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alistairfarrugia

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alistairfarrugia's Gallery Comments

alistairfarrugia > alistairfarrugia Recent Activity > alistairfarrugia's Gallery Comments

Lizard

Agreed with the crop - the point was to leave space as Nathan said but I think I did in fact overdo it. I like the mod and suggestions, thanks!

A

By: alistairfarrugia

Not big enough...

MOD ADDED. Played around a bit with this, turned to b/w to retain attention only on the ducks and capture the movement better, the colours are secondary here and the message gets across regardless of the presence of colour.

Also tried to clean up the grass where possible, and extended the canvas with some heavy cloning (it shows).

Finally, tried some sharpening to get as much detail out from the ducks, plumage, face, etc, but there's so much you can do if the image isn't in focus at the start.

Still, it's a fun shot and the message gets across, well done!

By: xwang

Step into the Dark Side!

Glad you like this Nathan, and in pleased that it was thought provoking to you.

Moira, glad you appreciate the decisions I took when composing this in post processing work
I specifically wanted that diagonal.

By: alistairfarrugia

Last of St Mary's Burham

Hmm I have mixed feelings about this. The subject is interesting but both the mono and the colour variant look like they are oversharpened, and it seems like there was some HDR treatment involved here, or wasn't it the case?

In the colour variant, I think the colours are over-saturated, whilst the mono is a bit too flat, with very little contrast showing. I think they should both be revisited as there's potential here as the subject is interesting.

One final tip is to rotate the image a bit, it seems as if a counter-clockwise rotation is needed here, the building looks like it's listing towards the right.

By: Nikonuser1

The Wife to be!

Lovely mod Willie and fully agreed. I think I helped the reddish tint by sliding the Tone bar to the left in DPP. Will try remember using this link you provided so I churn out better work! Thanks!!

By: alistairfarrugia

Lufthansa Take-Off

I'll check my other images of this beast and try find one that has more space on the RHS.

I was aware of this issue before selecting an image to upload. The difficulty with this variant is that it's a huge airplane, one of the longest commercial aircraft in operation apparently, and allowing space on the right means making the plane look more "normal size" as it would occupy less space in the final image. Presented in this manner, I think it exaggerates the scale of the airplane and its massive length. Regardless, I will still look into finding a better variant that gives some space on the RHS.

I obviously agree with the suggestion as it applies to all moving subjects I believe. Thanks for the feedback!

By: alistairfarrugia

LIVING IN HARMONY

Paul's right, the image doesn't look sharp at all. Was this sharpened after it was resized for the web?

What I find strange is if this is shake-induced blur. This isn't among the heaviest of lenses for sure, I own a 55-250 and it's barely heavy, so if the lack of sharpness is due to shake then I suggest you try to use a tripod or support the lens as you shoot. I think at the shutter speed this was taken, shake really shouldn't have been a problem, particularly given the IS in this lens. Was the stabiliser on when you took this? I can easily get up to three stops slower shutter speed when the IS is on with this lens. Use it if shooting handheld!

Some final comments...was this shot from behind glass maybe? Also, do you have any other shots that are zoomed in on one of the pelicans only, so we can compare the sharpness? And finally, are you shooting RAW or JPEG? Exif says JPEG and if that's the case I suggest shooting RAW to get some more freedom when dealing with the image in post-processing work, particularly when it comes to sharpness, white-balance corrections and so on.

By: ukgubbi

Old Spey Bridge

I like these, both mono and colour work fine for me. I think I prefer the mood in the colour version though, kind of fits more in my eyes.

My only suggestion is to revisit the place, and try retaking the shot by including a bit more sky and little less foreground. Would have wished to see the tips of the all the trees here. Some have their top area cropped off and in my eyes this is a bit "off", so to speak. Would have rather had the top part of the image close off with just the sky. Given that you were on the widest focal length, it seems you opted to compose using the rule of thirds guideline of placing the horizon one-third down from the top, but I think here you would have gained more, compositionally, by placing it slightly lower and giving the sky the whole top part of the image and including the top-part of all the trees that were showing.

Regardless, I reiterate that I like this image and it's well taken irrespective of the above. I keep returning to your work and liking what I see. Keep it up!

By: almiles

In the Grotto.

An interesting subject here. I have some critique though for your consideration.

I would have opted for an even lower POV here to show more detail on the statue's face and give more space to the flowing water. As it is, it's more about the grotto than the statue, and I think it's not the best choice here.

I wish to see another picture of this statue, giving regard to these suggestions. Your take though!

One final critique, I think your signature is way too large and distracting. I would make it smaller if you insist on having it there.

Regardless of the above, I think you made a good choice taking a picture here. As I said, it's an interesting statue and the grotto is a nice feature too.

By: Robinsons

Lily

My UA goes to Lily... When my reaction is "WOW", it means it's a UA from me. And this had that effect on me. It's simple, effective and technically flawless in my opinion. There's detail in the highlights and the shadows, the lighting looks fine and the background creates enough contrast to make this more than just an image of a flower. Well taken and composed Willie, no wonder you're a source of knowledge to many on the site. Work like this shows where your critique comes from!

By: banehawi

leaf in the sun

I like the idea here. My only suggestion would be to try to include the whole of the third leaf next time (top one, darkest leaf).

Still, the image manages to put across a sense of serenity, in the shade of nature. The "looking up" POV further accentuates this. Well done.

Alistair

By: christinecilia

"Fluttering and Dancing in the Breeze"

Something different that works. Well done on this Ron. I like it.

By: RonnieAG

Floral splash

This is nicely composed and presented, and the square crop fits very well.

I would have rather preferred a third, out of focus daisy though, in order to avoid having a situation, as present, where you have two flowers competing for attention. With three, (or odd numbers), it's easier to focus on the middle subject, whilst with even numbers it's a bit harder to do so.

Having said that, your choice to use shallow depth of field and isolate the flower, plus the composition on the lower/left third intersection, help to minimise this issue.

Finally, the image has a certain softness to it that I like, conveys a sense of delicacy and freshness, I like that! Well done.

By: ColleenW

Tuesday Turnstones

V1 and V2 are the best, V3 seems to be slightly out of focus, with the foreground rock being a bit sharper than the bird's beak/eye area. Also, bokeh isn't as smooth as one would wish it to be, but that has nothing to do with your skill as such, it's a question of lens characteristics I guess.

Regardless, it's an interesting set of images and I particularly like the subject isolation achieved in V2, with the low POV and shallow depth of field used. Well taken! Definitely my favourite.

By: NDODS

Why the long face

Good use of a wide angle, well taken!

By: esoxlucius

"What you lookin' at?"

Thanks Nathan, Moira. I was indeed very low, belly-flat on the ground for a change. I find myself in this position more and more often lately. Layla's doing wonders at home, turned us all into big babies, what with all the baby talk and coo-cooing that's going on around her! hehe

By: alistairfarrugia

Wadi Rum

A well exposed image but I would crop out that building at the bottom. It is distracting and adds nothing to the image.

Well taken though.

By: malum

Gold Chrysanthemums

It seems opinion is divided on the background, and I admit I'm torn about it myself as well. On the one hand I see it as a bit of a distraction, behind very similar in colour and very detailed for a background purpose, but at the same time it fits in with the theme being presented here.

The only other concern that I have are the numerous reflections on the vase, I think these are a bit distracting and possibly the use of a diffused light source and a closed window in the room would have helped here. Not sure what light sources you had but it seems a continuous light source was present as well as natural light. Consider the option of using diffused lighting in shots like these as it will result in a better picture in the end. You don't want attention to wander on the reflections, but on the subject proper.

Still - irrespective of these two issues, I find the presentation appealing and I love the touch of the petals on the sack at the bottom of the vase.

By: Irishkate

Eyes on the Ball!

Dear all, thanks for the nice comments! She's indeed a playful character and I love how this image captures that. The background could have been better but you have to make do with wherever they decide to strike their cute poses... at present, I'm utilising a lot of my free time crouched or belly-flat on the ground taking pictures of her!

By: alistairfarrugia

Layla - The Yorkshire Terrier

Glad you like Colleen. She's such a charming little Yorkshire! So full of energy! Grin

By: alistairfarrugia

well

Well spotted here - nice picture. Allow me some critique however.

1. As regards the highlight comment above, I tend to agree with Lynne, they might need some toning down as the contrast is too harsh between the shadow areas and the highlight area.

2. Moreover, there seem to be areas where chromatic abberration is visible, you might need to check if you can fix this if you still have the RAW file for your shot.

3. Cleaning - there are some areas where a bit of cloning would have helped. There seems to be (white) litter in the bottom left area of the picture, that distracts a bit. I would clone it out, I don't think it should be a hard job to fix.

4. And finally, I think the image looks a bit over-sharpened, particularly in the details on the staircase railing. I think a slightly softer image would look better, but that's just my opinion here.

Still you get my vote for attracting my attention and making me want to write some stuff. Well done!

Alistair

By: Visoko1960

Robin Moth

Great work Chris, as ever!

If I may, allow me to suggest a couple small changes though. I think flipping it horizontally would make it even more appealing as it would create a left-to-right diagonal from the twig that would lead straight to the butterfly, rather than out of the photo, from right-to-left. Just a minor change that would probably improve this already superb shot! A second, small change, and I'm really nit-picking here, is that the image seems to need a very slight, counter-clockwise rotation of around 0.5 degrees. Given the central, almost symmetrical composition, I picked up on this slight tilt when I saw the image and I think that it can easily be fixed particularly if this is a crop from a larger image.

Regardless of the above comments though, I reiterate that I like this and the subject is a beautiful moth specimen. Was this shot in Malta?

Well done and well deserved of all these votes!

Alistair

By: Christazzopardi

Sea on Fire?

Thanks Nathan, I will try it out again with the metal bars and upload it as a variant. Thanks for the critique

By: alistairfarrugia

Collision

An interesting shot here Nathan. I have some critique though...

The b/w version is a bit dull Nathan - you need a bit more contrast in that version, with more true blacks and whites. As for the rest though, I like what you did here. You managed to create an image that has the "wow" factor in the form of a "what the..." reaction, at least from my part. That's impact. Irrespective what you used for this subject, it caught my eye and you managed to create something that evokes interest. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think it's a good piece of art.

What I would possibly go for with shots like this is to try different angles and upload three or four angles on it, rather than three versions which simply present two colour options and a desaturated version. I'm sure you will take this critique positively and looking forward to seeing a 4th version, in true b/w with some more contrast. I'm confident it would look very good. Otherwise just activate mods and leave that to me hehe! Would love to have a play with this one!

Regardless of the bad points I mentioned, you get my vote for evoking my interest, and that for me is the mark of a good image every time. Thanks!

Alistair

By: NDODS

The Quay to Blue Grotto

Thanks all for the nice comments, appreciated. I'll upload a heavily modified version later (technically it's already uploaded, but it's not in Gallery yet), with the version doing away with some of the elements in the above image to make it more minimalistic. Would love your views on that one once I submit it to Gallery! Thanks.

By: alistairfarrugia

Marbella Seascape

I like this, but I think this called for a creative touch and some artistic licence. If you want, I modified this picture and would love to share the result with you to see what you think of it. Essentially, I copped off from the middle and joined the top part of the image (boat, horizon and sky) with the foreground area. This resulted in a 16:9ish image ratio, rather than your current ratio, and I think the composition looks better. It's digitally manipulated, but in my opinion it looks better this way. Would love to see whether you agree or not.

Regardless, I like this. It's simple and effective, really puts across the chill-relax mood that such places tend to inspire. Well taken.

By: Coast

Ten Daffodils

Interesting use of colour popping here, I like that. It's well executed with no spots missed, well done.

The only thing I can suggest is to consider flipping the image horizontally, so as to create a left-to-right "diagonal" with the flowers, rather than one that goes from right to left, top to bottom. I think this would probably result in a more uplifting image. Let's look up, not down!

Take care Nathan and keep them coming!

Alistair

By: NDODS

The Slipway - A Different Angle

Thanks for the comments, I prefer the mono version myself too, as the textures did indeed come out better, plus there's a much more moody atmosphere to the image than in the colour variant.

Still, I uploaded both given their similarity and after all we are all different and have different preferences. The Variant option suits such a circumstance perfectly.

By: alistairfarrugia

Still striking

Have to agree with John - look at the exam as a means to an end and you'll be fine. Keep learning, keep asking for help and comments and you'll keep on improving. But remember, the ultimate criticism comes from you - make sure you like the work you're doing and if that's there, then you keep on shooting and enjoying this wonderful hobby.

For me, V1 is better composed and presented, so that gets my vote. Keep up the effort and good work Colleen.

By: ColleenW

Smartphone Challenge 2 - Sunset over Bugibba

Thanks Effrossini, appreciate your vote and comment. It was a beautiful sunset and this image doesn't do it justice unfortunately!

By: alistairfarrugia

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