Out of time.

I welcome all comments - good or bad (no thin skin here). I'm here

to learn, so if you see something, speak up! I try to reciprocate

comments as much as possible. Thanks.

very nice, like the old style tint, the cleanness of the setting.

I like this but as you asked for honesty and some suggestions, I will say what goes through my mind, I wish you had pointed the camera down a little bit, there is too much sky and not enough of their legs and feet. The character on the right - his trousers (pants) blend too much into the background. A little fill-in flash would have put some life into their eyes and relieved the shadows. Square pictures are a little static, perhaps a horizontal crop would have helped. If it is truely back in time, then give it some grain and a border. Now having said all that, I really like it, it is a really honest portrayal of three characters perhaps dressed to go off to war, probably a re-enactment of the civil war or the war of independence. The expressions on their faces are perfect, if this was taken in 1865 ish, I can imagine the men of that time thinking "hurry up and get this over". I hope you take this all as it's intended, I really do like this picture - Richard.

Richard - I appreciate your honest assesment. I wish more people spent the time to write what they think instead of trowing up some rating that means virtually nothing. This was taken at the Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA. These 3 had just shown up and gotten out of their car, and I grabbed a quick shot with my digital. The digital has a swivel back so I was able to get a lower perspective than I'd have probably tried with my 35mm. To me it's this perspective that makes this shot work. I did use a fill flash, but the little camera only has so much power. If I knew this shot were going to turn out as well as it did, I'd have taken more time and pulled out the 35mm. I agree with the square composition mostly. I should have shot this portrait, but my camera didn't swivel that way. :) The uncropped version just had too much to the right and left that I felt was unneeded, so square it was. I may try to post this again here inline with more grain. Thank you very much for your thoughtful comments. -Tom

I feel the tree behind the right person distracts. It's the person with the less defined head contours of the three (the middle one is surrounded by a black hat, the left one doesn't have too much detail (round face), but the right one has this hat with the strings hanging from it and a beard). I would have tried to put the tree elsewhere in the frame (or out of it?).

 

It looks very posed and their clothes look too clean to be true... :-)

which one of the three is you? :0)I like the tones and the dude w/o a rifle.

if there would be some more grain it could work as a original! !!! 5/5.

I was thinking about 6/6 but the background is ??? and the guys are too clean! ;-)

Compositionally I'd like to see the feet, Tom. I agree with the observations about the shadow tones in the fg melding with the bg. I'm sure there is detail in the clothing though, and this could be squeezed out for a print if necessary. The toning is excellent, absolutely conveys the sense of the era. Perhaps the guys do look a little clean, but they seem to fit the time - the bearded ones in particular. The tree doesn't bother me, in fact it might lend a little depth to the image.

 

 

Exposure and the tones are good. But I have to agree with the previous comments about the composition (cut-off feet and the tree). The models look posing and overly clean, thus somewhat opposing the tittle. I think it is solid 5/5

 

Thanks also for rating some of my recent photos.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I'm going to have to go back sometime and rough these lads up a bit. I hope those guns aren't loaded...

Where in PA?

Jeremy - As described above, the Civil War Museum parking lot Harrisburg, PA.

Back to the future III anybody?