toja.com 0 Posted August 14, 2003 Another wonderful photograph that was missed by most of us. I love this. I wish you hadn't given this the title "ice skater". I wanted to guess what is going on here. I saw a little child jumping from one link of the spider web to another to safety or from one jail bar to another to freedom. Very symbolic and you should not help the viewer decide what it is until this one moment- Eureka! It's just a little girl skating in the ice rink. Great image. Regards. Link to comment
alan chan 0 Posted August 14, 2003 Good pattern, brilliant idea. Image was slightly spoiled by the strong light reflection on the right, but overall it delivers a very strong effect! Link to comment
freddy rogers, houston 0 Posted August 14, 2003 Galleria at noon? I like it very much. And the blast reflection at right it just fine; it balances the photo and shows the worn surface texture of the ice. Link to comment
ralph_ballerstadt2 0 Posted August 14, 2003 Freddy, you got it right. I'm a reluctant shopper, especially in those fancy places. Thankfully my girlfriend dragged me to it. Link to comment
Timo Hartikainen 556 Posted August 14, 2003 I agree with Alan. I would maybe try to crop the reflection and then experiment with different compositions. Link to comment
paul_schamberger 0 Posted August 14, 2003 I must agree with Chris that the title is a little too revealing. When I saw it I thought a child was playing a game where they could not walk on the shadow and was leaping clear of one. This is a very graceful and innocent image. Link to comment
robert goldstein 0 Posted August 14, 2003 This is one of those rare photos that forces the viewer to stare in wonder and admiration. Link to comment
dodi_. 0 Posted August 15, 2003 I guess a 7:7 photo is one where all we're left with to suggest changing is the title. Bravo! Link to comment
ralph_ballerstadt2 0 Posted August 15, 2003 Thanks to all for commenting on and rating my photo. That the title has generated some controversy is quite interesting. Though for me the title serves mainly for archival purposes. Link to comment
daniel goh 0 Posted August 15, 2003 Very creative and powerful image. You managed to capture the skater as she moves into an area that is reflective that creates a "glow" around her. Wished her shadow wasn't intersected by the circular shadow. Link to comment
jon_fernquest 0 Posted August 15, 2003 Wonderulf light and shadows, the grid the skate marks on the ice, the blown out place where the sun hits, the gesture of the skater's hands, great moment, great capture. Link to comment
jon w. 0 Posted August 15, 2003 Another great shot Ralph - and the blown reflection is good not only because of the texture, but because it exactly balances the dark spot of the girl. Link to comment
atieh_noori1 0 Posted August 15, 2003 Hi very good shot.7&7.please looking my picture.Im photographer in iran.thank you Link to comment
berniek 0 Posted August 17, 2003 Nice but as everybody's said, the title takes the mystery out of it. This works well as a vertical, which allows you to crop out the hot spot. Link to comment
geert_vanden_wijngaert 0 Posted August 19, 2003 very nice picture, perfect timing and composition. I like it a lot. Best Geert Link to comment
jeff d 1 Posted August 20, 2003 Ralph, I just found your folders (you rated my "old Elvis" image). What a great find! You are a true b & W genius. You have mastered this art, and I bow to you. Wonderful work. I love this one... so whimsical, so simple, yet so evocative. Thisone could be a POTW. Link to comment
ralph_ballerstadt2 0 Posted August 20, 2003 for your nice words, comments, and rating. Link to comment
ralph_ballerstadt2 0 Posted August 27, 2003 yes i did do a litte darkroom dogding to bring out more detail in the skater. no other manipulation was done. believe me, it is just the coincidence of the skater being with part of her body in the shadow of the window grid. in fact a closer examination of her right arm (anatomical) being not in the shadow revealed specular light from the sun. ralph Link to comment
andrew_lee2 0 Posted August 27, 2003 Dodging and burning is one of the most basic, if not the most basic (outside of cropping), part of the black-and-white photographic process. Unless it's "so extreme as to render the image an inaccurate or unrealistic representation of what the photographer saw" (which clearly this example is not), it is typically not considered manipulation. Exposing the negative is only part of the photographic process...there is still the matter of the print, and dodging and burning is integral to that. Link to comment
ralph_ballerstadt2 0 Posted August 28, 2003 that you don't have trust in my word is understandable, as you don't know me. though when you look at my samples of pics you wont find any digiart whatsoever; just plain, straightforward b&w images. obviously that was not convincing to you. your analysis of my image is intriguing, though the arrow pointing to the direction from where the sun was coming is arbitrary, and really depends on where my position was. to make this story short the last resort for me is to show you the piece of film strip from which this print was done. the quality is not very good since i scanned it with a cheap flatbed scanner. i hope it will end our debatte, and will, hopefully, convince you of my honesty. http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1713581&size=lg Link to comment
tholte 18,025 Posted September 21, 2003 I am giving myself a pat on the back because I was the first to rate it a 7/7. I could care less how it was done. I don't even look at whether or not an image is manipulated. Like we used to say in 1/9 back in 69 - "don't mean nothin". Link to comment
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