Silver & Bronze - Photos 2 & 3

Zero to Pro - Photo Blog 10

At the beginning of August I went on my first photo shoot to Hampden Park, where Olympic action got off the ground with the women's football.

I published my shot of the day in my last blog.  Here are my silver and bronze efforts.

I realise none of the shots will be winning any medals but it's the taking part that counts...right? 

As a complete beginner when it comes to photography I find it challenging, not only to take decent photographs but to explain what I like and don't like about shots I've taken.  Nonetheless, I think it's probably good practise to try to paint a picture of the impression I have of the photos I take.  Then, perhaps, you can give me your perspective so I can begin to get to grips with both the camera and the lingo!

I like all the lines in the photograph above.  The hedge leading into the shot, the red line of the flag and the stride of the man sporting it taking you further along the road and the yellow and white lines on the road running parallel to that.  The lines in the foreground take you to the row of flats in the background.  It feels to me like the lines are guiding you home or that it's 'going home time' (which it was, this photo was taken after the game).  Though first you must get through the other lines...the volunteers, the barriers, the police and the traffic.

I also like the fact that there are no crowds for the flag bearer to negotiate, this tells you something about the day as the games at Hampden were very poorly attended.

Finally, the photo also speaks volumes about the spirit  of the volunteers which could not be dampened by the weather or the lack of women's football fans that day, one of the finer details of the photo that stands out for me.

The negatives that are apparent to me...the photo is too dark, I could have cut back on the amount of hedge in the shot and it feels like there's too great a distance between the front and back of the shot...if that make sense?

You can let me know if I'm speaking a foreign language!

Very simply, I like the repetition of colour and pattern in the shot above.  The reds, whites and blues run throughout while patterns repeat themselves left and right - to the left the print on the boys back and the sign above his head mirror each other while on the right the post in the foreground and the one in the middle of the frame match up.  All these details tie together to make this image fairly pleasing to my eye.

The feeling the image presents to me is that Mum is ready to go home (and perhaps has her eye on the taxi in the background) while the kids have gained energy from the games and and want to take a more colourful route home (via the hurdles no doubt - yes there are no bikes but children can always improvise)!

On the down side... I think there is too much dead space in this shot.  Less pavement and less sky might have made for a more interesting image.  Also, the image round about the colours I mentioned looks very washed out.

Your advice on any aspect of these photographs would brighten up my day and no doubt any future images!