Feedback Anyone?

[littlemissprint]

Hi all!

This is my first time submitting some of my work for critique here. I'm pretty new to all this and could use any helpful feedback you've got! Lay it on me! =)

These are all images from a working ranch out in San Angelo. A few are meant to be more of an abstract or graphic nature, while the rest are meant to capture the essence of a Texas ranch/countryside.

Thanks in advance!
*s

[rockpics]

The animal fur abstracts are different. There may be something there. You've got a good angle on the barn. The other two seem a little mundane.

[Some Idiot]

No crying, you asked for opinions

the first few remind me of when my cat accidently dips her foot into my wifes bath water, Her leg all wet and hair clumped together.

The barn is cool, seems to my eye it needs to be cropped to level

The weeds and 50 gallon drum are blah

just being honest

[corralup]

I was hoping to see some horses or cows when you mentioned Ranch. So a calf just got butchered?
That's what it looks like. I'm not really for that in a picture.
I think the weeds would've looked better in a sunset with some orange or color in the sky.

Cowgirl or cowboy walking a horse into the barn against that light would've been cool.

Bring some more I enjoy different you remind me of my style a little bit.

[acymc]

Interesting shots. They are all a little too closely cropped for me. I don't see them like a Macro shot where the subject is all in the frame. The barn shot come closest for me but it seems like something is missing. Maybe if it was viewed from the loft that crop might seem more natural. I guess I lived on a farm too many years for the weeds to appeal to me.

[rockpics]

On the barn shot,I agree with Sandy that if you could back up or lower the angle so that you can see the entire doorway, and have a cowboy or cowgirl with hat, perhaps a lasso, standing in the doorway with the light spilling around them you'd have a real winner.

[Kenj8246]

+1 on what Jill said.

[ara.bentley]

I like the animal fur abstracts.... I think the textures are very interesting and they draw my eye. I can see these blown up and hanging in a lodge or something on a ranch! Great job!

[Jim Victory]

My only question is what do these shots have to do with Nature & Wildlife?

[Patti Edens]

Hi Sarah,
Welcome to TPF.

I'm not sure what the first few shots are. I see what looks like furry legs? They show up pretty dark on my monitor, but I'm at work on a crummy monitor so that might be why.

I agree with Sandy's comments on your pasture shot. If the light was right, the grasses could be glowing gold and you'd have oranges and yellows in the sky. The other thing on that shot would be to try to put the horizon either a bit lower or a lot higher so that the horizon line goes across on one of the thirds. You can decide based on whether the sky or the grasses looks more interesting when you are taking the shot. If the sky is blah, just have it in the top third and have the grasses as the bottom two thirds. And vice versa if the sky looks good.

I think your rusty barrel shot would make an awesome overlay texture for Photoshop. It would give a great red grungy look.

The barn shot does need a little straightening and personally I think it would have been a good candidate for HDR. But, I know a lot of people don't like HDR, so ymmv.

Keep shooting!

[ttusa]

Welcome! The last one's composition is the best in my opinion, but the bottom middle is a tad bright-keep practicing!

[littlemissprint]

Thank you everyone for the useful feedback!

I have another crop on the barn that might prove to work better, showing the ground and all. I love the idea of having some props/people in that shot as well... Something I'll remember to pay closer attention to in the future now.

I know the more abstract shots of the deer being cleaned are probably not a lot of people's taste, but I thought I would throw them out there. I've always had an interest in playing with that we normally view as gross or negative and seeing how I can change my own perception of it. So just playing around with that. Thank you to those who liked and those who didn't for being honest ;)

Overall, I wish there'd been more going on to shoot while I was there - but being over Thanksgiving weekend things were at a bit of a standstill so I just wandered around and shot what I could find. =)

I do apologize if I posted some of this in the wrong section, and will be more careful about posting in the right sections in the future.

Thanks again!
I'll post the new barn pic when I get a chance soon.
*s

[jfoureyes]

The great thing about photography is that everybody has a different opinion about what they are seeing in a photograph...that's one of the neat things about posting your work... you can get diverse ideas that you may be able to use the next time you go out shooting. These may not be technically perfect, but I can see you working on "your" vision of each subject and that's always very good. Keep posting...I enjoy looking at other photographers visions and always get something out of them.

[mmuhlenkamp]

I can see something going with the animal abstracts, Sarah. (I can definitely see the graphic designer side of you there ) I think that's an idea worth exploring still. I think the lines and symmetry are nice on the last shot, but the other two are a bit blah.

[littlemissprint]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone here for your feedback on these!!
Two of these shots (the barn ceiling and the 3rd deer shot) just got accepted into a show in Austin - my very first! I'm quite excited!!

Also hope to get back out there sometime soon again to try some more shots with some of what I've learned.

Thanks again!