Lighting in the Forest

I'm curious to hear feedback on this picture. I tried adjusting some of the levels in Photoshop, but didn't like the results, so this is the photo in it's original form. I kept it quite dark because I believed that the beauty of the photograph is the highlights on the leaves. I also tried cropping the picture so that some of the brighter spots in the background were eliminated. My fear was that they draw the eye away from the main point of interest. However, when I cropped it, I found that the subject did not have enough space to "breath". So, as I said, this is the original state of the photo. Any thoughts?

Hockey Talk and a Movie Quote

I'll post a picture later today, but first, a couple of thoughts about the Minnesota Wild visiting the Canucks tonight. When reporters were asking Canucks coach Marc Crawford about the boring, defensive type of play the Wild are known for, Crawford replied that they are a lot more entertaining than people give them credit for. I heard commentator Ray Ferraro suggest that "If that is what Crawford considers entertaining, I wouldn't trust him to recommend a movie. He probably thinks that 'Ishtar' was a great film."

I loved 'Ishtar' (an infamously bad movie), so this got my attention. It got me thinking that perhaps Crawford lied when he mused that the Wild play entertaining hockey. If he did like 'Ishtar', then perhaps he would be more likely to lie. I, of course, am referring to the song with the following chorus, written by the characters played by Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty :

Telling the truth is a dangerous business,
Honest and popular don't go hand in hand.
If you admit that you can play the accordion,
They won't let you play in a rock and roll band.

New title

Earlier today I received a comment on this blog that I found very encouraging. Someone had taken the time to write a substantial and thoughtful reply to me regarding the process of learning to take great pictures. They encouraged me to change the title of my blog, suggesting that I be more positive and confident. My blog used to be called "Photographs that might suck", admittedly a rather pessimistic approach. I will call it something else and will attempt to shift my attitude to that of an optimist. I appreciate everyone's feedback thus far and look forward to more of it. I will endeavor to post at least one picture each day so that you can visit me regularly if you would like.

I was only able to read the aforementioned encouraging comment once, earlier this afternoon. It seems that whoever posted felt the need to erase it at some point in the last few hours. Unfortunately, I do not know who made the comments so I can not thank them for the encouraging words. But if it was you, thank you. I am truly enjoying photography and can't wait to grow in it more.

Just some pics: White & gold orchid

Check out the beautiful orchid. This guy is good. I think I love the background as much as the subject.
Just some pics: White & gold orchid

Tree, Blue, Green, etc.

My wife told me to take this picture. It seems that my best work happens when somebody else is telling me what to do. Oh well, at least I hang out with the right people. I like this photo because of the green grass and the blue sky. She likes the tree. Whatever...

Steveston

Hey just got positive feedback on this picture so I'll put it up here so that my ego can get some much needed stroking. In all seriousness though, please tell me what you think about this stuff. Uncle Bob recommended I take this picture. He's teaching me how to find good subject matter. That was a poorly constructed sentence. Please forgive me.

Farbucks

Well, you know where I took this picture. I was pretty excited by this picture when I took it, but now I'm not so sure. When I showed it to someone, they commented that they didn't like the person in the picture. They also pointed out that the lady probably wouldn't like it either. That's probably true, but I don't know that I care. To be truthful, I spent an afternoon taking pictures of people without them knowing it. I had to do it without looking like I was taking a picture, so I wasn't looking through my viewfinder. Never the less, I got a few neat shots of people just doing their thing (at bus stops, on the sidewalk, in the coffee shop, etc.)



Anyways, when I got the comment about not liking the barista in the frame, I tried cropping it so that she was gone. I tried it a few times and hated it. I compromised and blurred her even more. What do you think?

Cropping and Bums and such

Took a minute to crop that picture. I took out the bench, so that the only point of light (point of interest) was the girl. Better? Also, here is a duck butt. A Stanley Park duck butt.

The blur factor

I took this picture in haste. You know when you see something cool and you just lift up your camera to capture the image without time to prepare for it. Obviously I had a very slow shutter speed set up from a previous shot. I'm not sure if it turned out cool, or crappy. I wish I had been prepared. I would have liked to have a tripod, but still use a slow shutter speed. That way everything but the girl would be sharp. As it stands, it's mildly interesting. I like the lighting. Perhaps it would be better if I cropped it a bit so that there was a little less distracting blur. Tell me what you think.

By the way, I was glad to see someone new making a comment. I hope there is more of that in the future. Not much point in doing this if P is the only one viewing it. I bother him with my photos enough as it is. Poor chap. Come one, come all!

I took this picture at Central Park in Burnaby. The subject is self explanatory. I take a lot of pictures in that park. I find the lighting very difficult to work with, but I love the colors in the forest. Also, the wildlife are accustomed to being fed by my fellow man, so they're quite willing to pose for me. You'll see some of those pictures soon.

I used Photoshop to darken this image just a touch. I found that if the sign in the foreground was a bit darker, the light in the tree was more likely to catch the eye. I didn't take this picture because it made me feel anything (except short), I guess I took it because I thought it was cool. I take a lot of pictures for that reason. Unfortunately, they rarely turn out looking cool. I think this one did. What do you think?

It kind of makes me have to pee. That could just be a coincidence.

I will learn

Okay, I need to be clear about this from the beginning. The sole purpose of this blog is to feature my photography. I just bought a new camera, and I would very much like to become a decent photographer. As of right now, I suck. I'm hoping that by posting my photos here, I will receive enough constructive criticism to teach me what a good photograph is. Perhaps, as some of you hope, some other topics will sneak onto these pages, and I will become a more well rounded blogger. Don't hold your breath.

I have never kept a blog because I never care to read blogs. Perhaps I am a snob, but for the most part, I don't care to read other people's thoughts. Likewise, I cannot fathom why anyone would be interested in mine. If we really care about each other's thoughts, we can get on the phone, or actually spend time with one another. That said, I rarely talk on the phone, and there aren't many people that I hang out with.

Now to the business at hand. Pictures. Please tell me what you think about my photos. I'm not kidding. I don't know the first thing about what I'm doing, so most pictures you see will not impress you. However, tell me what you like about them and what you don't like. Tell me how they make you feel. I think my problem right now is that none of my photos make me feel anything. Feel free to make suggestions on what would make it a stronger picture. If it needs to be cropped differently, let me know. I leave my self-esteem in your hands.