Community Portfolio - Page 2

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Think I over did the dark effect. ^ But that was kind of the point.

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One of the first things I noticed about your images were your focal points. Something you should familairize yourself with if you haven't already is the rule of thirds. It's basically dividing your image up into three columns and rows to help you better choose your focal point. Photoshop has a neat rule of thirds overlay when you go to crop an image, so I'll let you see what your image looks like with that overlay. Proceed to exhibit 1-A, Rule of Thirds, now .
That's not to say that your work is bad at all, but the rule of thirds is just something to think about before you snap the shutter release. The second image in the rule of thirds is that overlay on the heart picture of mine that you had said you liked (thank you, by the way!). I'm not saying it's even close to a perfect example of the rule, but I had used the center vine and built the image in my viewfinder around that. It might benefit from some cropping, but for the most part, it's set to go.

Another thing you want to pay attention to are lines in your photograph. Every time you look through the viewfinder or LCD screen, you should be looking for visible or invisible lines that can shape your image. In the image of yours that I presented the rule of thirds with, possible lines include the straw, the wrapper, the visible edges of the glass, the grain of the table...conventionally, go for lines that are straight or don't heavily conflict with other lines in the same image. Shameless self-plug, but this is an image I took after an older photographer recommended that I try it. DA link , now with guiding lines!. That image still isn't a perfect example, but I think it's good for teaching purposes.

Lastly is learning how to manipulate focus. Having control over where you viewers' eyes have a tendency to wander to in the photo is of utmost importance. There are multiple tricks, but it boils down to lighting, contrast, color, composition and focus. The sixth and seventh pictures you posted lose a bit of their effect because of insufficient focus, I think. The water in the ninth image is absolutely stunning! That is an example of focus done right, but the image could benefit from a bit of framing and leveling. The focus is also well done in your last image, but it would have been a bit more effective if you included the other shoe, I think...
As for leveling, this is what I'm referring to. That's just a quick job and it could probably be fine tuned a bit more clockwise, but it gives you a general idea of what I mean.