Remember:
–Read How to Critique a Photo
–Make a critique sandwich – something positive, something you would have done differently, something positive
–My rule: no improvement tip = deleted comment
–This will benefit the person leaving the critique just as much if not more than the person receiving the critique.
Thank you to Emily at Scattered Horizons for submitting the following image.
Settings: ISO 200, SS 1/1250, f/7.1 (SOOC)
Emily, this photo is lovely. The creamy colors in the sky and those reflected in the water invite the viewer in. You might consider placing the horizon either in the top third or in the bottom third of the photo to add interest and draw the readers eye. At the same time, the balance with the horizon line in the middle is also beautiful. I love that there are still details in some of the rocks.
Thank you Erica for your kind words and thoughts on improvement. I have posted on my blog about this process as well as a final edit that I would love for you to check out. The link can be found below.
It is so fun to see a landscape shot up for critique. This is a gorgeous photo with great clarity and focus. As for CC, I would like to see a little less water and a little more sky. The horizon is not cutting the photo in half, but the way the rocks are extending into the sky make it appear very close to being cut in half, so my eye doesn’t know to look up or down. I just keep bouncing back and forth. The only other CC I have is increase the blues, oranges, and purples in the sky in PP and possibly increase the exposure a bit.
I love how the rocks are silhouettes and the sunlight reflecting on the water camera right. This is a uniquely beautiful and really shows off God’s majesty and His greatness in creation.
Thank you for taking the time to provide your thoughts on my image Amber. I have learned some great lessons from you and the others who commented. I put up a post on my blog detailing what I have learned that I would love for you to check out. The link is below. Thanks again!
I absolutely love the colors in this shot. I really like how you adjusted your settings to make sure the rocks were a silhouette. With the rocks being a silhouette and the bold colors of the sky, I think the focus of the photo should be on the contrast of the two. I think the beach takes away from that. So a crop right at the water’s edge would really make this shot strong.
It is already a strong shot with quite a few beautiful elements, it is just that those elements are competing for presence. I think if you cropped it, the shot would have a whole new wow factor.
Very beautiful and I can’t believe it is SOOC. I hope you share the edit on your blog (whatever you decide to do with it).
Hi Kim, thank you for sharing your thoughts on my image. When you mentioned that the elements were competing for presence I had an aha moment. I put up a post about this process and an edit based on what I learned from all of you :). The link can be found below.
Wow….this shot “takes me away.” I agree that I’d like to see the photo in thirds instead of halves…however, I disagree with another commenter in that I’d like to see more water…I think the colors and the sheen of the water are much richer than the sky is in this shot. Beautifully done!
Thank you for critiquing my image Laura. I am glad I could take you away with my image, that is a wonderful compliment. If you would like to see the edit I did based on all of the critiques you can click below. Thanks again!
Emily, I tried to comment on your blog but couldn’t…
Thanks so much for posting the link to your edit. It was so cool to see this extension of the “critique me” process. Very powerful!
Impressive landscape! I really like the detail in the clouds and water, and the way that you can see the water spouts coming through the rock formation to the right. I agree with some of the others that the shot is a little centered and that a composition more in thirds would make it even stronger. Either showing more of the sky and less of the beach (eliminating the reflections) or showing less of the sky and more of the beachline would add interest, it depends on whether you want more emphasis on the waves or the clouds. For me, I would probably crop out some of the sky just at the top which would give more of a thirds feel, and still emphasize the color in the far horizon and the reflection in the front part of the water.
It’s wonderful that you have such a strong photo SOOC. Good job and thanks for sharing!
Benita, the water spouts is one of my favorite parts of the image as well. Thank you! I used everything I gained from here to do a final edit that I would love for you to take a look at.
Holy gorgeous SOOC! So impressed with the color, detail, and contrast you captured. Hmmm… pretty hard to find a way to improve this… your horizons don’t seem scattered at all if you ask me, but perhaps you could change up your logo a bit with a water mark so it is slightly less of a distraction from your sparkling image :). I really hope you share the story behind where you captured this! :) It’s been sooo long since I’ve been to the beach I want to live vicariously through this shot :).
Thank you for your kind words Rachel. I applied your critiques, as well as everyone else’s in a post on my blog. I also included the story behind the photo in the post so you can visit the beach at least “virtually” :).
Thank you! How thoughtful of you to give a shout out on your blog to everyone that gave feedback :). I got to see your post and you did a lovely job. Pretty tough to pick the best edit. I so enjoyed your Canon Beach/Portland shots! I just moved from Washington State and everyone just loves that area you live in.
I am so impressed with how you took this chance to really challenge yourself so much…. makes me want to be brave and submit a photo to get critiqued, too! We’ll see… not feeling that adventurous for now, and on top of that I know I would have the worst time picking out what to submit. How did you choose your photo?
Love the compostion and the low angle from which you shot this. I feel like I am laying down actually looking up from the sand.
I disagree with changing anything about the crop or angle. I do feel like the watermark is a tad distracting…. maybe a smaller size would help…. or a more subtle color.
What I would love to see is for you to increase the saturation of the colors and add some black to make the rocks more of a silhouette.
I love these shots. There is something so peaceful and majestic about the ocean at dusk.
I could not agree more Laureen about the peaceful majesty of the ocean, especially at sunset. Thank you for your kind words and for your suggestions. I edited the photo and shared the process on my blog. I would love for you to take a look, link below.
I have to agree with some of the comments… it’s hard to critique such a awesome picture like the one above, specially when it’s right out of the camera.
I would make the watermark smaller for sure and I would increase the contrast a little bit when editing.
Thank you so much Alessandra for taking the time to provide feedback. It has certainly helped me grow. I explain more on my blog and would like to invite you to visit using the link below.
well here we have a photo that is pretty darn near perfect! Bravo! I like the angle wouldn’t change it at all in terms of more sky or more water. To me this photo reads in 4 layers (gray sky, sunlit sky, waves with rocks, foreground water) so it doesn’t easier make a horizon line a 1/3 or 2/3. Not knowing what the rest of the landscape looked like, I do sort of wish it was cropped to a more natural break in the rocks, perhaps it might have been possible to widen your shoot to include the entire group of rocks on the left? This is SOOC? Well, then you clearly need no help from me. You do have my admiration. :)
Thank you for sharing your perspective on my image Beth and you sweet words :). I hadn’t thought of it in those terms, but I think I was trying to capture all 4 of the layers which may have been what I was seeing and why the lack of thirds did not bother me. I talk more about that and the results of this process on my blog and I would love for you to check it out!
Thank you Courtney for this opportunity and providing a place for photographers to help each other grow. I can’t help but gush about what this process as helped me realize about my photography. What a wonderful learning experience!