2015 images To The Manor Born

A composite comprising of a 1920's themed studio shot with the "servants

entrance" of Ardgillan castle out in North County Dublin and sepia'd to give it an

authentic aged look.

I have been purposefully shooting to build up a library of backgrounds to use as part

of composites as I may enter some of these in our monthly competitions and salons

and all parts of the image have to be your own work.

I wanted to give the impression that she is either about to start work here but has

not entered the building or she is leaving employment and has exited the door for the

last time - either way its up to the viewer to decide for themselves what is the story

of her life.

cute!

The vintage application makes an impact on the viewer, the tones that are created work well with the eye. If anything and this is just my personal preference and nothing against you image is that I would move her off center, again, that is just me

The reviewing/critique process on this site has just about dried up. do you agree?

I am ready to pack it up because of inactivity....

A 7 for the title!

I agree 100% about critiques drying up but it seems to be across all photography websites. 

Thanks for taking the time to comment everyone.

Mark.

Do you still conduct critiques Mark?

Its a hard one. I have found recently that people are only interested in "Nice shot" type of comments and when you give honest feedback where they can improve they get very annoyed and say stupid things like "I don't put my photos up to get feedback" and get annoyed with you. So I have started to only discuss images with people who actually ask me directly for my opinion.

I am on a few sites. www.photographyireland.net and www.ephotozine.com as well as here and flickr. I actually find ephotozine to be the best site for critiques (as long as you have thick skin) but I want to learn so I have no issues with people being harsh as long as its warranted and knowledgeable and not just nasty.

Tony ; Mark : Very much a personal observation but I would hate to see anyone give up on offering critiques. I've learnt a lot ( and I hope I'm applying it) from Photo.Net and reading the critiques that are posted ( and not just on my images )~ I think you contribute a lot more than you may realise or think. From my own view I'm not interested in being told its " a nice shot " ; It may or may not be.
 I am interested in how it could be improved or in the last analysis taken better or processed better. People who are only interested in the "  "Nice shot" type of comments " are more likely on a journey of mutual  back slapping or self aggrandisment rather than learning.
Yes : I have made some of the "Nice Shot" type of comment when I genuinely believe that ~ that's usualy when I wish I'd taken it or been able to do as well.
If there are any outright nasty comments then they only reflect badly on the people making them ~  the recepitents should have the strengh to ignore them ~ and perhaps others ( where they see them ) should point out that its inappropriate.
When I've offered comment based on my own limited knowledge and experience ( and it is I know, very limited ) I've tried where I can, to indicate that I'm not saying its a bad shot but rather how it might be improved. On the other side of that I have seen some critiques ( but not often ) which are perhaps a little, shall we say abrupt, and could be construed as less than encouraging. Where its possible not only pointing out the potential improvements but also noting the good points can help a lot ~  So much depends on the sensitivities of the person recieving the critique, but in the last analysis, if it is offered in good faith with the intent of help, if it can't be taken then don't ask for it; rely on the rating system for guidance.
In short I think / hope that people genuinely interested in learning will take comments as constructively intended ~ Please don't stop.

In regard to this image I agree with Tony,  I think off centre would be better.
Rgds. Rick

Great stuff, thank you for your feed back.

In the beginning I only had friends and family to critique my work. Of course they said everything I did was stunning, that was until I joined a photo sharing site. I found my images were not that good. Man, that first year was brutal but I kept on trying, listening to what they said until eventually the negative reviews lessened.

I found that when I would offer critiques, sensible critiques, the artist would take offense. I was called names, I was blocked and reported. Some people just can't handle it, they were hanging around family too much.

If you critique the proper way, you can get by but the best part of all, you help that person achieve better results. I wish the same so I can continue to improve.

Perfect monochrome composition, full of fine details,  I like the focus on model and her pose too! excellent 7 work!

You went for the time period mood here and it works. I really like this