At the pool

Igor, this is a fascinating approach to a portrait/figure. It is simultaneously abstract without overly objectifying the model. She remains accessible as a person. Very effective Dof. I think this is well executed and presented.

Thanks David for your attention and comment.

This one jumped out at me in the Photo Critique forum. I'm glad the Elves chose it for discussion. Igor's image is engaging, to me, on a number of levels. First, the choice of B&W for this subject serves to narrow and direct the viewer's attention onto the subject, diminishing the potentially distracting impact of background features. Likewise, the very narrow DoF clearly and effectively defines the subject. The model retains her humanity; she does not feel overly objectified, yet the pose and feel are very sensual without being overtly erotic. I find myself identifying with her, feeling the water slide over my own skin. Usually I would be put off by her closed eyes. In this case, they feel natural and appropriate. My only real criticism is the shadow line in the background (& foreground reflection) which appears to also cross the model's face. I know this is just happenstance in the angle of view, but I find it distracting. I wish the model were positioned just slightly to the left in relation to the background.

I like the basic idea of the image. She is shown in a very relaxing situation we all experience when our body is buoyed up by the water and we isolate ourselves from everything else. Did the photographer intentionally seek out the background for this photo? Perhaps he had no other choice but for me it is very distracting and incompatible with his good idea, diminishing the effect of calm and pleasure one senses is being felt by the bather.

The model with her fine pose and great mood that she is

showing plus the great contrast is struggling with some

shown efforts with the multiple distractions surrounding her

presence in the burned yet an appealing background, yet

with some winning to the model side.

For me, the background provides a classical and austere foil to her sensuality. I don't know whether the photographer sought out this kind of background. But he obviously recognized its compositional and expressive potential and utilized it quite well, IMO. The distinctness and less-than-soft quality of the shadow on her face is a bit off to me. It doesn't feel organically captured (might be the scan, not sure). Igor has, as yet, a small portfolio but seems to be developing a style that uses a lot of particularly photographic expressive gestures. By that I mean he is gesturing as a photographer to imbue expressiveness into his photos. He uses lens and perspective distortions, light reflections through glass, water reflections, etc., not to create something as obvious as surrealism but rather to evoke a mood or emphasize something he's drawn to or moved by. He seems engaged by the medium he's using and using it to comment on the content he's portraying. It's a portfolio I expect will broaden over time and one that will likely be worth coming back to.

To me the composition feels off balance - with the model positioned too far to the right. I would also place the model a bit lower in the frame - eliminating the continuation of background lines into the foreground. The dark triangular shapes in the background are distracting elements breaking the flow of the image. The shadows on the models face are just slightly too deep - another components that adds to the off-balance feel of the image.

I read the discussions here and one question that came up is whether the background is distracting. To me it is not. The monotonous vertical lines are disrupted by the organic form in the center. It is for this reason, the eye is drawn more to the subject. If there was a cacophony of haphazard forms in the distance, it would have been different. I like how the water line merges with the background without any demarcation. It allows one to concentrate more on the subject, since the background seems to be at infinite distance. As for the dark triangles, I can only understand them as the direct effect of capturing this as a real life scene. To me, they don't distract much, and probably reminds me that this is a photograph.

I like the beads of water on the person's arm , and the serene expression on her face. Her body is physically strained, yet she looks calm and peaceful.
Reminds me of this:
"I dive down into the depth of the ocean of forms, hoping to gain the perfect pearl of the formless." - Rabindranath Tagore (Geetanjali)

I second Supriyo's comments on the background. The very muted background, and its linear reflections in the water, add to the sense of real place, and to the perceived "wetness" of the water. I still wish the model were positioned differently, but I think this image would be less evocative without this background. A totally blank background would severely diminish this image by making it feel more like a studio setup, rather than a real person in a real place. My impression is that many of us are attracted to Igor's image because if feels "real". I would not want to take this away.

I would prefer not a blank background as suggested, but one that better complied with the perceived mood of the bather. This one is in contrast to that mood for me and I agree with the statement that the black triangles (as well as the overpowering vertical elements) are distracting. But I think the photographer had little choice of options, although this background may well have been something he was looking for. I am happy that some may like the background as it is, which again shows the multiple effects an image can have on viewers.

Somehow, this photo does not really work for me. I agree that probably Igor had to do with the conditions provided, but is that not a current reason for some photos to become keepers and others not - or for some scenes not to be shot at all ?

That sounds somewhat as an inexcusable harsh critic of a photo, that do have some sensuality to it.

My problem is, as mentioned by others, first of all, the background, that although blurred, still unnessarily catches the attention of the viewer. The foreground is better, in that respect, and leads our eye to the half emerging female. However, for me, at least, the sensuality, apart from the wet arm and shoulder, and the chin and the neck, seems more a posed postulate than real. I put aside with some reluctance the "sensuality" of concealed nakedness ! The shadows on the greater part of her face and the dark upper leg and her back, make, for my eyes at least (I'm excused, I hope !) the photo of lesser attraction.

This is not meant as a critic of Igor's photography in general. His relatively small portfolio here on PN includes a very nice colorful shot of a model in Paris (Place de la Bourse ?) and even a portrait of my present trustful favorite car (Volvo S60).

The flags in the background, if deemed too distracting, could readily be excised in PP. No harm in that. The vertical architectural features form, in my opinion, an integral piece of the composition. Note that their reflections in the water, disrupted by very small ripples, are a powerful communicator of water as the negative space element. Without those reflections I feel the image would be far less evocative of its intended subject.

In regards sensuality, I reject the idea that overt display of female reproductive anatomy is essential to making a sensual image. I am much more impressed by artists who successfully communicate a feeling of sensuality without objectifying the model. Effective application of the Oriental design principle of conceal/reveal is one measure of an artist who is operating at a very high level. Please, let's not open a discussion here of nudes versus not-nudes as art. That is not my intent. Rather, even with the various criticisms offered, I want to compliment Igor on this particular photo and what, for me, is a very sensual, and sensitive, image.

Here is an alternative version with a quick and dirty partial cleanup of the background, and a very slight exposure adjustment. Does this, in anybody's opinion, make the image better/stronger/less annoying, etc?

Somewhat more pleasant to my eye, David, but result still includes an unaesthetic black vertical and now a lack of contrast between foreground and background to my liking. It has become flat.
Risking an eye (photographic ?) I would start all over and concentrate on the girl within the frame (and more gamma). Then, maybe, sensuality emerges.

Hi Anders,

I thought, the girl together with her surrounding imparts the mood in this particular image. That would include her full reflection, and the

ripples next to her.

The pose feels awkward. Why is her shoulder jutting out of the water so prominently? The composition likewise feels off, the models placement in the frame does not work for me. I like that the background has discernible, yet not clearly identifiable, objects and the shadow across her face adds drama and interest. I also find the B&W conversion well suited to the scene.
The presented attempts to "fix" the image rob it of what little character it had. The model , the lighting and the scene itself, seem to my mind to have presented an opportunity to come up with a far more successful result. The image is okay but somewhat disappointing.

Thanks for choosing my photo for Photograph of the Week ;)
Thanks for your opinions and discussion and your versions of editing.
My choice of an open aperture was to get an effect of creamy water in the foreground. In the same time I had to blur the background as it was not worth capturing.
I actually liked the lines that reflect in the water. The camera was positioned on the ground.
I just like to capture the mood of the moments.
The photograph was printed in a calendar and it looks different in a large format, more compressed and cropped.

Supriyo, I agree that the reflection and the ripples are important elements in the composition. However, as I see it, they have to be reflected (sic!) and not necessarily fully shown.

there seems to be some overblown areas around her neck where there appears to be some harsh lighting and the water droplets arent defined enough for my taste, on her arm . overall a beautiful photo and subject ...i do think less is more here and i too would omit the harsh lines... i prefer the focus to be on the woman and just the woman

Thanks.