First Assignment

I received my first assignment, and it certainly wasn't as easy as it sounded. I was instructed to select 3 photos I've taken before signing up for the class and submit them for some constructive criticism. I was to label them Photo 1 (for a Landscape/Nature shot), Photo 2 (for a Candid/Family shot), and Photo 3 (for any photo I like). So here's the dilemma, do I upload my basic point and shoots hoping for some "criticism" that's going to magically teach me how to turn those quick shots into works of art (hahaha) or do I pick what I think are my best and hope that this instructor doesn't totally crush me? I mean, realistically, I feel the need to show my normal every day shots. Even the ones I know aren't that "good", because it's an honest portrayal of my typical effort. However, I know I can take decent shots when I try, and thats really the key here because so many of my pictures are just grab the camera, aim and shoot. I want the encouragement to take the shots that matter, and take them well, because I love holding that camera in my hand and capturing that image to share for years to come. So I submitted Photo 1 - a beautiful macro shot of a pink flower, Photo 2 - a close up face shot of my toothless son, and Photo 3 - a cute picture of my daughter admiring a lorakeet at the zoo. I knew when I hit submit what I'd get back on the flower - It's not a landscape shot, well fortunately for me this is not a graded assignment... I haven't actually taken any landscape shots so this macro was the closest thing (playing on the "nature" part of the instruction knowing it wouldn't work). With Photo 2, I felt it was a pretty decent example of my abilities with the equipment that I have and about the extent of my skills. The third photo, of my daughter, I felt was a cute theme but aside from it being a basic point and shoot I wasn't really sure what else was wrong with it, I just knew it wasn't great like I knew it could be. Now to use that feedback, and learn from it!

Assignment Feedback:

Photo 1 - landscape
Nice close-up shot of this flower, I love the water droplets and the sharp focus. However, this shot is technically a macro, not a landscape. Landscapes are always more of a wide-angle, rather than up-close like this. Not that it really matters for this assignment, but I wanted to clarify for the upcoming ones.
Photo2 - portrait
Great portrait of the little boy missing his tooth, his expression is classic, and the focus is nice and sharp on the eyes. However, he's smack in the middle of the frame which is something you want to avoid doing with your main subject in a scene.
Photo 3
The last shot of the little girl looking at the parrot is great, though I think you might've gotten a little better angle on the scene down lower with the subject herself. It's usually better to shoot at the same level as whatever you're shooting, just to give a more natural perspective.