Suri Shoots - S. Prateek

18/01/2018

Of late, I haven't been posting too often.
Will try to post once every two weeks from now on.

IDENTIFY HOW TO MAKE THE PHOTOGRAPH BETTER

Anyway, I am re-initiating posting with a rather mainstream, popular subject across the internet: puppies. Other than the subject's charm, other aspects that need to be noted include:

i. The sparkle in the canine's eyes. The white spot can be artificially created by using a low intensity flash burst. The point behind using a flash burst of low intensity is to ensure the creation of the white spot, without affecting the natural lighting substantially.

I shall write on the effects of flash in a different post.

The idea behind having the said white spot is to depict moisture in the eyes. Otherwise, the animal might look a little lifeless.

2. Further, the photograph has been shot at eye-level. This allows for a more intimate photograph. Additionally, given that you generally view animals from above, a photograph from the eye-level provides a fresher perspective.

3. Lastly, there is an issue with the background, which I shall not disclose right now. Take a few shots in the comments. I will reveal my answer a little later in the comments.

Also, let me know if you can think of any other ways of making the photograph better.

Queries are welcome.

If you have got any photograph that you would like me to critique, (preferably) just post it on my page or alternatively, send it across as a message.

Feel free to praise, criticize or share.

28/12/2017

An interesting read. Fascinating photographs.
I especially like his approach for handling subjects that have been covered often. For instance, in the case of the swan, he chose a novel background to give an ethereal look.
I would suggest a quick look at this article.

Want to take pictures that will make people gasp? Photographer David Yarrow shares his advice on how to avoid the played-out and zoom in on the unexpected.

26/07/2017

IDENTIFY PROBLEM. (Also, guess structure in Bandel)
You will have to look closely for the problem.

I personally enjoy shooting pictures that are symmetric, but at the same time I like having one element that breaks the symmetry. In this case, the hanging object serves that purpose.

Also, note that I have provided the upper structure from which the object is hanging. If I had cut that out, the picture would have looked jarring as it would have seemed that the object was hanging in air.

TIP: Always check if there are objects that seem to be hanging in thin air, or coming out of nowhere. You don't necessarily have to include the source structure, but consider both options.

Politely worded constructive criticism would be appreciated.

I intend to post way more regularly now.

In the event that you would like me to critique any of your photographs, please feel free to post on the page and I will definitely review it.

Would be grateful if you could share the page.

Feel free to comment/message across any questions.

28/12/2016

I shot this slightly off campus on a phone. Two points to note.
TIPS: While standing you don't always appreciate all the possible pictures that could be shot. For instance, bending low in this picture allowed me to capture the reflection of the clouds in the lake, but a beginner photographer might have lost the opportunity due to minimal understanding of possible opportunities.
Bottom line: Try changing your position while looking for interesting photographs.
Another point I want you to note is the presence of foreground. I always try to include some foreground in my landscape pictures.
I feel that a landscape photographer should be able to momentarily transport the viewer to the scene and providing a foreground makes it easier for the viewer to imaginarily place himself into the scene.
Feel free to criticize or/and compliment.
Message or comment any of your questions over. If you wish that I critique any of your pictures, feel free to post them and I shall do the rest.

15/11/2016

Shot this in Ushuaia, Argentina.
SPOT THE MISTAKE.
It is a rather elementary mistake, but correcting it will immensely improve your wildlife photography. It is one of the easiest ways to cause a big shift in the quality of your photographs.
Any questions are welcome and if you want me to review any of your pictures, just post it onto the page and I'll do the rest.
Please do compliment or criticize...
Also, I would be overjoyed if you guys could help spread the word.

24/06/2016

PYROWALTZ
QUICK TIP: A regular mistake novice photographs make is overexposing.
In crude terms, "overexposing" is making the picture too bright. I shall go into the technicalities a little later in this post, but for now all I need you understand is that as a general rule, slightly darker pictures are more attractive. The colours come out better and the picture doesn't look pale. Essentially, there is greater contrast between the shades.
So, how do you prevent overexposure?
You can either increase the shutterspeed or decrease the aperture. If you have questions about these, please feel free to comment and I shall definitely get back.
How do you judge whether your settings will ensure an aptly exposed picture?
For this, you have something called a light metre. It is essentially a numberline, with "0" indicating aptly exposed and -1 and +1 indicating underexposure and overexposure respectively (as judged by the camera's AI). Personally, I generally like my pictures at -0.5. It all comes down to individual taste.Look at the preview on your camera, and decide if you want to make it "brighter or darker" yourself.
Feel free to compliment or criticize or both.
Questions are welcome and if you would like me to review any pictures, please post them onto my page and I shall do the rest.

27/05/2016

I shot this one on campus in Hyderabad.
There are two points to note over here:
Firstly, I had a better shot than this one, but unfortunately, I deleted it by mistake.Since then, I no longer delete directly from my camera. Even on the computer, I work with copies. A lot about "learning from your mistakes", is not just about identifying and noting them, but also putting mechanisms in place to avoid the same in the future. A mental note alone generally isn't enough to avoid repeating mistakes. You need to bring in tangible structural changes in the manner you function.
Secondly, the picture you see is not what I saw with my naked eye. Your camera can capture images in ways that your eye cannot and that is where a photographer's creativity comes into play. You need to start noticing images which do not exist. The bird was fairly visible in actuality. I noticed that a silhouette could be created by noticing the difference in lighting between the background and the bird.
A more technical tip: If you want to shoot a silhouette, what you need is a background which is bright RELATIVE to the subject in the foreground.
Image has been slightly edited for exposure.
Please do compliment or criticize.
Questions are welcome.
If you require a critique of any of your images, post them on my page and I'll do the rest.

04/05/2016

If any of you wish that I critique your photographs, please post them onto this page's timeline. I shall critique the photograph in the comment section itself. You will find your post showing under the "visitor posts" section, which is on the left side of this page.
Rohit had already sent me his picture in a similar manner and you can find my critique by going to the link below.
Reading other's critiques is a fantastic way of improving your own skills. But please understand that while reading critiques it is important to keep note of what constitute technical errors and what are mere suggestions influenced by the critic's own personal tastes.
So please feel free to post your images onto the timeline.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1041455482577344&set=o.1509201086021830&type=3

04/03/2016

Of late, I have been choosing photographs which are useful for teaching lessons as opposed to purely aesthetic photographs. So, this time around I am posting a photograph which I really like.
LESSON: This picture teaches us a lesson in photography as well. It is a classic example of the concept of scaling. While trying to showcase the size of an object, it is beneficial to include an object whose size is well known. For instance, including a human beside a large animal allows the viewer to get a better understanding of the size of the animal.
Over here, in the bottom left corner you can see two boats carrying people. This inclusion of people allows you to truly appreciate the size of the iceberg. I shot the picture from another such boat.
If you have got any questions, please post them in the comments section and I shall definitely reply.
Feel free to criticize or compliment.
P.S. The Iceberg's size left me awestruck.

13/12/2015

SPOT THE MISTAKE. One of the most fundamental mistakes that a photographer can commit. Please point out any mistakes you can think of.
Also, if you look closely you can get an idea of the kind of numbers that penguins reside in.
Though I had posted the other three pictures that were selected for the 2014 Young Travel Photographer OT Year Final round, I have postponed posting this one. I believe this was the weakest of my submission.
The submission topic was "Destinations". I wanted to show the different aspects of Antarctica. So, I chose this picture for representing the harsh nature of the climate. In others, I showcased beauty, warmth and the journey to Antarctica. You can find them in earlier posts. I have flagged them out in the description.
Feel free to message or "comment" any questions over.
Please do compliment or criticize.

07/11/2015

GUESS THE OBJECT.
Hint: This was at the bow (front end) of the ship.
Members of SOI Expedition are not allowed to answer.
TIP: This was shot with the most basic of point and shoot cameras. Keeping a P&S camera allows unique perspectives and serves as a handy backup in the absence or inadequacy of a bulkier camera.
Also, this photograph shows that the dullest of objects can result in an interesting visual. The key to gaining such perspectives lies in spending some time with the subject. After spending some time with the subject, you start to notice shadows, reflections, etc and this extra information leads to what I am referring to as "unique perspectives".
Please do criticize or compliment.

07/10/2015

SPOT the problem in the picture. Note that there is no requirement of any prior "knowledge" for spotting the error. It is just about observation. Look closely. It is all about observation and awareness.
Viewing the full screen version of the image will help you spot it.
TIP: A little care prior to pressing the button goes a long way.
Please do compliment or criticize.