Pics for Etsy: First Batch of Pics

[unforth]

Hey all, based on my etsy post the other day, I've spent some time and (a little bit) more energy, and put together a post with the beginning pics I'm thinking about making into cards (see my previous post if you have no clue what I'm talking about ;) ). I kinda think the number I've got in here would be a pretty reasonable starting point. All of these are unedited. I haven't even gone through a lot of my sets, but it doesn't hurt to have more I can draw on if this goes well, and it's not worth over extending myself if it's gonna fall through.

These are all the raw images. See my other post from this evening for my first faltering attempts at doing photo manipulation.

I've numbered these images. Please, if you've got the time to look through this, it'd be super helpful if ya'll could tell me which numbers you LIKE, and which, if any, you think I'm wasting my time with. Don't worry. I won't be offended. The key is, how suitable is this image for being printed 4 x 6 and put on a card. That's all I care about.

1. Thames Sunset:


2. Graffiti:

1 vote

3. Big Ben and Parliament:


4. Sunset Over the River:


5. Architecture Along the Thames:

1 vote

6. Angel Over Prague:

I know it's a cliche, but if asked, I would say that I feel this to be the best picture I've ever taken.
1 vote

7. T.C. Masaryka Statue:


8. Statue Outside the Main Courtyard:


9. Tunnel:

1 vote

10. Demon Face:


11. Snow Storm:

1 vote

12. Belvedere Castle:


13. Guiseppe Verde Memorial:


14. Sunset Over the Henry Hudson Parkway:


15. Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial:


16. Mormon Church:

I think this is a nice shot, but I'd clearly have to do a little bit of modification on it to remove those lens smears from the sky...
1 vote

17. Lady Bug on my Book:

4 vote

18. Globe at Columbus Circle:

1 vote

19. St. Thomas Church:

1 vote

20. Oops!:


21. Columbine:

4 vote

22. Rose:


23. (removed)
24. (removed)

25. Jackie O Reservoir:


26. Snowy Lettuce Thing:

1 vote

27. Snow out the Window:

1 vote

28. The Intrepid at Sunset:

1 vote

29. Riverside Park:

1 vote

30. Cold Pigeons:

1 vote

31. Pylons:


32. Snowman!:


33. White Flowers:

1 vote

34. Hand Prints:

1 vote

35. The Loneliest Daffodil:


36. Fire-Breathing Gargoyle:


37. Waves on Rocks:


38. Looking In:


39. Pylons:


40. Don't Panic, People!:


41. Purple Onion Flower:


42. Purple Buds:


43. Bleeding Heart:


44. Blue Flowers:


45. Corn:

2 vote

46. Purple-Pink Flowers:


47. Variegated Yuca:


48. Red Hot Poker:


49. Bee on a Sunflower:

1 vote

50. Double Rose Lotus:


51. Parodia Magnifica:


52. Lotus Leaf:


53. Loads of Little Red Bugs:


54. The Stump in the Forest:


55. (removed)

56. Phoenix:


57. Church of St. Paul and St. Peter:

1 vote

58. Slug:


59. 72nd Street:


60. Seed Pods:


61. Magnolia:


62. Squiggly Trees:

1 vote

63. Shibuya:


64. Cute Firemen:

1 vote

65. Sunlight on Spires (Prague):


66. The Tower of London:


67. Lightbulb Filament:


68. (removed)

69. Petals:

1 vote

70. Central Park South by Night:


71. Canadian Geese Chicks:


72. Columbus Circle:


73. Stained Glass:


74. Dramatic Sky Over Washington:


75. Gingerbread Girl and Snowman:


76. Water on a Leaf:


77. ConEd Training Facility on the East River:


78. Tokyo Tower:

Thanks for looking, folks!

Comments

[akashiver.livejournal.com]

My faves in the bunch I've not yet commented on are 16, 17, 18, 21, 26, 30. 33, 45, and 49.

There are a some photos (like 23 and 24) that are perfectly nice shots, but don't have great color (the flowers are in shade, the center of the butterfly wing is washed out). This might be fixed with photo manip. Then again, you've also got to ask yourself how many other shots of butterflies / flowers are out there and whether the time and effort you put into manip will make them stand out from the crowd.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

And the other two you liked were #5 and #9. Thanks for the input - it's good to hear which ones people like, both when they coincide with the ones I like best, and when they don't - and it's especially helpful to see which overlap with what nekomata liked.

If 6 is the one picture I think of if I have to pick a personal favorite of all the pics I've taken, 26 is my second choice, so I'm especially excited that you like it. :)

As to others, I think that 5 would need to be brightened up a bit; I definitely need to fix the lens smears in 16; and it's particularly helpful to know which flower shots, like 33 and 49, "stand out" from the batch - because you do need to convince people that your pictures of plants are more worthwhile than any one elses pictures of plants. :)

I was a little ambivalent about 24, because the butterfly isn't washed out - it's upside down - because it's dead (you can see it's legs bent up). So I think I'll remove it.

I really like 23, but neither you or nekomata do, so I'm gonna remove it. And 24. Cause I really wasn't sure about it. :)

And I definitely hear ya about butterfly/flower shots -

Problem images.

[nekomata.livejournal.com]

1 and 5 need a lot of work. 11 is a bit creepy. 12 needs more contrast, but is nice otherwise.
I like all of the flowers except 23. It doesn't do a good job of keeping the eye on the photo or leading it anywhere. There's too much sameness. 68 Has a similar problem. 33 doesn't have this problem because it has a direct upward motion.
30 needs to be brightened a bit.
55 just doesn't stand up to the rest.

Re: Problem images.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

I agree that 5 needs a bunch of work, but given that it's one of akashiver's favorites, that makes me think it might be worth doing. 1 is a shot that I love, which is why I've already started messing with it (I have to get off LJ soon, so I'll respond to the sample manip you did a little later).

I don't know what it is about 11, but I've loved that shot ever since I took it...it's just snow on garbage bags...but I could be easily convinced that it's actually crap and I should remove it. ;)

I think you're right about 12 - it could stand to have the colors be more vibrant; or I can just wait for a nicer, sunnier day, and take the pic again - I pass there pretty often. ;)

As I said to akashiver, as you both don't like 23, I'm gonna take it as a sign that I was wrong about that one. :) Also with 68 - I've always kinda like shots that highlight "profusion," but I definitely, definitely see your point, so I'm gonna go with it and remove that one too. I may include them in a second batch again and solicit more opinions, if this all proves successful. And I also think I understand why 33 is different - so I'll keep that in mind when I'm picking images.

I think 30 is worth working on, if it needs work. I took the pics that day while it was still very overcast, so they're all a little dark.

55 was, imo, the most marginal pic in this batch. I almost didn't include it (this is already a second run - I selected about 10 more than this originally and removed the ones that I thought didn't work well) - this one was the "worst" to make the cut - so I think I'll go with what you say and remove it.

I gotta go - I'll respond to the other comment later. :)

Re: Problem images.

[nekomata.livejournal.com]

The ones that I mentioned needing work aren't ones I meant should be hacked out of the finals, sorry if I was unclear on that. I wouldn't have mentioned they needed work if I didn't think there was hope for them. :}
Some people might like 11, it is a neat image, I just also find it kind of creep for some reason. Hehe.

Re: Problem images.

[nekomata.livejournal.com]

Oh, also, profusion can work and I think if you made some crafts with photos that 68 would be a great choice. I could see it working very well on a mug, for example. It just didn't hold interest as a postcard.

Re: Problem images.

[nekomata.livejournal.com]

Number 12

Hehe. This is just bumped up contrast, subdued brightness and changed hue to make the sky look bluer after the other fixes bleached it. This took less than a minute.
I know there's an appeal to raw images, but even when I develop by hand I use tricks to change the same issues. Somehow digital will always feel like cheating though. :}

What camera are you using by the way? I have a Canon Rebel XTI, and I can put lens filters on it.

I'm almost positive J took this image with a UV filter on the lens, which cut the haze a lot.
http://dyrecorn.deviantart.com/art/Hornet-II-89060296

Re: Problem images.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

That does look better. Definitely have to do more manip. :)

As to what type of camera I have, lol - I have absolutely nothing fancy. My camera is a Canon Digital Elph SD 1000 - I used to have a 660, which a couple of these photos are from (at least one of them, anyway) and before that I had the 220. I really like the Digital Elphs, but they're pretty basic. But - it's small and easy to use and fits in my pocket. ;)

[nekomata.livejournal.com]

The ones that really stand out to me as good images for postcards are:
2: The guy fits in so well, and the angles are interesting.
6: It may be cliche, but people like cliches.
17: Really good textures, interesting lines.
21: Good macro shot, the fuzzy background and grate make this image.
28: Good lighting, good lines, interesting subject. Sunset is not overwhelming.
45: Good lines, nice colors, nice texture. This looks like a good food postcard.
57: On of the best architecture shots, in my opinion. Nothing seems odly cut off/washed out/etc.
64: It's adorable.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

So, reviewing these...

I think 2 is a lock in - the colors are good, the guy is well placed but not facing the camera so I'm not being rude to a random civilian, and I agree that the angles work - so thanks for the confirmation.

I've already discussed my feelings on 6. ;)

I've taken a couple of pictures like 17, and I'm never sure if I like them or not - they're digital macro all the way - I think the reason that I think this is a good photo is the sunlight reflecting on the bugs carapace and its shadow...

As I mentioned above, 21 is my second favorite image I've taken of all time, after 6. And I always feel the need to note that I didn't pick that flower and put it there, I found it like that. :)

28 is one of the more recent images on here, but I'd say it's also on my list of personal favorites - it's the way the sunlight reflects off the bow of the ship that I think makes it work. Thanks for the feed back on it. Thank god the clouds were where they were, or else the sun would have been nuts.

I was actually hesitant to include 45, and I'm glad that both you and akashiver liked it - I thought it was a little different, but was less than confident. :)

Good to hear about 57; I actually was really unsure about that one and almost didn't include it.

64, along with 55 (the squirrel), was another shot I almost didn't include. I think it's cute, but I was worried about the reflections on the metal - that it looked, I don't know, washed out or weird. But I take it that it does actually work?

[nekomata.livejournal.com]

I'm about to take J to class but really quick...

21 is one of my favorites in this set. Flower macros can look incredibly classy.

45 reminds me so much of farmer's markets and fairs, it is also familiar in that most people have had roasted corn. Coupled with the composition, it's a really neat shot. (I also like food photography, but that didn't figure in to this. ^,^)

64 reminds me of pop-culture postcards and is very cute. I like the reflections, but maybe you can fiddle with it a bit to make the stone darker?

55 was cute, just not like the others; you need some animal photos later on!

[unforth.livejournal.com]

The problem with animal shots is that animals move and don't like you getting close to them with cameras. :( I have some good zoo shots, but so far none of these zoos will allow me to print the images as cards (though if this takes off at all, I was thinking I could talk to some of these organizations about what would be involved in getting permission to use the images commercially - for example, the Chicago Botanical Garden talks about it on their webpage, it'd cost me like $50 but I could then use them however I want, if I read it right). The reason 55 is so washed out is that I took it with digital zoom; I had a neat picture of a hawk in the first run which had exactly the same problem, and I decided to remove it. 71 has exactly the same issue, but there was so much sunlight that it didn't wash out as bad, and the Canadian geeselings end up looking like they've got haloes in a way that I think might work (but I'll admit that it's a borderline shot for me, too)...

I took 45 at a street fair. :) I like food photography, too.

I think it'd be worth trying to darken up 64 - but now I know it's worth doing. :)

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the input!

[ireneadler.livejournal.com]

My favorites are 11, 17, 19, 21, 27, 29, 34, 62, and 69. Although take that with a grain of salt as I know nothing about photography! The two bird pictures are nice, but the I thought framing was a bit off, with half of a few birds missing.

Good luck with this!

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Thanks for taking the time to look through them! Knowing about photography isn't what matters - since I want to sell prints, it's more important to know what people like, even if they lack the photographers knowledge to say what and why they like it. I see what you mean about the bird pics - I had noticed that with the geese, but oddly I totally missed that it was true of the pigeon shot until you pointed it out. :)

Thanks! I hope it works out...either way, though, I'm having fun!