Photography

I have taken many thousands of photographs. These are what I consider to be my best. After that, will be some critiques…

This is undoubtedly my favorite photograph of all time. It was taken in Iceland. The small icebergs are quite deceiving; the one creating those ripples in the center is as large as a full-sized car.

Here is another action photograph from Iceland. I did not use a tripod in Iceland so everything is handheld.

This is another action shot from the same beach in Iceland. Out of about twenty photos I took of this iceberg, only around four turned out usable. It was like taking a photo, cleaning the camera lens, and repeating.

This is a bridge in Iceland. It may be a simple photo, but I like it. I converted it to black and white, which closely resembles the original. The scene features grey concrete, grey clouds, and black volcanic rock.

I thought the sun might cause issues, but I only had a few hours to shoot the icebergs. So, I went against every photography rule and used the sun to my advantage. How many photos use the sun like this? Not many...

This is my final photograph from Iceland. I like the contrast of the bright green against the volcanic rock. The white areas are geothermal steam vents. FWIW: There were Chinese tourists at this location. They parked rudely in the road instead of using the shoulder. Fortunately, no one was killed.

This location is just one mile from my house. For the most part, I did not adjust the color values much because it actually looked that vibrant.

This is part of a battleship anchored in Mobile, Alabama. I like the blue colors and the geometric lines.

I bought a new camera lens and decided to try it out by photographing the back of this plane. First shot with that lens.

I always wanted to take a photo like this, I was there before dawn and just waited for the right time

This was an extremely difficult photograph to take. It required a long exposure shot using a full-sized tripod, which I had to heavily contort to achieve this angle. The scene is a damaged spiral staircase at Fort Gaines, the Civil War fort on Dauphin Island, Alabama.

This photograph was taken from a bridge in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. It was before dawn, so I used a long exposure shot on a tripod.

I got wet to take this photo, but I did not fall in. This is the same bridge as in the previous photograph.

I definitely got wet to take this photo. I was standing about two feet in the water, which is sometimes the price you have to pay. This photograph was taken somewhere off a side road in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

This is a pre-dawn photo taken with a very long exposure. While you can't see them in this view, the high-resolution version allows you to zoom in and see small animal tracks running along the length of the log bridge.

One of my most surprising photographs ever. Although it looks sunny, I didn't even notice the bridge when I took the photo—it was barely pre-dawn. Only while processing the image did I discover there was an entire bridge in the frame.

The leaves in the foreground made for a nice, simple shot.

This is a special photograph for me. I was in Wyoming when I encountered a major snowstorm. The road ahead was already closed due to the storm front, but fortunately, I was just in front of it, so I was temporarily safe. To capture the shot, I held the tripod down on the hood of my vehicle as the wind was extremely high. Ultimately, this is what the edge of a major snowstorm looks like.

Critiques…

These are photographs I am disappointed with. I love to critique myself and others…

I was experimenting with high-definition range here. While I managed to get the steam to 'pop' off the water, overall, I did not like this photo. The sun made the center section of the photograph overexposed.

Colorado: The brown 'flat-top hill' swirl on the left side ruined this photo.

On top of Katla Volcano in Iceland—a very boring subject. Fun fact: This is a full-color photograph.

The wastelands of Iceland—I like it, but I knew others would not, so it ended up in the bad pile.

Another photo of the wastelands—I really like this one. If I were to hang it on my wall, I would crop out most of the sky to create a long, panoramic effect. That said, it is just a boring shot.

Maybe a crop to something like this but now the pixel count is too low.

Iceland: The foreground is exciting, but overall, the photo is too cluttered due to the middle row of icebergs. Additionally, the center background iceberg looks like a bunny rabbit.

Iceland: I like the concept, but it is missing something. If I crop the clouds more, the misty mountain effect would be lost.

Iceland: Nothing wrong with this photo other than it looks like a cellphone shot.

Grand Tetons, Idaho side: The mountains are in focus but look 'off,' and it would have been better without the tire tracks in the snow.

Grand Tetons, Idaho side: From the same photo set, slightly repositioned. The mountains still look 'off' to me, like they were photoshopped in? Certainly not the case.

Montana: The photo looked too cluttered on the right side of the foreground.

Montana: The road looked pretty in real life, but not so much in the photograph. Maybe if the road had been darker, it would have helped, but I still would have rejected it due to the cloud shadow taking up much of the center-right side.

Tennessee: I got cold and very wet for this photo. Mentally, to someone viewing it, green leaves and snow just do not mix.

Tennessee: I like this photo, except for the obnoxious diagonal tree in the right foreground.

Tennessee: It is an okay photo, but the upper-right diagonal branch ruins it.

Tennessee: I like this photo a lot. The trees look odd because I was lying on the ground off the side of a cliff. If you look closely, the top portion is not sky—it is the next hill over. It's in the 'bad pile' because if you have to explain any photograph to someone, it is always a bad photo.

Wyoming: I have always wanted to take a shot like this. It looks as if the clouds parted for the road. If the clouds were more defined, it would have been better. As is, it is just barely an okay shot due to a lack of cloud definition.

Wyoming: Technically, the photo is fine with the flowers and snow. I adjusted the color values, but something still feels off.

That is how I personally critique my own and others' photographs.