Microstock Photography Forum - General > Photo Critique
Would really appreciate a critique, thank you!
K.D. Granger:
Thank you all for your comments! Yeah I've always been drawn to these types of shots, what I've always enjoyed. Looking for my next niche. I've got some ideas. Appreciate the comments! Helps a lot!
increasingdifficulty:
--- Quote from: K.D. Granger on August 24, 2018, 15:31 ---Hello! Been a lurker for a long time. I've been working on building up my portfolio and organizing my photo collections. I would really appreciate if anyone would take a look at my Flickr and tell me your honest thoughts. Thank you very much. :)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kdgranger/
--- End quote ---
Hi K.D!
Let me give you one tip that will change your heron, egret, ibis (not flamingo ;)), turtle and squirrel images from regular snapshots, or "ok, that's a bird" shots, to professional looking photographs - "wow, beautiful bird".
The angle.
You need to get low, down to eye level of the animal, or even below for a more dramatic effect. This changes everything. It's probably the biggest difference between a snapshot and BBC material. Light and everything else is secondary to the angle (but of course also very important).
Yes, this means it's more unfomfortable to take photos, but it changes so, so much. I cannot stress this enough. :)
If you don't have a flipout screen, it means at the very least crouching down, but very often lying down on the ground (flipout screen is great).
cobalt:
In addition to what people have said above, one thing you could try if you are out shooting is creating images that have a lot more copy space.
Just the row of trees or flowers at the bottom or the side and then nothing but blue sky. Or just one small flower or plant and then a vast stretch of out of focus background with a very light color scheme and very, very smooth bokeh.
Explore the emptiness.
Have a look at high quality artists that do nature, landscape or wildlife photography, or take workshops and really improve your skills.
It is of course possible to make reliable money with nature, but you have to be honest with yourself and critical of your own skill level.
Stock agencies require also a high technical quality in their files, no artifacts, no overfiltering which for me was a great learning experience.
If you keep an open mind, then uploading can help you become a much better photographer. Also keep browsing portfolios and artists and if you see someone with great work, try to analyze why his images of trees or animals look so much better.
For animals specifically, try to learn about their behaviour, what time of day are they out and about, what is their food in different times of the year, do they interact with humans or not etc...if you like cute squrrels or owels or redbirds, make it a project and for a month make a big focus on all things squirrels.
You will learn a lot from your own little projects and by going back again and again to get the perfect shot, your entire awarness for photography will move up a level.
So, yes, if you dońt expect to get magically rich, try a few stock agencies and learn from the experience.
K.D. Granger:
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Incredibly helpful. Appreciate the tips. I am trying to improve everyday. It's something I am very passionate about and will definitely keep your tips in mind. Thank you!
K.D. Granger:
I also know nature shots are a dime a dozen, it's just what I've always enjoyed. Looking through my album the nature shots do get repetitive. I will keep doing research on what is needed, and working on different subjects, looking at professional profiles, and expanding my portfolio. I am very new to this so all the suggestions and tips are gold to me right now. Working on upgrading my equipment also which I know will make a difference. Thank you all so much.
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