A few images taken in Spain with the K10d

Hi I have just returned from Almeria in Spain and here a few images I took

Enjoy

Comments Welcome

Pete

Excellent pics. I have to say your 'eye' for a good image is improving in leaps and bounds.

If I had to be critical, the horizon on pic 3 is not horizontal. I like the pic with the boat and red can the most.

Well done.

Good pics! I would like a straighter horizon on pic three though.

Thanks Guys and Girls

I have just edited the horizon in PS looks ok now i think.

Also I have tweaked the levels in both Pic 1 and 3 to add more colour.

Pic 1 sunset has a more dramatic effect now in my opinion

Pete

Strongly agree.

Just one thing. I don't think any of the mono shots benefit at all from having the colour removed.

The effect they have on me is along the lines of...

"... ah yes, the standard and rather predictable 'let's have a couple of B&W shots in here' "

...except that they don't have the fantastic contrast, sharpness, etc, that makes it impossible to take your eye off it. They're rather flat. Compositionally quite appealing, but without any of the impact that you'd want to see with a truly awesome B&W photograph.

If I was improving as fast as you are, Pete, with the colour ones, I'd be inclined to stick with them until the monochrome ones are a bit more memorable.

Although if getting roasted here for putting up your earlier stuff is part of the incentive for the improvement visible in the selection you've posted in this thread, I'd publish and be damned...

Edit: following Mannesty's comment, I just noticed the red bit in the boat pic. Sorry, but my reaction was

That technique needs to be much bolder, and much less random, to make it worthwhile, IMHO.

Edit 2: What lens did you use for the one of the bee?

Well I strongly disagree, Pete should be banned from this forum, have his camera confiscated and be permanantly deported to Spain, his pics have got steadilly worse and he is giving me an inferiority complex I just got back from Fuerteventura and All I got was some Ruddy Turnstones (no thats not swearing) a Little Egret, Spanish Sparrows and some Chipmunks, WHY couldnt "I" go to Almeria and get those rubbish shots




PS: Pete, when you finally move over there are you going to be doing escourted photographic tours

Definitely.

You can tell he's getting better, he says "images" instead of "photos" or "pictures"...

Edit: edited my post above to remove the word "image".

Yeah!

Well all I can say is......."oooh these are nice, you must have a good camera"

Guys I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry

From the comments Impotentent spider cant work out if you think the image are S..t or decent LOL LOL What else should one expect LOL

I am working strongly now on compostition as I think this is the key to decent images. I shoot AV prority and tend to take several to get the EV
right.

I really like B&W and know what you guys mean about impact perhaps a few tips using PS would be appreciated as I am trying to master this.

The deadly Bee was taken using the 18-55mm kit lens which probably shows. LOL

Love or Hate the shots I've stirred some imotion yet again !

HEY HEY

Pete

Just to be clear, Pete, I think you're improving fast. IMO this last lot is way better than your earlier offerings.

It was the just the B&W ones that looked a bit random. For B&W to work, there has to be enough of interest about the lighting, contrast, and of course the subject, to make up for the fact that there's no colour.

I've never shot in B&W though, so although I know what I like, I have no idea how actually to produce it!

Keep at it

Great shots Pete, they could grace the pages of any magazines - I've seen many published that aren't up to that standard!

One thing I find 'old and predictable' for landscapes, is the inclusion of rocks to add foreground interest. It's a general rule that critics usually insist on but because it is used so often, I just think it looks contrived.

Your last shot looks natural enough and it works well but the first (sunset) shot doesn't quite look right to me - there are no other rocks of that size and so you could have placed them there yourself.
I think something a little more subtle would have worked better ie. a plant or clump of grass, a bird or small animal - anything other than a big rock!

I think that too many photographers try to make every rocky terrain look like a lunar landscape and it doesn't always work (just my opinion, of course).

Updated B&W Ive added more sharpnes, noise ands contrast

Just experimenting

Pete

Nah, the first one (or at least the one above), is better, i think you've lost the sky now.

Picture 1 in your first post, looks ... flat?... too processed? Sky is dramatic but there seems too much light on the front of the stones, they should be in shadow shouldn't they?

I like the BW boat, but can't see any colour in there at all, the bee is great and you have great DoF in the flowers/beach image.

Nice one!

Cheers

The boat image was just messing about converted to B&W but I left the coca cola can in original red colour just to catch ones eye.

The sunset was a bit rushed I'll try and get the lighting right in the foreground

Cheers anyway

Pete

Now should I keep you in suspense and NOT tell you

NAH! got to admit I like them, six of them anyway, the one I dont like, sorry let me re-phrase that.....the one I am not impressed with is i feel a bit amatuerish (anyone could have snapped it), but TBH it is a difficult subject for newcomers, I suspect it was a grabbed shot and you didn't specifically go out looking for it, thats just my humble opinion of course, if you dont like it you can always tell me to BUZZ off