Stripes and Arrows

This photo was taken way back in the summer of 2009 at bristol balloon festival. The aim of this particular shot was to motion of the planes, whilst they were in a good formation

There was not much effort in the settings, as I was using a point and shoot at the time; most of the work was in the framing and timing of the shot

• I set my ISO and my shutter speed high, to capture the image quickly and with minimal blur. However, this has had the effect of increasing noise within the image
• In terms of composure, I tried several formations, however this seemed to be the most simple, and the best looking
•  To increase the look of speed, the planes are located towards the top of the shot. Giving the impression of  a high velocity

My Personal critique:

I like the colours in this picture. The bolder colours, the red in particular stand out clearly from the blue and white background. The best colour, in my opinion, is the fading blue just below the 3 planes on the left.

Framing and composure is decent, with the planes taking up a sizeable chunk of the picture, there is an adequate amount of space on either side. This has the effect of preventing a cluttered or crowded looking image

To Improve: The real downside of this photo is all the noise, particularly visible in some of the deeper blues. removing the grain would increase the quality of the image several times over, by making the edges crisper and cleaner. (I will probably remove the noise at a later point, I will repost the improved copy)

Do you have any comments or feedback?  Leave them below, or on my Flickr page.

Manta Dive

I took this photo last summer, at Sea World in Orlando. I was trying to capture the motion and action of the “Manta” ride. Specifically I wanted to frame the action and produce a well-rounded image.

To achieve this, I used a number of techniques:

• I framed the image, splitting it up into 2 main parts; The “Manta” s, and the ride itself. I was conscious of including a reasonable amount of sky to spread the image out and increase the amplitude of the colour present.
• I also captured the falling water in the centre of the image, this addition bolsters the action and drama within the photo.
• In terms of my settings I used a high shutter speed (1/400th second) to freeze the coaster train as it banks into its descent. The train fills most of the visible track, so the picture seems full of action, rather than isolating it to one specific point.

My Personal critique:

The colours in this picture are very rich, deep blues and bright whites permeate the image. Perhaps the colour is slightly too deep. A reduced saturation would make the photo seem more ‘real’

Framing and composure is exemplary; the “Manta” sign gives clarity to the image, explaining the subject well. It also separates the image into pieces without crowding the frame.

In terms of achieving its aim, I think this photo has done well. It capture the action clearly, displaying it clearly and effectively.

To improve: I would clean up some of the details, for instance the fern in the top left corner. This would simplify the image further.

Do you have any comments or feedback?  Leave them below, or on my Flickr page.