example.
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01.jpg

You shot this at f5.6, wich mean you can't get any hint of DOF for this huge
difference in subject depth.
 
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"kz8rt3" <kz8rt3@mail.com> wrote in message
news:kz8rt3-C212CD.16591521082005@news2-ge0.southeast.rr.com...
> In article
> <430888c7$0$17443$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au>,
> "[BnH]" <b18[at]ii[dot]net> wrote:
>
>> Increasing the aperture would be nice to get a greater depth.
>> Your 18-70 DX lens can produce sharp images at f/8 - f/11 , use that to
>> your
>> advantage.
>> Also for waterfall shots, I normally loves those silky water flow type ,
>
> Boring.

Not as boring and useless as your comment...
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Hi Mike,

<<What could I have done to get better pictures? Or is it just a bad
subject?

This is *the* picture everyone who goes there takes. I only took it as an
example.
>>

I don't think there is anything fundamentally wrong with the composition
(I've never been so I don't know what alternatives you had <g>) but a quick
look in Elements shows slight underexposure, which can be corrected using
Levels, and you could tweak the yellows and reds whilst you are on. I had a
play with the image and can send you a copy if you want - I'm no expert so
treat it very much as a starting point.

--
Paul ============}
o o

// Live fast, die old //
PaulsPages are at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pcbradley/
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Derek Fountain wrote:

Hi Derek,

Thanks for the feedback.

> Getting people, or at least some background trees or something in the
> shot gives a sense of scale, which helps with this subject. But the
> overriding problem with your shots, other than incorrect exposure, is
> that you seem to have concentrated on the plants in the foreground
> rather than the waterfall!

Incorrect exposure? Or do you mean I should have used a slower
shutter speed.

I suppose I should have performed some basic edits before posting
them. I wasn't actually thinking of technical issues when I asked
for feedback. I just hit the auto convert button on Nikon View.

Here's another one.
http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/Ellinjaa01-Edit.jpg

I don't have a remote shutter release so had to use the self timer.
I pressed the shutter release and stepped back from the camera
to wait for the timer to fire. At that point I noticed a group of
people were waiting behind me and one woman had decided that
I had finished and walked up to the falls.

-Mike
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

kz8rt3 wrote:
>> This is *the* picture everyone who goes there takes. I only
>> took it as an example.
>> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01.jpg
>
> I think you just answered one question. Don't take pictures where
> everyone else does. When I was a kid my uncle/photographer told me
> "Before to take a shot, look right below you on the ground. If you see
> gum, footprints or cigarette butts then don't take the shot".
>
> Nice framing though. The only slightly soft focus background hurts me.

This is a quick edit of the picture.
http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01-Edit.jpg
Any better?

Thanks for your feedback.

-Mike
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <4309122e$0$5318$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfreenews.net>,
"Mike Warren" <miwa-not-this-bit@or-this-cairnscarsound.com.au> wrote:

> kz8rt3 wrote:
> >> This is *the* picture everyone who goes there takes. I only
> >> took it as an example.
> >> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01.jpg
> >
> > I think you just answered one question. Don't take pictures where
> > everyone else does. When I was a kid my uncle/photographer told me
> > "Before to take a shot, look right below you on the ground. If you see
> > gum, footprints or cigarette butts then don't take the shot".
> >
> > Nice framing though. The only slightly soft focus background hurts me.
>
> This is a quick edit of the picture.
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01-Edit.jpg
> Any better?
>
> Thanks for your feedback.
>
> -Mike

I don't know. That flower still bugs me. My eye keeps going to it. I
think the red contrasts with the green and it makes that corner heavy.

BTW, I don't think photographs are good or bad. I just like them or not.
An you'll find when you keep making images you feel that you're old work
did not communicate as well. Keep shooting, that's all.
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <1JiOe.8100$Us5.5089@fed1read02>,
"Mark²" <mjmorgan(lowest even number here)@cox..net> wrote:

> "kz8rt3" <kz8rt3@mail.com> wrote in message
> news:kz8rt3-C212CD.16591521082005@news2-ge0.southeast.rr.com...
> > In article
> > <430888c7$0$17443$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au>,
> > "[BnH]" <b18[at]ii[dot]net> wrote:
> >
> >> Increasing the aperture would be nice to get a greater depth.
> >> Your 18-70 DX lens can produce sharp images at f/8 - f/11 , use that to
> >> your
> >> advantage.
> >> Also for waterfall shots, I normally loves those silky water flow type ,
> >
> > Boring.
>
> Not as boring and useless as your comment...

The idea is boring to me. It has been overdone. It was not an insult to
the person, just the idea. Sometimes critiques are blunt. That does not
make them useless.

You are not your photographs.
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"kz8rt3" <kz8rt3@mail.com> wrote in message
news:kz8rt3-40A6FC.10252622082005@news2-ge0.southeast.rr.com...
> In article <1JiOe.8100$Us5.5089@fed1read02>,
> "Mark²" <mjmorgan(lowest even number here)@cox..net> wrote:
>
>> "kz8rt3" <kz8rt3@mail.com> wrote in message
>> news:kz8rt3-C212CD.16591521082005@news2-ge0.southeast.rr.com...
>> > In article
>> > <430888c7$0$17443$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au>,
>> > "[BnH]" <b18[at]ii[dot]net> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Increasing the aperture would be nice to get a greater depth.
>> >> Your 18-70 DX lens can produce sharp images at f/8 - f/11 , use that
>> >> to
>> >> your
>> >> advantage.
>> >> Also for waterfall shots, I normally loves those silky water flow type
>> >> ,
>> >
>> > Boring.
>>
>> Not as boring and useless as your comment...
>
> The idea is boring to me. It has been overdone. It was not an insult to
> the person, just the idea. Sometimes critiques are blunt. That does not
> make them useless.

He asked for things that might have made his shot better.
You offer: "Boring"
Don't pretend that's critique.
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

> Incorrect exposure? Or do you mean I should have used a slower
> shutter speed.

I thought they were all a bit dark. I guess it depends on the light you
had to play with, but I'd have thought that north Queensland isn't
generally short of light!

As redbelly correctly spotted, I did use a polariser to boost the
colours and help slow down the shutter to get the silky effect. That
silky effect is common to the point of cliche with waterfalls, but the
alternative is grainy water frozen in place, which looks a lot worse in
my opinion.

> Here's another one.
> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/Ellinjaa01-Edit.jpg
>
> I don't have a remote shutter release so had to use the self timer.
> I pressed the shutter release and stepped back from the camera
> to wait for the timer to fire.

Well, whadaya know? I have a feeling we did the same tour... :

http://www.derekfountain.org/photos/holidays/usa_2005/cairns/_cairns.html/images/img_1289.jpg.html

Mine is a composition of two shots, both taken on self timer like yours.
I was right into the sun, so I stopped right down to get a very dark
shot with the sky set close to right (i.e. blue) and then took another
to get the waterfall right. It's still not great with all that flare
(must remember to clean the filter when shooting waterfalls!) but
considering the circumstances I was quite pleased with it.

I think your issue is really composition. You have the waterfall tucked
away in the top corner of the frame and the rocks and debris nicely
focused in the bottom third! Just a guess, but are you trying too hard
to follow the "rule of thirds"? Still, the water is silky, which you
were clearly trying for, and the waterfall is better exposed in this one.
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Stacey wrote:
>> What could I have done to get better pictures? Or is it
>> just a bad subject?
>
>> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01.jpg
>
> http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-1/937049/fallsbw.jpg
>
> Would look better if it wasn't edited from a downsampled jpeg.

Thanks Stacey. Here's a higher res one:
http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla01-Edit.jpg

I have a thing for B&W. I guess it come from my early darkroom
days, but I don't personally think it adds anything to this particular
picture.

-Mike
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

redbelly wrote:

> How much have you experimented with cropping in order to change the
> framing/composition of the shots?

Yes. I haven't found any crops that appeal to me.

Thanks for the feedback.

-Mike
 
Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Steve Wolfe wrote:
>> http://web.aanet.com.au/miwa/MillaMilla02.jpg
>
> I like this one the best,

Thanks.

> but without the people would have been better.

I think so too, but others disagree. I really wanted to get some
shots without people but there was a steady stream of them
walking up to the falls.


-Mike
 
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