doug_bennett

I like the crop, and it's an interesting subject. The lack of light in the eyes is a drawback. The skintones seem a little gray, as if another 1/2 or 1 stop of exposure might have been needed to achieve a Zone 6 or so, instead of a Zone 5. As for the inevitable comparisons to Avedon: Avedon's shots typically show much more contrast and detail. This shot seems a little soft and a little flat.

 

Some of these criticisms might be the result of the scan. A darkroom print might be a whole different animal.

Robert,

 

Don't know. It says "Meteor" on the hood, but I suspect that's just the coach builder.

All comments welcomed!

Nice, but underexposed in places and blown out in places.

 

It seems to be a pattern here on photo.net: the worthy photographers often get chosen, but their best work often does not. Hmmmmmmmmmm.... could it be a device to generate controversy and enhance site traffic? Think back: probably the least entertaining POW weeks are when a nearly perfect photo is chosen.

I agree that the messy back- and foreground distract. In general, it's just a little too literal: very straight-on and snapshot like.

 

Also, this seems like a perfect situation for B&W: a wintery scene where there's not much color. That's when I go for the B&W to emphasize shape and texture. But keep shooting; you've got a decent eye, and certainly interesting friends!

 

Doug

Damn! So I'm not the only one who knows: Ilford XP-2, developed C-41, then printed on silver paper, is an incredible combination. My recent first prints with this combo had me dancing in the darkroom!

 

Eolo, I too am a fan of your work, and regularly visit your website. Fabulous stuff. Too much fashion photography (especially American) has a negativity, a tinge of sleaze, but yours.......... wow.

 

 

[Edited by moderator to remove references to deleted comments.]

 

 

 

While this subject has been done before, I've not seen it done quite like this. For my money, Roberto has put his unique signature on it.

 

Lastly, I, like others, find the whole originality debate to be the truly tired thing here. If we took Doug's philosophy to it's logical end, we'd all sit around the house with our cameras on the shelf, for fear of not being original. All art is derivative to some degree; it doesn't lessen my enjoyment of it.

(Edited by Moderator) I'm not a huge fan of this shot. The composition, while an interesting idea, is to my eye confusing and hard to look at. It lacks a strong, central area of interest. Still, a nice job, and a fine portfolio. Congratulations, Ricardo.

Umm...... I'll add another 6 for aesthetics, maybe should of even been a 5. I did give it a 9 for originality. I don't see how anyone can rate this a 10 for aesthetics. Unfortunately, it's a clumsy execution of a truly original idea.

Aaahhhhh...... New Iberia, St. Martinville, Abbeville, Pierre Part. We used to wander the area back when my wife and I lived in New Orleans. Leave town on Friday afternoon in our VW Camper, and drive 'til people were no longer speaking English. 'Til there were black, French-speaking cowboys with accordions!. It's hard to drive more than a mile or so down there without seeing a great photo. Living in N'Awlins was a photographers dream.

 

Nice photo, Scott; a whisper of fill flash would have made it perfect! Love the "Girls on the Porch" also.

I enjoy this entire portfolio. The simplistic country style of some of them and amazing black and white tones capture me everytime. I hope Mr.Bennett publishes more photographs soon.

James Worth

 

Gosh, I was kind of hoping for a photo of a puppy, or maybe a sunset, for POW. Oh well.....

 

And Jeff, if you have a significant other, they must be an extremely patient person: "Jeff, honey, I thought maybe we'd go to the beach this weekend, or maybe Yosemite. You know, someplace COLORFUL. What? Another trip to the Salton Sea to work on the ol' Photo.net "Mud" folder? Errrr........ yeah, that would be nice."

 

Seriously, Jeff, this is a great shot from an amazing portfolio. Congratulations on a well deserved POW.

Very nice. Just a whisper of fill flash would have made it even better.

Very beautiful. Just a whisper of fill-flash would, IMHO, make it better.

Very nice!

Yeah, Michael, I wish I had been more observant: the lightpost/tree thing really does detract. Fortunately, this spot is often foggy, so I may be able to try some different compositions.

This is shot on Pan F; there is another in my folder that is shot on

Tri-X and toned in Selenium. Any thoughts?

Very nice indeed! How did you achieve the "floating in blackness" effect?

Nice composition. A little fill flash would have made it perfect.

Great face, nice lighting, good job.

 

Doug

Very nice. Love the light in the eye. A very good example of what I like about Tri-X: it's somewhat grainy, but what beautiful grain!

Nice shot, although I'd like to see a sparkle of light in the eyes. Gotta love that APX 25, though! Great film for this kind of vintage look.