Composition troubles,..

[faeriegodess612]

Maybe I'm nuts, but I'm assuming that every photographer goes thru this at some point. I'm getting to that stage where I'm wondering if my photography is any good. And I don't mean just its in focus and the lighting is right. I'm not worried about exposure, I'm worried about composition. I mean, photography is mainly about the art of it, right? I don't want my pictures to be just pictures, if that makes any sense. ?

I'm wanting to build a portfolio of the best of what I've gotten so far, and take it to the photography professor at the local community college and ask him what he thinks. That and theres another local photographer in town that I'd love to meet. I'm hoping to be able to do this next pay day. Gotta love a recession. Anywayz,... if anyone wants to comment, my Flickr is with my signature. I believe it should be public now.

**Quick side note**
Anyone know if theres a way to watermark in Gimp other than just using the text?

Is there a question in there somewhere or is this just a statement about your overall sense of self?

[faeriegodess612]

lol Both? I guess. It's kinda an,...has anybody else ever gotten this way? ,... and a if you want, check out my flickr, and tell me what you think.

[OsmosisStudios]

Flickr stream seems fairly strong. I think the main problem is subject matter, or lack thereof. Youve got pictures of your son (im assuming), flowers and one building, mainly. Branch out.

I see you're using a point and shoot: dont let that stop you. Try to look at things as individual pieces instead of as a whole. Get up close to something big, or far away from something small. Find something new and interesting and FUN to shoot. I know raising a little one can be tough, but see if you cant find yourself some time alone to visit a new place, camera in hand.

I often find the best inspiration is from just looking around and seeing things differently. Failing that, go somewhere new and look at things differently.

[faeriegodess612]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the pictures of Billy. The little booger is actually my friends son,...lol, but most of the time when were out somewhere ppl think that of course the blonde curly headed kid would belong to the blonde curly headed chick. My friend has dark hair, and its only slighty curly. Her sisters are the blondes.

Thank you, Oz,..for the ideas. Looking back over the pictures that are on there, I remembered I need to add some more. And looking at one in particular, I thought of how I could get in close to something in one of the pictures.

Any other ideas or comments are still appreciated. Will add more pics to the stream right now.

[milosh]

You're not nuts, I'm sure everyone's had a phase like that, I know I do!
The important thing is that you continue to try and learn. I guess photography is mostly about the art of it, but you also have newspaper and sports photography, which is often just reporting the facts without any artistic input. I think you can't go wrong in asking someone for an opinion. About the Gimp, here's just a couple of pages Google has on it:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2176726_wate...sing-gimp.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...5140131AAN4RS7
http://registry.gimp.org/node/6703

[kencaleno]

If you want some ideas of what to photograph here's a few for starters.


Lifestyle

Waking up
Brushing teeth
Making Breakfast
Taking medicine
Taking a shower
Putting on makeup, other female grooming scenarios
Shaving; men's grooming
Getting dressed, choosing clothes
Travelling to work, or school (public transportation, driving, biking)
Working or being at school (every kind of job, from blue collar to professional, all levels of school)
Having a social/business or school lunch
Using a laptop to do work, schoolwork at a desk with or without laptop (use modern technology)
Making a phone call, cell phone, home or desk phone (use modern technology) Reading
Going to the gym, exercising, sports, after school activities
Doing homework, working in a home office
Preparing a meal
Having dinner
Watching TV
Leisure home activities, like playing in the backyard, having drinks on the porch, playing video games, hobbies - this is a broad area.
Nightlife activities, at a bar, restaurant, dancing, party, going to the theatre, movies etc.
Romance, dating, intimacy, friendship, family love, sexuality
Pets, activities with pets, pet care
Cleaning
Working on the house home improvement
Shopping
Getting in bed, tucking in the kids
Sleeping
Obesity - overweight people in normal situations that are not disrespectful/ridiculing
Women and hobbies (crafts) ]
Teamwork
Men or women cleaning
Adult college education/adults learning
Barefoot on carpet/rug
Angry or unhappy, frustrated people
Beautiful women of all ethnicities in 20s/30s, smiling - portraits
Spontaneous, active people outdoors
Wedding situations
40-somethings doing anything (especially women)
Women with appliances
People with flaws
Urban/artsy lifestyle
Woman at garage sale
Woman with an injury
Non-posed social occasions
Walking/jogging
Musicians/singers
Very stylish people in various settings - but not fashion
Racing fans
Motor cycle enthusiasm
Quirky people
Everyday activities being executed clearly (taking out garbage etc.)
Suspense
Surprise
Feeling of freedom
Riding lawn mowers
Men with babies engaged in daily activities
Normal people doing extraordinary things
People packing for a trip
People in nightclub
Indoor lifestyle shots with a large amount of floor visible
Friends hanging out
Folk music
Feet in boots walking in water
Drinking water from glasses (not bottles) after working out and otherwise
Men working out
Confidence
Women walking - not for exercise - walking dogs, in nature etc.
Camping
Advocacy
Real disabled people doing everyday activities
People writing
Women in positions of power
Woman or man in danger
Social issues
Handsome men
Series: same person in various stages of the day (day in the life)
Pride
People in costumes
Lifestyle centred around movie making or movie festivals
Hospitality
Homeless
Hip/trendy people on locations
Full body shots or poses of men/women
Distraught people
Co-teachers
Contemporary urban lifestyles
Mom making school lunches
Crowds at events
Boat lifestyle
Happy exuberant women -
Women with money
People jogging/doing activities in suburban environments
Women with bandanas/hats
Close-ups of hands/hands doing actions
Etiquette
Lifestyle centred around wine
Contemplative mature women
RV lifestyle
Stylish faces with different expressions
People driving


Seniors

Stick with natural poses
Wrinkles are ok!
pictures of senior couples in romantic situations
faces of pretty senior women

COUPLES
Cooking together
Hanging around non-sexually - doing everyday things
In bed having fun, being intimate/massage/kissing
Looking bored/having relationship problems/concerned/fighting
Getting ready in the morning- getting dressed, brushing teeth together
Driving together
Eating breakfast/dinner at home
Eating out
Watching TV
Looking at a computer together
Leisure- at the beach, in a hotel, on a balcony, skiing (non-cheesy travel)
Overall hugging, holding hands, mostly happy/laughing but some serious variations of each shot are be useful too
Couples with pets

FAMILIES
Parents getting kids ready for school- dressing, making lunches, brushing teeth
Eating breakfast/dinner together at home- should be vibrant and full of energy but bright and clean
On vacation- packing up the minivan, going camping, on the beach, at the pool
Mom and kid, dad and kid- having fun
Natural interaction all together in the living room, kitchen, watching TV
Activities- board games, video games, outdoor sports- catch, hula hoops, riding bicycles
Tension in family during teen years
Positive scenarios during teen years
Families cooking together and making healthy food choices - preparing fruits + vegetables
Series of images - family going through the day
Halloween
"Lush, magical holiday photography"
Family with dog or cat on carpet/rug
Family finances
Busy families heading out the door
Divorce situations
Families having fun outdoors
Family shopping
Mom + daughter arguing over shopping/fashion
Families using technology
cool kids and capturing their day-to-days, but here are some thoughts based on what buyers said they need.

Watching tv
Hanging out with friends
Couples - hanging out, kissing, breaking up
Playing video games
Watching movies
Eating pizza
Doing homework
Spending time with parents/family - either negatively or positively
Skating boarding
Biking, Surfing, Soccer, Football - any athletic activity, especially informal with friends
Playing in park
Shopping in mall or in urban environment
Driving with friends
Teen driving that is safety related
Learning to drive
In dorm room
On college campus
Reading a book
Talking on cell phone
Getting ready for school
Eating with friends - at home or in a restaurant
Walking a dog
Going to a party
Going to a club
Dancing
Listening to ipod
On computer
In classroom
Study group
Painting and drawing
Taking a photograph
Drinking
Going to prom
Graduation
Packing to go to college
Volunteer work
Public speaking
On beach with friends
Kissing
Holding hands
Getting yelled at by parents
Teens in any kinds of family situations
Sleeping
At concert/indie concert settings
Playing an instrument
Putting on makeup
On a date/dating
Young couple in love
Watching a movie in a theater
Depression
Suicide
Drug abuse
School dances
Trendy, cool, hip kids across or within all ethnicities hanging out
Sub-cultures: music, surf/beach, skate
Teens in backyard settings
Teens in swimming pools
College kids on spring break
Teen boys hiking or camping




Diverse kids in the classroom doing various things - have a shot from behind of kids raising their hands - make sure they are having fun/enthusiastic
Rules in the classroom/Enforcing rules in school
Looking up and thinking
Doing art projects
Science projects (worms, plants, beakers)
Learning outside the classroom - in nature, exploring, looking at maps, looking at the sky, looking through microscope at bug outside
At the chalkboard, writing or doing math
Child or kids talking tteacher or in classroom with teacher (try using a non-white teacher!)
Doing homework - alone, with each other, with parents
Kids in the library, reading, or on the computer
Walking or riding bike w/ backpack on (alone and in groups)
Waiting for bus w/ backpack
On the bus (looking happy and sad/alone)
Modern technology in classrooms - flat screen monitors, white board
In computer labs
Surfing the web at home

Kids with Parents
Kids being bad
Kids being scolded by parent
Doing stuff together - riding bikes, going on walks, skateboarding, skiing, shopping, watching TV
Kids in car in back seat and parent driving
Kids and parent(s) in cars - just coming back from soccer game, eating, fighting

Kids and Health
With casts or other signs of injuries - don't need pictures of cuts or the injuries themselves
Teens in the hospital

Kids and Community Service
Having a carwash for charity and other fundraisers
Kids recycling
Habitat for Humanity (but without logos)
Doing/Learning CPR
Kids Playing
Pictures of kids hanging out on their own or in an after-school program
Doing sports: track, baseball, soccer, cheering for other kids (girls doing sports)
Doing sports and wearing proper safety equipment (helmets, wrist guards etc.)
Boys and girls playing sports together
On swingsets
Playing indoors with toys, legos, trains
Playing videgames
Being bullies
Organizations: in Girl or Boy Scouts, Boys' Choir etc.
Older kids walking down the street together
At the beach
Tween girls dancing and playing
Halloween
Birthday parties
Children with disabilities playing with other kids
In backyard settings

General Activity
Chores/helping around the house (cutting grass, taking out trash, loading dishwasher, doing dishes)
Walking the dog
Summer jobs
Using technology - iPods, laptops, cell phones/Blackberrys
Kids eating
Image that imply child abuse
Vintage/retro shots of kids


Regards, Ken

[Heidilyn]

Wow Ken, now THAT is an amazing list!

[SusanH1970]

That is a good list. I saw it on the Photoshelter blog a while ago, have it bookmarked: http://blog.photoshelter.com/school/...-overview.html

Ken's list has a bit more added to it.

[jagoble25]

Wow! .