I'm Ella

Hi! I’m new here and just wanted to get your opinions on one of my designs.

I really enjoy photography and touched this photo up using Pixlr. Hope you like it!

I don’t notice where you touched it. Take that as a compliment.

Did you take the photo or just touch it? There’s some other members on this forum who know photography better than I do that will probably have something to say soon.

I took it and then touched it up… this is the original.

I’m a graphic designer and photography instructor, and I’d like to help you. But first want to mention a few things that bother me.

You called it a design, but it’s a photograph.

You put it in your introduction, rather than the critique area.

This is a forum for graphic designers, not a photo-sharing site. There are many Facebook photography groups who will look at your work and give you lots of positive comments.

So… I like the retouching you did, but the photograph is not very strong to begin with. That’s okay, everyone has to learn.

But you’ll find more helpful information on those Facebook groups I mentioned. In fact, I’m a member on some of them, and I do take time to help amateur photographers there. :wink:

I was tempted to say the same thing, but I stopped myself when I thought about you and the other members who know more about photography than I do. I couldn’t rule out that I was missing something. I only learned the basics in art school and didn’t retain much of the technical details.

IMO, design is problem solving. Technical skills are used in design more than design is used in technical skills. If the only problem that was solved in this photo was the color saturation problem, then yeah, it wasn’t much of a design. I also think of composition and lighting as design. But if the cat wasn’t directed to pose in a preplanned way and no reflectors or artificial light was used, then there was no design there either.

I’ve always felt that photography and design overlap, but aren’t exactly the same thing. Would you say that photography is used in design more than design is used in photography?

We also have a photography section where we all post our pics … and if you have any questions about it, you can always post there.

If anyone here wants to help that’s great … we don’t make it a practice to ask our new members to leave LOL :wink:

We would be happy to help wherever we can … and Welcome to the Forum!!! :slight_smile:

Welcome-Cat-Blinky

Yes. Photography is its own pursuit, but also a useful element in graphic design.

However, design principles contribute to better photography. Helps in watercolor, and other art forms too. But I don’t think that graphic design is useful for photography in the same way that photography is useful in graphic design. Does that make sense?

I think you’re right.

Yes, exactly.

The OP either knew the cat would lay there, or saw it and seized the opportunity. Either is good, that’s a big how-to-do-it for animal photos and I give her credit. But no, I wouldn’t call it a design.

For example, these below were both designed photographs. I planned/designed the lighting and the settings. That’s all you can control though - cats don’t take direction well. And their tails…!


image

1 Like

I’m sorry, that wasn’t my intention. Mea culpa.

1 Like

Makes perfect sense.

When I think of a skill that is useful in both graphic design and photography, I think of composition. But sometimes a great photo was just plain luck without any forethought towards composition. And yet design is all about forethought.

Thanks everybody for your opinions! Sorry that i called it a design:grimacing:. Still new here. I actually got onto this from my school. At first i didn’t even know how to write a forum! ill continue to learn the ins and outs i’m sure:wink:! Thanks again all!

1 Like

Would you call this a design though?

Yes, that is definitely a design. :slight_smile: It very clearly communicates a message.

And welcome!

Thanks! is there a specific section to post designs like these to get peoples opinions?

Yes, it’s called the Crit Pit. You seem to have migrated (or been migrated) over there already, so you’re in the right place to ask for critiques. :wink:

Thanks for all your help

If you’re in school, you might consider posting in the student section of the forum. You’ll get honest feedback, but we take into account your experience level.

1 Like

Good thinking Kitch :slight_smile:

1 Like

Thanks. Ill check that out:blush:

The darker shadows make the cat look more evil. I’m not going to say that’s bad. It depends on what you intended the audience to feel.

Which cat? :smiley: