jeffrey_abelson

Obvioulsy well shot - with a skilled photographer, but nothing new here, nothing special and nothing that ain't been done on dorm-room posters for the last 30 years...

"Michael Chang nails it. In black and white an emphasis is on form and shape..."

 

The line and plum disappear into the BG - it ruins the image to desaturate...

"Perhaps you just don't like me. Perhaps you might start a club."

 

I'm sure you're a fine human being and I certainly have nothing against you - I do like spirited debate. We can leave it at that...

"I was responding to your non-sequiter criticism that the image would be more valid if we replaced the pretty white girl with someone else."

 

I'm sorry, Tom - it's only a non-sequiter because you don't read well: I challenged a squishy anti-intellectual spitball about beauty and how it's been divorced from art crit and art in general by asking if this image would still be "beautiful" had the subject been a man instead of the typical vision of beauty: the skinny white female. I hope that clears things up for you - I have no desire to change this work, nor do I condemn it, I merely say that it ain't photographic art.

 

"I looked for some of your work here on photo.net or by a link, to se how you reflect the world, but... t "

 

That's a cheap shot - would it make my comment less relevant if I suck as a photographer? I do suck, I'm sure, but that has nothing to do with this conversation (and, btw, you suck as well). I may be able to sell a portrait or a headshot or live band shot or a publicity still, but that's not what we're talking about - we're talking about art. I've posted my images many times - but I won't in this forum - we're looking at someone else's work. So assume my works sucks if it makes you feel better - and let me tell you you where I want to be as far as photography goes: I admire the work of AA and (particularly the later) Stieglitz and Modotti and Friedlander and the fashion and portrait work of Avadon (see his fashion work for a lesson in photography as fantasy) and ARbus and Henri Cartier-Bresson (RIP) and even Larry Clark and Nan Goldin and Ryan McGinley. SO forget about my work - I don't use it as a standard but merely a goal I'm hoping to achieve.

"then go make that art and show it however you wish"

 

If ever my photo should make POTW, I would hope that criticism is not met with the age-old "go do better..." These images are here for discussion - if one can only fawn to be legitimate, I think we're missing the point here.

"it's a shameful trend in some contemporary attitudes that beauty isn't worth celebrating through the arts. "

 

What is beauty? Is beauty contrivance? Would the shot appeal less if the subject were a man? A fat woman? A woman (or man) of color? An unattractive person? A person with deformity? This shot has technical beauty - no doubt, and the model is hot, and the light is very sensuous - but the photo as a whole is a big faker that could be used to sell mirrors or body paint. I'm not attacking the photographer - obviously a person who knows their way around the gear, but at the end of the day, this brings nothing to the table and doesn't even ask a question of itself or the viewer. It tries, instead, to trick us - is that beauty? Or deception? I don't like being tricked for nothing more than a paint-by-numbers appeal to beauty.

This image is not black and white - it has a visible brown tone...

"I like them both, Harry. The PoW is more aesthetically pleasing, but the original meets the strictest journalistic standards. "

 

I like the original - it adds depth and authenticity -

My hat is off: can you imagine shooting like this with 50 ASA? Excellent!

I was kinda just kidding...

"We are seeing the hardened....

 

We are seeing the emptiness of a young heart that loves life... seeing someone who is sick and tired of pain and suffering and wishes that she too would die.

 

We are seeing the pride of modern society come to its end vs. the humility of a people that time forgot.

 

We are staring at pain and sorrow in the face vs. staring at the face of pain and sorrow.

 

We are seeing a moment of reflection, regret, hopelessness...and lonely grief and who cares not about questions anymore after having not found the answer her whole life.

 

We are seeing a last goodbye in both of them. "

 

Dude, I think we're seeing an Ectasy soaked bimbo searching for a Kool in her purse...

I find the blue cast disconcerting - and that blurry blob on the right is very distracting.

"but shamelessly copied from a different photo"

 

A proud tradition among great scenic and topographic phoptographers!

"There are no white areas to get blocked, so additional exposure could have helped! Again, another flaw."

 

The center forhead would blow out if high tones were pushed any more - maybe a little midtone push...

I don't think this photo is technically perfect - assuming that the web verison posted spans the color space of the original rgb - I see completely blocked low tones in the black outfit beneath the scarf and the center of the forhead is prectically clipped - a hotspot. I like the image, though.../

A moody use of dark tones and a great makeup and/or retouch work on the flesh tones. Very Russian, my friend - and your other portrait as well - a touch of the eternal sadness. But we both know that this ain't quite the hyperbolie we're seeing above..

 

dos vadanya

I love the color. Good work.

That about says it all for me!

beautiful

but this one sells well and is a photograph I get huge response to.

As well it should - it's a much better image than the seeming snapshot quality of the POW. I will never put down a photo or the choice of POW. But sometimes, I do scratch my head...

It makes me sad, but I've seen this view many times...and never will again

Nicely done!

I'd have been moved. It's been done too much. And there is that car in the background...

Captures a real moment - reminds me of Dickens or maybe Twain - the down and out as they really are - enjoying a second of revelry before it gets cold or the cops come or the rain starts or hunger flairs! Excellent!!!

I like the warm tones. Nice work.