Ballet Academy

[nanabanana]

1. in what area is critique to be sought?

exposure, composition and anything else that can be improved on !

2. what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?

i wanted it to have a postcard feel, like one that a tourist would stop to look at at a souvenir shop and buy it home for their families and friends

3. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)

i was at a photoshoot with my friends and we were walking past when the postcard inspiration came into my mind, hence the picture.

4. what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture

I feel that the colour is a lil underexposed, what do you think ???


i'm a newbie here ! do advise ! (

 

[wkteoh]

Composition wise not bad... the photo is underexposed, not severely so. Looks a bit dull, so bumping up the saturation and contrast would make it punchier hence more postcard like. I would try to get the overhanging branches out of the way (this is personal preference though, some may prefer using it for framing purposes). Getting rid of the trees behind the building will make the subject look cleaner.

 

[nysheng]

hello corina..
well..the picture is technically ok..am i right to guess that the reason why u chose this angle is partly due to the steps leading up to the building?

the underexposure is fine if u want to have a more 'old school' or nostalgic kind of feeling..but for postcard, not much 'impact'.

branches are a slight distraction too.

what made u want to take this picture? i.e. what part of the building attracted u? the colonial style? the size? mayb you might want to emphasize that instead.

 

[Rendell]

My interpretation:

Composition
1. You have captured a nice view on the whole subject. :thumbsup:
Maybe just a little titled towards the right side, but overall effect is still fine.

2. The pavement leads to the front entrance :thumbsup:
I like the pavement leading my eyes towards the building.

3. Can use a wider lens to capture a more majestic look.

4. If the building is the focus, could have crop away a little more of the sky to get a better frame of the building and the path.

Exposure
1. Like you notice too, it is a bit under expose.

Colour
1. Take note of the white balance, but partly because it is slightly under expose.

2. Improve the contrast and brighten the white and the green field to give it a postcard look.

Overall, I see this will become a post card quality after some adjustment to the colour.
:thumbsup:

 

[aprilmoon92]

Hmm several things jump out at me

1) Brightness uneven- Meter for the ground/building, then use your exposure lock button and take with the sky in. This will tend to overexpose the sky, though, so use a polarising filter to make it nice and blue.

2) Colours dull- polarising filter will make the colours richer, but can still afford to up saturation/contrast in PP.

3) Light fall-off at edges- Check online reviews on your lens and find out at what f-stop the falloff at the corners is reduced. Falloff is unsightly and makes the picture look underexposed, even when its not.

4) Composition decent, but not spectacular- A very typical shot... most of the time people will try NOT to get post-card pictures, cos they tend to be the most common, uncreative ones. Experiment with wideangles, lower- or higher- viewpoints. Also, notice that you cropped out the left of the building (accidentally?). If the purpose is to showcase the building, then this detracts from the photo.

Just mho, hope it helps

 

[Kit]

This photo is not ok in many aspects. Weak execution, lack of attention to details, poor ambient lighting, etc. It doesn't portray your intentions (postcard quality) successfully. To certain extent. its sloppy. Not enough thought is given to taking the photo.

If you want postcard quality photos, your main subject should remain the anchor of the photo with minimal distractions. Here you have bits and pieces of leaves convering the building. You can't avoid them all the time but in this instance, you have plenty room to work with.

Why cut off the building on the left? Granted. you might not be able to photograph the entire elevation in one single shot and that's where your shot selection becomes very critical. Do you have to show so much of the building? Can you cut off the building on both sides? Will a series of photos work better than a single shot in this instance? What if you were to concentrate on the details?

Ambient lighting. A lot of people can't make use of the ambient light to help them. They can't recognise good light. When you don't take lighting into consideration, its most likely not going to work as in this case. Good ambient can help to accentuate the form and details of the building. The ambient lighting is flat, bland, uncontrasty and most certainly uninteresting. In short, its wasn't the best time to take the photo.

There's still a lot that could be said but..... its not a postcard I would buy.....

 

[Snooze]

I think the light is not good at all...Composition maybe u can do away the right side. Pretty clutter and messy on the right side... It's pretty distracting.. The left side is ok... Just try shooting around 7am in the morning... Evening time the sun will set behind the bldg.. If i am not wrong... Keep it up!!!

Cheers!

 

[indriana]

Composition-wise, I think it's pretty good. I like the lines formed by the building and the pavement, but maybe the main part of the building is too dead centre? I also like how you've framed the building with parts of the trees on the top left and the right side.

Like you've noticed yourself, however, the problem with this picture is the fact that it's underexposed. This is the one factor that's working against your intended purpose for it (postcard). The picture is too dark and the colours, I feel, are not bright or saturated enough for a postcard.

Perhaps next time you want to take a postcard-type picture, you can put a white border around it and write "SINGAPORE" at the bottom to see what it would really look like!

Looking forward to your next "postcard".