Opinions on the folder of photos

[dumpster001]

whatever...

[__stu_evans]

<<What does this have to do with Leica Photography?>>

 

Everything. Now everybody piss on a corner.

[Allen Herbert]

How about a big smile,and say cheese for the camera, Balija.

 

Enjoyed looking at your portfollio.

[andy e]

Wow, the temperature is rising in the room.

 

Let me try to answer your questions, Heather.

 

1)Are they that bad? Only if you think they are that bad and can't be reconciled to your relationship with the camera and the thing that you're photographing. My opinions is that they are OK but that has nothing to do with whether they are good or bad.

 

2)Am I blowing smoke up my own arse thinking that there could be something to work on here? Maybe not with these, but with future tries? The only person who can blow smoke up your arse in this instance is you. Its up to you whether you think that they can further your own photographic sense and vision by further work. There will be people, no matter what, who will view it either as a worthwhile exercise or a total waste of time. The whole thing is up to you.

 

Funny I kinda sound like Grant, only without using the word "ur".

 

Allen, is there anything you want to share with us?

 

Piss on a corner? To quote Balaji, "whatever..."

[absinthe]

heaven forbid anyone should seek the opinion of their peers on anything. Maybe we should all take our art & hide it in a closet so nobody can express an opinion. We can all covet it & foldle it without worry about anyone else's thoughts on the subject.

[kevin m.]

"...who cares what others think..."

 

Fine up to a point. You should pursue your own vision, sure. But

if, in the pursuit of your 'vision,' you create some artifact, you must

be hoping that others make some connection to it, otherwise,

what's the point?

 

The balance between attempting to please an audience and

attempting to please yourself is a never-ending question; to

pretend you have a definitive answer is self-deception.

[Allen Herbert]

Allen, is there anything you want to share with us?

 

Are you recruiting for something? who are the us? Do you have to be able to repeat word for word what someone else said? Are there a lot of you who chant together.

 

Sound like a lot of groupies to me without minds of your own. I suppose the

us know best. Don't they always.

 

No thanks. Hope you won't hold it against me.

[ray .]

Do you feel connected to it Heather? That's still the first question to ask unless you're doing photography for commercial purposes.

[jack_lo_..._t_o]

"Alien" is great. Then "Torso" is good, the rest don't do much for me.

 

BUT these are the kinds of images which work best in large format.

Paul Caponigro comes to mind. Rich blacks and a full range of tones, fully saturated & grainless, and somehow the subject matter will overcome any compositional flaws.

 

On the other hand, this thread is now about whether grant's statement about "whydoyoucarewhatothersthink" is valid or not.

[frdchang]

heather,

 

what is art? do you intend to connect with others (like some people have suggested?) is it for yourself?

 

first you should understand what you are doing.

 

if your trying to connect with others, its hard to ask a mass general board like photo.net to critique your images, especially your images which are not the usual baby, pet,pretty woman, pretty landscape picture.... so its up to you to filter out the comments that mean something, and the comments that just arise from someone encountering the unfamiliar.

[ray .]

'Torso' is the most interesting to me, with some glow to it. The others feel a little awkward. If I were working on these, first thing I'd do is look for a little better light to shoot them in. Right now they look pretty flat. That's just me, but I think you do need to find something in particular to make an issue of. Maybe even shoot them in flatter light then they already are. As is, you've given them too much a middle of the road treatment.

[john_elder1]

Of all the pics in the folder, torso works best for me. Hanging tree is close , but no cigar. The other 3 are just to busy. If you are exploring abstract photography as opposed to floral photography I suggest you take a close look at Aaron Siskind, Brett Weston, to a lesser extent Ed Weston, Minor White, Harry Callahan, Toshio Shibata, and Paul Caponigro. All of these photogs have their own distict syle of abstract and are really worth studying. I look at these books all the time. Yes you can do abstract photgraphy witha Leica, or any camera for that matter so don't pay attention to those neg. comments. As to the comments of Grant, Balaji, and Edmo[Ed Leveckis}don't take them to seriously for all 3 are truly accomplished photographers who are at that stage where they are their own toughest critics and have forgotten what it is like to ask for someone else's opinion on a new type of subject matter. Also, check out "edmo" folders, especially the last folder with 75 images. Also in one of his folders is an abstract of a curtain which is just a killer abstract, so look at all of his shots. Grant doesn't have any folders, but has close to a 100 images on the 24hrs inNYC posts in the street forum. Balaji is probably the best street shooter posting people shots in the Street forum but have not seen any abstracts by him. Check out the photogs I listed in the beginning and good luck.

[Uhooru]

Actually at the end of the day I agree with Ray after looking at these. Large format. Look at the stuff of Cunningham as suggested and particularly of Edward Weston. Sorry, but your photos in one sense are not really original, its been done, but its totally worthwhile for you to do it and as others say, create your own vision, what you see, how you portray it. Right now, to me, the idea you say you are going for, isn't visually coalesced enough and for me, the objects aren't sharp enough, they're indistinct. Try going simpler, less objects in the frame, emphasize what you want, even exagerate it, Explore the paramaters and see where it all leads you. That's what some here are saying, it your personal journey.

[kajabbi]

What did the Pentax Forum(?) have to say?

[ray .]

You don't need large format... that's only one way of going about it.

[travis1]

I like torso too. But I don't think all 4 are abstract enough to make me go for a second look or think about it. Wanna try colour slides with different backgrounds? The backgrounds look too busy right now.

If you feel for such genre, then just keep doing it, or keep showing them. You can't control how viewers react anyway.

[tom h.]

"What did the Pentax Forum(?) have to say?"- It seems Ned

learned to be as unhelpful as Bill.

[jon w.]

>photography is a personal journey.

 

I always thought it was a form of communication.

[Karim Ghantous]

Heather, I have a few sporadic comments.

<br /><br />

Photography, like any other art form, is as much a personal journey as a form of communication. Communication can be as ordinary as a newspaper article.

<br /><br />

Your portfolio was not what I would call 'bad'. I would however call it uninteresting. The last image though, the one with the ferns, that one I liked. The other shots had no dynamism to them. The subject didn't stand out enough if you know what I mean. I'm not talking technically, I'm talking aesthetically.

<br /><br />

Grant made a good point; but as long as you are using our comments for illumination and not as a crutch (as a drunkard would use a lamp post, missing its point entirely) then there is everything right in asking for our opinions.

<br /><br />

There is only one degree of separation between your Pentax and a Leica. Watch:

<br /><br />

1. Initial equation:

<br /><br />

(Pentax + Tri-X)/(Leica + Tri-X)

<br /><br />

2. Cancel uncommon terms:

<br /><br />

(<strike>Pentax</strike> + Tri-X)/(<strike>Leica</strike> + Tri-X)

<br /><br />

3. Intermediate step:

<br /><br />

(Tri-X)/(Tri-X) = 1

<br /><br />

4. Recover missing terms using associative law (i.e. any shot taken with Tri-X is usually taken by or associated with a Leica camera):

<br /><br />

(Leica)/(Leica) = 1

<br /><br />

5. Quotient:

<br /><br />

Leica = 1

<br /><br />

Or whatever - you get what I mean! ;-)

[edmo]

Huh?

[lee park]

You Leica guys are so much fun! I shot a wedding with Kirk Tuck a couple of years ago - maybe he'll give me his Leicas since he's (allegedly) not using them any more!

 

Karim, I don't know if that was supposed to be mathematics or logic, but I think you've got a problem with #4. there...

[andy e]

Ah, jonathan, photography is a form of communication, but an inherently amibiguous one...and one where the maker's own feelings or intent may have little to do with what is communicated.

[andy e]

And it's Friday, so I can't seem to spell. I meant "ambiguous".

[lee park]

Andy E. - it's true that sometimes the message communicated is not what the photographer intended. However, I keep thinking that as a photographer I am trying to convey a specific thought, idea, feeling -what have you - even before I depress the shutter. I mean, I have lots of "happy accidents" where I see the negative or print and think -"that's cool" - but to actually IMPROVE I have to develop (oh, God!) pre-visualization...

[kent_tolley2]

To begin, an *equation* must have an *equal* sign. (This is the first rule of algebra. Minus 5)<BR>

You set your math phrase *=* something, anything. But it must be true or the math that follows is meaningless (0, 1, Pi, X*dx/dt)<BR>

Second you should cancel *common terms* not the uncommon ones. (minus 3)<BR>

In actuality you are dividing what is on each side of the *=* by the same thing. It's essential you understand this.<BR>

All of a sudden your *=* appears in step 3 (????? - insert EDMO's comment here)<BR>

Four, there are no missing terms to recover. You stay with the equation as simplified after the division. (minus 1 and minus additional point for not understanding the associative law. Total minus 2)<BR>

Five, quotient is the result of a divide process. Leica = 1 is an equation, not a quotient. (minus 1)<BR><BR>

This problem was worth 10 points. Since you went to a negative score I'll have to reluctantly give you back one point.<BR>

See me after class.