Does this photograph looks professional enough to win?

Question

we are having a photograph contest in our local newspaper.. I am an into photography but am an ameture.. is this good enough to post? you can look at the rest of my work and see if there is a better one..

http://a728.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/29/l_c8987994dcbe9e485dce15812995ab8f.jpg

here are the rest of them:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=394945957&albumId=984290

Answer 1

It is good enough  to enter, go ahead and enter it, but also remember, it not always the best photo that wins those contests.  Sometimes( usually, as a matter of fact) there is some type of another agenda.  So if you don't win, don't let it hurt your ego.  But, that is one way of getting your work out there!  So, you win anyway!

Answer 2

Do you have the top of the flower in your original image. I just think the crop is wrong. Nice DOF and exposure, though.

Answer 3

I dont think It has  the Potential to win as there is nothing in particular that attracts attention, the Pic would have been better if the background was more out of focus so that the flowers really Popped Out and made u take notice and sometimes when taking these pics it s good to get on the ground and take the shot from a lower point of view so u are actually looking up at it and have the clean background of the Sky. I had trouble viewing youre Other Photos though so cant choose a different one. Good Luck!

Answer 4

I'm going to strongly disagree with justalittlebossy.  Professional photographers do not have good photos because of their editing software.  The best photos require little editing.  Listen to Hugh Jordan.  I admire your ambition to improve your photography.  I would go ahead and enter it, especially if there's no cost to you.  Just one suggestion to you--you tilted a lot of your pictures, which I assume is you wanting to change the perspective.  Rather than tilt, go down low.  Look at things at their level, and that will add more flavor than tilting.  Just experiment and keep seeking critique.  There are all kinds of groups and forums for this.  Most of all, have fun!

Answer 5

Its okay, but you are clearly an amateur. Thats not a bad thing though, it just means that you have a lot to learn!

Professionals use photoshop to edit their photos to make them look super gorgeous, and usually have special cameras that capture images at high resolution so that they look very clear and the editing doesn't make them look crappy.

Here is an example of a more professional work:

http://marcieness.deviantart.com/art/Sun...

You can click on it to make the picture bigger. Notice how it pops out at you? This is because of photo editing! The flower and the grass's colours were enhanced to have more of an OUU effect.

To show what photography cameras can do..

http://marcieness.deviantart.com/art/Laz...

Look at the detail, simply impeccable. The only editing in that was the grass was brightened a bit.

A thing I've noticed about amateur photographers is they tend to take pictures of everything they see assuming they can get praise for it- but being good at the art of photography is more than just taking a picture of something. Its about capturing certain emotions, feelings and aspects, as well as being able to edit a photos highlights to either correct imperfections or make it even more appealing than it already is.

Out of all of your gallery, I would say I personally find this to be of best quality:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cf...

the colours are very vibrant and it makes you feel warm inside just looking at it, its interesting.

Its only a tad blurry, do some sharpening and you should do fine!

Answer 6

You shouldn't be embarrassed entering that photo as it's a nice image. I spent 16 years working as a newspaper photographer and have judged many photo contests sponsored by our newsroom. Your photo is definitely better than the average entry. Trust me, I've seen c**p. I know c**p. Your photo is definitely not c**p.

Will it win? Well....that depends the other photos entered and who the particular judges are and their particular likes/dislikes. Photo contests are completely subjective and one can NEVER know what will win. Don't get discouraged, though, if you get rejected. The odds are never good for anybody. All you can do is try.

Answer 7

the good-

your exposure. lighting, and sharpness are all fine.

the not-so-good-

the composition is weak, which is 75% of what attracts people to a photo. This would have worked better in vertical (most 'tall' things do, including people shots...) and using some aspect of the "rule of thirds". It's not an ugly shot, by any means; but it's a bit cluttered and unsure of itself, if that makes any sense to you. What I mean is that the background is a bit too distracting (still in focus too much) and there is no real sense of interest or space. It also looks like it was shot in midday, (hard to tell), which is usually the worst time to shoot- early morning and very late afternoon gives much better light.

I'm not meaning to be harsh or discouraging, merely giving constructive analysis. A few things to improve your pics in general:

  the rule of thirds- divide your viewfinder into a grid, with two horizontal and two vertical lines intersecting the screen into nine even sqaures, like a tic-tac-toe. Place your subject at a point of intersection. Also place your horizon or framing items (edge of a building, overhanging tree, etc) along one of the lines, never in the middle.

  leading lines- use a road, path, river, fence, etc to lead the eye into the picture.

  foreground elements- use something very near to you to give a sense of perspective and three dimensionality- this particular photo might be improved by backing up a bit, using a smaller aperture to keep the entire scene in focus, placing the flowers in a corner of the shot, and giving us a view of the entire scene, just as a quick example.

  try ten different angles of the same shot- even a few inches here and there makes a HUGE difference in composition.

  shoot horizontals and verticals of the same shot.

These are a few basics of composition. Do a search online to find some excellent articles on this subject.

Good luck in the competition!

Answer 8

It's quite beautiful. I don't think you have to be worried about being embarrassed, you just may win.

Answer 9

its nice with the colors but I don't think you'd win...