"Critique my firearm picture" thread

[BBossman]

I took this photo to demonstrate that as a "1911 guy" I can accept and embrace modern design and materials.

This was taken with an inexpensive Kodak pocket digital and run through Photobucket's simple editing feature. It was taken in full shade on a partly cloudy day. I like the way you can see the grain in the 1911 grips, but dislike the way a cloud passing over head shows up as a smudge in the finish of the slide. The HK... well it's an HK, not much "bling" to show off.

[Lefty223]

Here's my attempt, more to catalog my latest build in 7.62x39mm on the AR platform.

Likes - What I like is adding the comments, which helps me keep records of and/or show latest builds/toys to my friends. I like the background of the floor mat, gives it a purposeful 'tool'-like concept.

Dislikes - Was taken in the basement, using an Apple iPhone whilst under flourescent lighting ... so the color balance looks sorta yellowie (sp?).

image.jpg

[C4IGrant]

Not a gun, but a pic that I worked to get what I wanted to showcase (which was the beautiful finish of the HK mag).







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[Arik]

Took these pictures to try and sell this gun. It's an early 70s S&W model 66 357mag. Only thing used was a cell phone. I like how it came out .....how the stainless stands out on the dark red counter. In the 1st pic I like how the reflection of the counter makes the edges of the revolver rounded

In pic 2 I like the open cylinder in the background.and it's position in regards to the barrel.

Not sure what I don't like since im not into photography. In pic 2 the revolver is on top of the original box it came in so the light seems more dull and the gun doesn't pop out/stand out as much





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[Jellybean]

Great thread idea!

I took this one a few years ago with a Canon Rebel XS and a 50mm I think. I was trying to capture the action of the shot. The FPS on that camera is not very high so I was having to time as best as I could. What I believe is the projectile ahead of the muzzle was the cherry on top. I'm curious about thoughts on the composition for firing shots. The light could be better but it was what I had to deal with. Also curious on how others may have processed it?

Overall, I really like this shot and my buddy was stoked with it.

Cheers.

Pretty good IMO. I've seen less interesting action shots in gun magazines....

[Stickman]

Thanks for the critique Stick! I probably should've revised my original post to accommodate for the series I made from that day, there isn't just ONE photo that was strong but altogether in a booklet I made it worked out. Again, handicaps with range safety aside: your suggestion of getting in close to the left of the German gunner's side would've worked well. I didn't think of that until you mentioned it. It's nice to reflect back on old work, figure out what worked and what didn't so we can apply it to the next "assignment."

I'm a huge photography nerd and study quite a lot of it. All are shot on film, Portra 400.

Here's another from the same day with the pattern of 3's again. My dislike with this is that I could've waited a little longer for the rounds to hit the backdrop and dust to kick up for a more lively photo.

This one works well, especially with the synchronized layout. Even with the constraints you were under, this still could be used as a firearm instructor poster, or for a military website.

If you had been able to take 2 or 3 steps to your left, the background would have been completely impact zone, and that would have made for perfection (IMHO).

[Stickman]

Great thread idea!

I took this one a few years ago with a Canon Rebel XS and a 50mm I think. I was trying to capture the action of the shot. The FPS on that camera is not very high so I was having to time as best as I could. What I believe is the projectile ahead of the muzzle was the cherry on top. I'm curious about thoughts on the composition for firing shots. The light could be better but it was what I had to deal with. Also curious on how others may have processed it?

Overall, I really like this shot and my buddy was stoked with it.

Cheers.

This picture works very well. It might not have crazy processing, but for the firearm world, it shows a shooter with good form, proper safety equipment, and engaging in a rapid string of rounds. The exposure is solid, and the focus is in the right spot. This is the sort of photo that most people with cameras strive to get. For the person in the pic, they like it because it is a solid action photo and shows skill. For the viewer, it is a nice picture because the background is out of focus, and the eye goes directly to the spent shell casings.

Overall, this pic is rock steady.

What I would have changed would be based on artistic preferences and from shooting commercial work. I would have made the pic more gritty, if you want I can do a quick edit to show you what I mean. Functionally I would not change anything in this picture, as the composition is solid.

The downside for the person shooting the weapon is the shirt hangs in a manner which makes him look like he could lose a couple pounds. A tighter crop would change that, but again, that is very minor and highly subjective.

[Stickman]

I took this photo to demonstrate that as a "1911 guy" I can accept and embrace modern design and materials.

This was taken with an inexpensive Kodak pocket digital and run through Photobucket's simple editing feature. It was taken in full shade on a partly cloudy day. I like the way you can see the grain in the 1911 grips, but dislike the way a cloud passing over head shows up as a smudge in the finish of the slide. The HK... well it's an HK, not much "bling" to show off.

Regarding the clouds, I could start rambling off about angle of incident equals angle of reflection and a bunch of other stuff, but it really doesn't matter. What you have here is a very good, clean picture that showcases the two items very well. This image isn't set up to be a marketing piece, and it doesn't try to be. In the layout and details, this picture shows people exactly what they need to know, and it does it very cleanly.

From an artistic point of view, sure, the cloud caused a bit of darkening, but it isn't something most people would notice. Personally I would have cocked and locked the 1911, but that is just me. The main thing which would have made this picture stand out would have been a change of background. The wood almost camouflages the HK. Since we view things on screen in a scrolling manner, placing the 1911 on the bottom would have negated that to a degree, but that is getting pretty nitpicky. What would look awesome is the exact same pic and lighting, on something darker. The highlights from the 1911 would have still stood out, but the lighter HK would have stood out more as well. Overall, this pic is better than most I see online.

[Stickman]

Not a gun, but a pic that I worked to get what I wanted to showcase (which was the beautiful finish of the HK mag).



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It certainly falls under the firearm context, so it is GTG. From a generic perspective, there isn't much that really needs to be improved on. HOWEVER, you aren't shooting generic images, so there is room for a bit of improvement. In this case, the change is simple, and to showcase the beauty and clean lines as well as sheen, there needs to be a bit more showing around the edges. This is certainly a nitpick, and minor, but a SLIGHTLY less close crop would aid in actually showing off the magazine. If you were looking to do something artistic, I would have shot it on a piece of slate so the rough would contrast the smooth, but being as you are shooting for web/ catalog, I would just show a smig more around the edges. Again, we are talking a very minor detail, but it is one that would make a difference in the "first look".

If I were shooting this for HK social media (which we have), or something similar, I would personally work an isolated background, but I don't see a need for that as the social media context and other stuff we do that way is pushing for a different result. In the realm of websites, the above pic illustrates the product nicely.

[Stickman]

Here's my attempt, more to catalog my latest build in 7.62x39mm on the AR platform.

Likes - What I like is adding the comments, which helps me keep records of and/or show latest builds/toys to my friends. I like the background of the floor mat, gives it a purposeful 'tool'-like concept.

Dislikes - Was taken in the basement, using an Apple iPhone whilst under flourescent lighting ... so the color balance looks sorta yellowie (sp?).

image.jpg

Do you have a larger version you can upload by any chance?

From what I can see, your goal was reached 100% for intent of the image. The background works well, and aids nicely in presenting it as a "work shop" or industrial style layout. I like it. Regarding the dislike, I like the artistist feel the misrepresented whitebalance gives. It is kinda like a sepia tone, and it works nicely whether on purpose or not.