randall ellis

This is perhaps the strongest of all the photographs you have in this folder. The short tonal range gives this a very gritty feel that works very well to create a strong sense of place. You also have a solid balance going on here with the cart on the left and the miner on the right. This is a very strong photograph with a lot of feeling. Having many previous generations of family members who worked the mines, I can say that you did a hell of a job capturing the setting in this one.

- Randy

You might like the photography exhibit "Coal Hollow", which is touring around the East Coast right now. It features a number of solid photographs of this same subject matter.

I think you've established a strong sense of place here and the person in the photograph really adds a feeling of reality. The road creates a good sense of depth as well, which also adds to the feeling of reality in this photograph.

If you don't mind a bit of technical criticism, I think that this would be stronger if there were more details in the buildings, and if the sky were not burned out. I would suggest exposing for a longer amount of time and developing for less, or using a compensating developer, either one of which would expand the tonal range. With better tonal separation in the buildings there would be more detail and with it more of a sense of the condition of the buildings.

- Randy

Your treatment of the clouds works very well, but there is nothing of great interest in the foreground. I would consider what this would look like if you cropped it so that the bottom of the trees fell at the bottom of the frame - the wider aspect ratio would serve your subject well and put a lot more emphasis on the clouds.

- Randy

This has a great feel, but it seems a bit soft. I also think that the overall image would be stronger without the bottom 1/5th where the water line starts. Don't get me wrong though, this is a tough lighting situation and you handled it well to get a very pleasing silhouette.

- Randy

I like this subject - there is a feel of mystery and a sense of an underlying story in the ladder - but I would try to isolate the ladder to add emphasis. I like the sense of place, but in this case I think that ladder could stand alone and be stronger for it. I would also expand the tonal range somewhat - try to get the highlights almost white but without losing their details and darken the shadows to the point that their details are visible, but only just. Shadow detail is important, but having too much can make an image look 'muddy' and not as well defined.

- Randy

I can't get over the wonderful abstractness of this photograph. The compressed tonal range really works well to create a sense of unworldliness. This is a fantastic display of how controlling contrast can be used to add impact to a photograph. The only suggestion, and it's just that, a suggestion, is that *perhaps* the waterline is a distraction. I'd love to see a print of this in person ? it's really strong. Very nice work, really.

- Randy

The colors really work here - they contrast with the bland background and dark water to create a strong presence. I almost think that this would be better served without the background though. The fog certainly lends a sense of place, but I wonder if the strongest portrayal of this subject would be a square image with the top of the frame ending right at the water line so that no boats were cut off, but the background was removed. Either way, I like this image - it is strong, had good depth, and great contrast. Nice work.

- Randy

This has a strong sense of movement and great lines, but I feel that it would be stronger if the entire area were in sharp focus. Since you're not using a camera with movements, this may be one of those times when shooting straight at the subject would portray the it better than shooting it from an angle.

- Randy

Excellent find! I like the sense that you are up above ground level here, it adds a certain something to the shot. I'd like to see the highlight values go up a bit to expand the tonal range, which would give a bit more separation to the mid-tones and give a better sense of sharpness. Nice work with this one.

- Randy

It's amazing what's around if you look in the right places. If you like this type of subject, check out Sam's portfolio - he's got a great selection of cultural flotsam.

I like what you're working on here, but when I look at the image I get a distinct vertical feeling. The door, the coat, the trash can, the windows, they all make me want to see this in a portrait orientation. I'd also like to see a bit more detail in the center of the image, although it would be difficult with the bright windows on either side. Overall, though, this has a good sense of place and a sense of mystery as well. If you have more shots of this subject, I'd like to see them.

- Randy

The colors make a nice contrast, but I agree, they do seem a bit saturated. Don't get me wrong, it works well, but my first inclination before checking the details was to think that the blue is a bit bright for such a weathered seat - it almost looks hand colored, especialy the yellow. It's hard to explain in words, but I like 'feel' of this shot for some reason. I'd *love* to see more of this area if you have more to share - the colors and textures of abandoned objects are often spectacular.

- Randy

Another good point of view with this shot, but the tonal values are a bit muddy. You've got a great feeling of depth with the angle, and including the surroundings adds a great sense of place, but I want to see more details in the face of the pump, which seems to be the dominant subject here. I think that if you were to make it so that the white paint of the face (where the dials are) is just darker than paper white it would draw the viewers eye and provide a lot more details by separating the tonal values in the surrounding features. Since the sky area will burn out almost no matter what you do, and since it doesn't add anything to the photograph, I would consider moving up on this subject a bit more so that the sky is *just * cut out - this should allow you more room to make adjustments to the rest of the image.

- Randy

Your point of view gives good emphasis to the subject, but the tonal value of the sky is high enough that it keeps drawing my eye away from the building. I think that if you brought the sky value down, but kept the values in the shadows of the building, it would create a better sense of depth and allow the viewer's eye to snap right to the front of the gas station. There are a lot of good opportunities here - I'd love to see more of your work on this subject if you have it.

- Randy

I like the new version quite well, but the biggest thing is do *you* like it better?

- Randy

The negative space works well here, but I agree that when you made the exposure it would have been stronger if you had removed the tree on the right all together. The warm tone works well with the soft contrast, and the large negative space really adds quite a bit of feeling, but the effect is spoiled by the tree on the right. You're on to something strong here, but it needs a little polishing to be the best if can be.

- Randy

I like the composition, and the dark background, which brings the subject up nicely, but the highlights are too high in value and there is little separation shadows in the leaves. I think if you lowered the highlight values it would expand the tonal range in the leaves and bring out the details in the veins more, which would give a much better sense of depth and give a more realistic portrayal of the subject.

- Randy

I like the tonal values here, and the vignetting in the corners, which keeps my eye in the photograph and adds emphasis to the subject. I also think that your choice of cool-tone works very well with the subject. I'd like to see more of your work at this site.

- Randy

I have to agree with the other poster - the sky areas are not well served by the pixelation. I also think that the left side of this image doesn't add anything to the composition and throws the balance of the shot off by allowing the right side to have too much weight. If you take this in portrait orientation it will add vertical emphasis, which would compliment the subject and correct the balance. Other than that, I like this one. Looks like a good place to work.

- Randy

Jason,

Yeah, I wasn't happy about the sky either at first, but the camera I was using was digital, so unless I sacrificed the lower tonal values I couldn't get any detail in the sky. There are clouds, but they are mostly lost due to the limited tonal range of the equipment. This is one that I'd like to get back to sometime and shoot with color negative film for a better range of values, but the situation was somewhat special and I don't know if I could wrangle another ride like this again or not. Thanks for taking time to let me know what you thought!

- Randy

I like the sense of openness is this photograph. The leaning structure give a dynamic feeling, and the tonal values work very well. This is my favorite of all the shots you have up right now. I'd love to see this one in person.

- Randy

I like this one too, but not as much as some of the others. In this photograph, I am torn between two subjects, the tree and the dam. There is a lot of material to work with here and I think that you could get a couple of strong shots of the tree, and some others of the dam, but together they compete for my attention.

- Randy

Yeah, this is good. I like your framing here - the rocks close up the right side and the trees and waterfall close the left side, which allows my eye to move deep into the photograph. The only suggestion that I have would be to bring the value of the highlights up a bit so that they have more sparkle. They are a little muddy here, which subdues what could be a really strong photograph. Nice work with these, I'd love to see more of this area.

- Randy

I like the sense of depth that you created by looking at the dam at an angle, and I like the inclusion of the downstream area, but I think that there is a little too much foreground - specificaly the concrete form at the bottom left. The highlights also look just a little dark and the shadows might show better separation if they were brough up in value just a bit too.

I think that if you moved in so that the foreground was all rocks and water, and brought up the values overall it would be quite a bit stronger. Getting closer would remove some of the sky area (which isn't adding anything to your main subject) and remove the artifical object in the foreground, thereby putting more emphasis on the most interesting part of the photograph, the dam and it's waterfall. I like what you have here, your composition is solid and you have a good sense of depth, but I think just a little more work would yeild a stronger photograph.

- Randy

I think that this is a fantastic choice for pinhole - the subject and the method are well matched. The only thing that I would consider is moving forward so that there is more balance - right now the left side is heavier than the right, and my eye is pulled off to that side rather than being allowed to move down the length of the bridge.

- Randy

I like your vision here, the fog is very well captured and the composition and balance are very strong. The only thing that comes to mind is that the foreground doesn't add anything to the shot, and this might be stronger if the bottom of the frame was very close to the dark line (water line?) in front of the tree.

- Randy