Fire Island, August 2002

It's been really, really cold here in New York. So I went back to

that roll I took at the beach last summer and scanned another frame.

Let me know if you think it's any good.

Are they a couple, or not? are the angry, or not? is he going away? do they know each other, or not? So many questions, without answer, come to my mind on looking at this shot... I like it. And I don´t even mind that centered horizont line.

Interesrting dynamics between the guy and the woman. It allows the viewer not just to look at the image, but also to think about what is going on here.

Apart from that, it is a nice classic image with nice clouds, good depth of field, good composition, etc

I have to say in a documetary sort to way that there are implied lines here that are facinating and real lines that are distracting. The baby's eyes level with the girl's shoulders, just touching the wisp of cloud drawing us to the dejected man - all work well, even classically. The horizon drives me nuts though. You got a nice image here, but if the chance should present itself again, I'd cock the camera at a 45 and see what happens. Usually interesting things happen, because let's be honest- the most this image could hope for is a place on the subject or subject's family's wall. (and as is - it really does deserve a frame and hanging).Good eye, good reflexes and good print.

There is nothing like a good black and white

Ooh, nice and moody. The positions of the subjects - man facing away and in the background, woman facing in opposite direction and appearing to be walking away - plus the expression of the woman and child make this a very emotionally charged image. The high, thin sky adds to it. Probably is a perfectly benign situation in real life.

Interesting and evocative.

This has wonderful balance and feel. Not to be dark, but I almost feel like this composition should be saved for heroin addicts and other too real subjects. Regardless I really like this.

Excellent Beau!

Very interesting. Simple but tells stories. Nice job!

Looks like a commercial for a sad movie. The photo has a complex but wonderful balance.

Nice work.

 

Great balance, love the wide angle. A story is afoot--what more do you want from a photo?

I love the way the shoreline goes into a point and fades into the horizon. I like the juxtaposition of the two figures. This photo expresses lonliness, contemplation, the ties that bind, as well as separate families. Well done.

Beau -I really like your other images as well as this one. This one asks more questions than it answers, which I like. Intriguing, well composed, and the clouds centered behind the womans head add to the shot. Two questions if you get time - was it posed ?, and do you develop/print your work ? - just curious - for what it's worth your work has inspired me to grab some B&W and a 50mm lens and hit the streets this very weekend !

Cheers...Ian

I appreciate the kind and constructive comments, everyone. Ian, this was not posed; it was a spontaneous snapshot that presented me with a lucky arrangement of elements. E.S., you are correct that the tension in this scene is illusory-- this woman had just picked up the baby from a group of children playing just outside the frame to the left, and the guy was nudging a jellyfish (the one that appears in another photo taken 20 seconds later) with his toe. Thanks again for the feedback.

VeryDeep!

There's a strong feel of tension between the woman and the man. The child seems to an outsider. Good shot!

Thanks for your comment about these colored lips, first. Made sense. I replied.

Now about this picture..., I like the composition, which reminds me that my wife spends more times with the kids than I do...:-) The overall grey background is unusual but interesting. I wonder wheter more tones in these greys would be better (as it should be) or not, in this case...

My major issue would be the woman's expression. Not enough to be really strong on the anger or effort side, and surely not on the happy side, it seems to be a bit half way and leaves me wanting for something more expressive and stronger. Regards.

Wow, this is pretty nice. The depth of field...wow.

Beau, in general I like all your work. You do a great job of capturing the spontaneous with a strong sense of composition. I have a fondness for 35mm black and white too, having done a lot of it over the years.

fricking great ... for a moment I felt as if I were in there.

Absolutely superb photojournalism.

Great composition. If the mother would've been smiling or with no expression at all (in this last case, just to provide a balance to the intriguing fact of man in the background), then it would be perfect. But she looks like she's upset (maybe due to the person behind her), and that is opposed to the beauty of the place.

 

I've tried to rate some of these, and I think they are awesome. But then, I'm a big fan of Henri Cartier-Bresson, as well. From just a simple kind of man out in the cornfields, I think your photos are farm out!

Everything in the scene is good foundation, but check that baby out! It's the baby that really puts it in flight.