So when I take night photos I prefer darker photos to lighter ones, but sometimes I'm not always sure if they are too dark or not. So can anyone give me critique on these pieces? Are they fine? Are they too dark? Anything else I could improve on?
No I think they are fine :) If they were darker, it wouldnt look like they were taken at night! If you "lighten" them it might also screw up the quality. And just because -- I vote the first one for being my favorite :)
well i have a similar issue but mine's not always just in the night.. i find that with alot of my photos, i like the feel it has when i make it a little darker than what gets captured. Maybe thats a reflection of our personalities? :)
In fact looking at this month, i know i've darkened at least 14 of those pictures... By the way, i love the "lonely" feel of the first one mate
I feel the same way with many of my shots. I like them edging on the side of darker, rather than lighter.
The photos are about taste, what you prefer seeing and what you are trying to achieve.
For what it's worth, I believe the lighting in the first and third photos is really good. It's nothing to do with "light" or "dark", it's just good lighting for the situation. It sets the mood and probably more accurately captures the moment than if you'd either PP'd in some light or gone for an overexposure.
From what I'm reading so far...everyone (myself included) likes their photos a bit on the darker side.
Overall, I think these photos are pretty good. I'm leaning more towards the first and last photo overall (the 2nd one doesn't grab me for some reason).
Dark is good, but bear in mind that everyone's monitor is calibrated differently, so if you're bothered about it appearing too dark for other people, upload a mildly lighter version to any public places.
For example http://365project.org/eyebrows/365/2010-01-30 looks perfectly fine on some of my monitors but way too dark to even see detail on most, because I forgot to heed my own advice, like a retard.
i think it depends on what kind of feel you want for your photo, it's about the style of your photo, there is no right or wrong. I do like it dark if it is a night (especially outdoor) scene, because it is what i want to make my photo look like: it's dark and it's outside.
I am also a fan of low key lighting. The only time I've had problems is when I send images to be printed and they end up being way to dark, or the printers lighten the image.
I struggle with keeping detail and setting the mood. I live my photos dark too but I have noticed if I go just a tad bit lighter I get more detail and don't change the mood too much or at all... just play with it. I see nothing wrong with the ones you posted but you could maybe pull some more detail.
I also like them darker. If you have a function on your camera that lets Auto Bracket I would try playing with that. The 3rd photo is my choice. Nice work.
Love the photos! I like my pix on the darker side also. I actually didn't think my prints were dark but i took a printing class and all the images i turned in for assignments came back marked "too dark"... Hmmm. I just ended up printing a set to turn in and one for myself! Don't change a thing!
I tend to darken down many of my images. The thing to remember is don't darken it down too much where you lose the detail in the shadows and darker areas. Make sure your have some sort of lighted path on how you want to direct they eye.
Again, I love the dark and it is reflective of our emotions. But who says dark is a bad thing? :)
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I personally run my pictures on the dark side as well.
I like the little elements (as in your first photo) to really pop.
In fact looking at this month, i know i've darkened at least 14 of those pictures... By the way, i love the "lonely" feel of the first one mate
The photos are about taste, what you prefer seeing and what you are trying to achieve.
For what it's worth, I believe the lighting in the first and third photos is really good. It's nothing to do with "light" or "dark", it's just good lighting for the situation. It sets the mood and probably more accurately captures the moment than if you'd either PP'd in some light or gone for an overexposure.
Nice work.
Overall, I think these photos are pretty good. I'm leaning more towards the first and last photo overall (the 2nd one doesn't grab me for some reason).
I wouldn't really change anything.
good job Chris :)
For example http://365project.org/eyebrows/365/2010-01-30 looks perfectly fine on some of my monitors but way too dark to even see detail on most, because I forgot to heed my own advice, like a retard.
Again, I love the dark and it is reflective of our emotions. But who says dark is a bad thing? :)