I would like a critique of this photo

December 2nd, 2021
I only have the editing features on my little google box here so nothing fancy. Could someone tell what is wrong or right about this photo. I would be very grateful.


December 2nd, 2021
I don't think there is anything wrong with it, the depth of field is fine, with focus on that lone flower.

The flower is competing with the foreground and sky and j wonder if a square crop would work? You'd keep the graffiti and have a mostly monochromatic scene if you crop out the sky. .

I'm no expert, no qualifications - so these are just my thoughts! Post here if you do make any changes.

And give it time, others will help you out, with better suggestions, I'm sure
December 2nd, 2021
I am no expert. There are a lot of things about this photo that are lovely. i really like the colours of the grasses, the colours overall in the photo, yellows and grey work well together and the subject matter is good, the pop of the yellow flower is a good focus. However the flower is fighting the door/window for visual attention because they are on top of each other and the graffiti is a distraction. not sure processing is necessarily the answer, the flower needs to move either right or left and if you could lose the graffiti it might help. However I'm not an expert on processing - these things could be done in processing or you could retake the photo moving the angle of the camera. I really like the photo though.
December 2nd, 2021
Hi Lorie. I like your shot and how you've used dof to focus on the flower with the hint of the building in the background. In regards to edits for photo, that is very much your personal artistic choice and there is no right or wrong. Having said that, if it was my image, like Jackie, I would crop in closer to the flower so that it's closer to a thirds line and becomes more of a star of the show. In regards to the colours I'd reduce the warmth across the whole image and up the contrast as well, maybe something along these lines:



Like Maria says, if shooting this again I'd move slightly. Personally I'd probably put the flower against a blank part of the wall. And just to prove photography is subjective, I like the graffiti in the image as it adds to the neglected feel of the building.

Hope this helps, but, as I said, the end result of any image is purely personal preference.

P.S. Looking at this again I think this would look good if the yellow flower was moved to the left and inside the dark area of the door.
December 3rd, 2021
Thank you everyone, this is really helpful.
December 5th, 2021
Since you are just starting out and asking for critique, my suggestion would be to read all the comments and then next time you go out, pick something that catches your eye. Try taking 5 or 10 shots from different angles and points of view, trying to think about some of the helpful comments like moving left or right or trying to get different parts of the building to be the backdrop. Good thing about digital is that you can just delete anything that doesn’t work out in your opinion. And always have fun. It looks like you have an eye for an interesting subject and I like the photo overall.
December 5th, 2021
One more thing related to this site is that if you want to reply to anyone, you should click the reply link next to their name. You can click more than one and they will appear in the box at the bottom so you can write your reply.
December 5th, 2021
@shutterbug49

Thank you so much, Great advice!
January 18th, 2022
I like most everything about this shot. Especially the light and color. I do agree with one of the other commenters that a square crop might work well. I would also have tried to adjust the composition so that the flower was more in the middle of the door, or didn’t have the frame exactly behind it.
January 19th, 2022
@lsquared Thank You! I recently played around with this photo on light room and got a better photo. Still, it would have been better to move around and find a better composition. Learning more everyday. :-)
May 20th, 2022
I like the close. I would position the flower with the window as a frame.
October 26th, 2022
Hi Lorie! Welcome to the 365Project.
Your question will get you as many options as those who reply.
As you learn you will find that there are so-called rules of photography:
https://photographypro.com/composition/

But then someone will says, "Rules were made to be broken."

There really is no right and wrong but if you look at the list above it might guide you in the right direction.

As they say, "Art is subjective" and that is very true.

I see nothing wrong with your photo just as you posted it. As you gain more experience in composing and editing you might come back to this photo, scratch your head and ask yourself, why? That's normal as you improve your photography skills. Your taste will change as well.

Find people either on the Project or off whose photography appeals to you, learn by looking at their work and try to mimic their style.

More importantly, enjoy your passion for photography.
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