An important part of any learning process is the ability to asses what you have done and see your progress. All artists face criticism both internally and externally. What may be harder is being able to assess your own work and critique it in a way that is not you just beating yourself up: we are usually our own worst critics. It is not always easy to look for flaws in something you may love. Artists are hard on themselves and their work. For the fifth installment of my photography series I wanted to share some of my latest work with my own personal critiques. My latest roll of film was an experimental journey. I started using a new camera, and new techniques with it. A lot of times I was doing things incorrectly but art isn't about rule book perfection. In the words of Bob Ross, we don't make mistakes. They're just happy accidents.

In this first set of photos I kept the same subject. This is a small bridge over the muddy river and highway in Boston. The first shot was taken in landscape and is clearly a little washed out due to the sun's location in the sky. It isn't a terrible image but the framing of the subject (the trees along the water) is off. In the second image I adjusted my distance to the subject as well as the f-stop. This image shows slightly more contrast and our subject is more centered here. We have a good feel of depth and shadows and the sun washed sky does not inhibit what we are seeing.

Here we have another instance of how dramatic a difference portrait vs landscape and centering oneself can effect the overall outcome of the photo. In the top photo, we get the sense of the height of the Prudential tower above everything else. The rest of the buildings seem closer and there is a lot of sky available. In the second, we have much more foreground and less wasted space in the sky. Again, both are fine pictures but the second one seems to work better compositionally when looking for balance across the image. There is more light and less muddy shadow as well in the second one. This is due to moving within the shadowed area I took the image in as well as how the camera was oriented. However, one may notice that the 1st image seems straighter and that there is a more notable angle of the shot in the second one. Both of these were taken without a tripod so the uneven sidewalk was not accounted for when I snapped these.

Here at the bottom are two more images, each another case of trial and error. We learn best by doing. Art is all about what you are creating in that moment and what message you would like to convey. Here are two images that are by no means perfect but work well. Look over them yourself and take note what is working or not working. Feel free to comment and start a discussion!