seven

Excellent textures, comp and warmth. A slower shutter would also give a sense of the motion of the water that might even add to the drama. Have you thought about a mono version - I reckon it might even better accentuate the the textures and form of those rocks.

 

Well done.

The textures of the fg imbue a type of extraterrestrial feel; you've created a fabulous mood & depth - very well done.

Thanks Pnina - it was very strange when this opened in the computer after I took it - it felt soft from the feathers, but there was also the suggestion of "steel" from the colours. When I wanted to adjust it - but couldn't decide what was needed - I used the various PS auto settings like Curves and Levels > and there was no change, so the exposure remained always as how it came off the card.

 

It is not the first time it has been stolen! But I agree, it is a form of flattery and I am in touch with Yahoo! but there is so much bureaucracy involved.

 

(This is the easiest of my photos to trace online because of the name, there are very few photos with Bronzewing in the title : the bird is not found outside Australia.)

Thank you Pnina - I had forgotten about this poor pic! I also like it, especially as handheld.

 

At the bottom is just branches, but if they seem like human figures to you : then it must be true as this is for the imagination.

It is a pretty window/flower picture, PT, but on my monitor the light seems to be coming very much from the front.

Fantastic, Pnina - simple, everything has its place, no elements competing with each other; the cat looks suspicious!

PT, I would prefer the sun firmly behind the plant, gilding the edges with light - the exposure would need to be well down on this to prevent white out - and there would be less chance of lens flare.

As presented it is extremely harsh on the eyes.

This is a sweet moment. I like the way you have framed, PT - and I think the tighter crop is a neater rendition.

Good soft light and interesting scale, PT; I am sure you can tell us why it is "discarded" - not so clear to me.

The juxtaposition between the representational and the living is a good one, I like the positioning of the bird and what it brings to the image....which I think is "life" or purpose as it faces the warmth of the falling sun.

Very nice.

Nice - but is this a single exposure of a single being? The legs are very masculine, and the feet extremely large to be those of a little girl.

I like the slender trunks, and feel it meets the theme. I feel it needs more contrast - e.g. that it would make more impact if taken at a wider angle so to include, say, 1/3 shadow in the fg.

If that were not possible due to constraints of location, I wonder how a tighter shot concentrating on the foliage might have been.(copy)

As Richard says it does not seem to be on target themewise so PT's feedback intrigues. The bright colours pop well on the lined background, the layer of rust top helps keep the eye focused on the central composition.

I find myself wondering what the bags are hanging from.

Well, I'm still mesmerised, hours later. I agree with Pnina's observation about how the out of focus actually works, and also with the green (reflection?) over the right eye - it is as if these technicalities underline the sad "rejection" we project; I would not be surprised to find myself dreaming of this - and there to find tears streaming down her face. Stripped down to its elements it is so simple, but only something a mind alert to its "fate" would see; wonderful.

Pnina, it is a fragment of real life, one that most will relate to and enjoy for the sense of relaxation.

Thanks, Ken. You may be serious - and I shall try to upload a sober shot of Raffles in his wedding suit.

They wanted scrambled but........

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Wonderful comp, light and exposure - and negative space, Ken. The textures probably display better in mono than colour. I appreciate how the light seems to be striking the surfaces from different angles, as if a myriad light sources are at play. Very well done!

Thank you, Ken - Raffles salutes you...well, he would but he has a new girlfriend who takes up most of his times these days.....she's a chicken (truly, but don't laugh - he'd be devastated.)

Her name is Kentucky.

It's literal PT, but does fit the theme perfectly. Very "in your face" comp but I don't see how else you could have pulled it off. Debatable if deeper dof and so sharp bars might not have been more effective : probably not. Good take. I think you controlled the specular effect of the plastic very well - no serious blowouts.

I like this PT, it's a perfect example of a strong backlighting image. I might think of burning down the sky a touch as it does draw attention away from the seedheads. Nicely done.

Ah, a familiar face. I like the dance studio set up, PT, the way it lets both light and the outside world in - but might have done things a little differently. As things stand, the brightness from the right is extremely strong, and seems to draw the attention out into the street and onto the white car in the bg. By shifting the dancer out of the centre of the frame - and towards the right hand side, you would have diminished this distraction to some extent. But you would have a reason for centering your subject, I'm sure. I would also have considered burning down all the bright areas in this comp, the sun is very fierce in this.

An alternative composition might have been to go for the traditional backlighting approach - have the light illuminating your subject who (through your exposure) would have been rendered as a silhouette, the light as a type of "halo". For this to work, you would have needed to place the subject between the sun and yourself, i.e. you would have moved right, and she left. However, that is a totally different scenario and might not have suited your vision...which seems to be to include the scene from the street (is that right, PT?)

Outside of the theme and technicalities, I enjoy this inside view of the dance world - I appreciate the metaphor of the inner/ and outer aspects of existence. Thanks for adding it to our folder, PT.

Certainly bagged the theme, PT. Aesthetically the shot comes over as quite athletic - as if you're doing one of those "dunking" moves they have in basketball. The light fall off at the top mirrors the area covered by the basket at the bottom and serves well to frame the action.

I might want a touch more light on the underside of the arm and hand - not so much for luminosity as for contrast. The slow-ish shutter definitely helps convey the sense of "action" : highly energetic offering -

It's amazing what the birds will do for one in Africa.......

Excellent, Raffles has put his sunglasses on....Kentucky was so surprised she laid an egg!

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Mm, why did I not think about cloning out the bird - and its reflection. Have you ever thought about seeing someone about this phobia of birds; I mean, it was clearly a bad experience from which you require swift liberation, visiting the French-Canadian might be quite confrontational but you could try it.

I would like it (gull, yes - same pool, yes : reason - probably they heard I was in town)farther right in the frame as well but I would want it in the frame and so too the reflection....otherwise people would think I was one of these guys who tossed stones into the water to obtain a splash and concentric ripples.

I find your comment educat*****, especially as regards humankind's estrangement from Nature, and doubt very much it will be cens****