Cemetery

Rework of an 7 year old negative film, scanned and photoshopped. Will

welcome any comments and recommendations. Thanks. M.

Hi Micheal,

Well I've never critiqued an image on this site mostly because I feel a bit intimidated by all the professionals, but I'll you give you my take for what it's worth. I think this shot conveys a lot of emotion which makes it work well. The model facing the tombstone, the forest and light all create a narrative, and one that feels very sad to me. Although I can't see the models expression closely her isolation and posture expresses sadness, loneliness, perhaps even grief or despair. It's very effective on an emotional level. The setting, light quality and overgrowth of all the vines work well too.I particularly like the juxtaposition of the model facing the large tombstone.

 

Technically it's well done also, although there is some loss of shadow detail in the upper corners, that is to be expected facing the light source and there is enough in the lower half of the picture. It looks a little soft from what I'm used to, but not so much to be very detrimental, it gives it an ethereal quality and an antique look that works well with the subject matter. A very nice photograph that works on many levels.

Thanks for taking the effort. I appreciate. I worked a lot on the distribution of light in the picture as it was very flat when developed and shot as it was one of my first pics ever taken. I used an 30 year old fully manual camera (Zenit) to shoot it and had just basics of exposimetry and developing chemistry at that time. M.

A moody and emotive image, for sure. Very Sally Mann as in her "Deep South" series. For a comment, I find the young ladie's face to be too well lighted, especially since nothing else is lighted well from the viewer's perspective; additionally, the tone of mystery would be heightened with less recognition. Just $.02 worth... it remains an excellent image as is... Mike

 

 

Zenit... I remember how good it was Zenit camera at that time as well as I can't forget how complicate it was the entire odyssey to make well one manual development. I used Zenit, Praktica and UPA 509 equipped with one little cartridge where to put some color filters in positive process. Don't you miss sometimes the sour smell of the fixative, the dark of the room or to feel your hands being oily because of the bromide? Well, I miss that part...
Like one veritable artist, Mr. Time helps you because parts of image are transfered in sepia. Behind the entire adventure of that chemical process, we keeping the remembrance of those passed days full of black and white tones... moods... echoes... shadows in that celluloid's cemetery of our memories. I like this picture a lot!
Regards.