sammm

I'm not sure I get it. Nice photo. But the composition is dominated by a rock that just sits there like a beached whale. Or maybe a beached flank steak. It doesn't seem dangerous, as someone else noted, or particuarly interesting. The rock is flat, depriving us of the sort of shadow detail that might come with a more interesting shape. The S curve of the sand looks like it's lying down in the frame, off to one side. The sand is flat, a mildly interesting reflective surface. But the composition is such that you just keep coming back to that flat rock, and I've seen more interesting rocks.

 

Technically well done - I'd love to have Leigh teach me technique - but this particular scene doesn't touch me, and the photograph doesn't convince me that the scene itself is of extraordinary interest. The optimism/pessimism contrast pointed out doesn't strike home for me, either, perhaps because I just don't find either side truly bright or truly foreboding - rather, it all strikes me as somewhat in-between.

Very nice flower but a distracting background.

Thanks, all.

 

I think this crop works better in print than on the screen, since on the screen you immediately see the emptiness on top while in the print you focus quickly on her face and the bird and thirdly her hand, and the background is just that.

 

I heartily recommend taking your kids falconing if you ever get the chance. It's a great thing!

I agree on there being too much going on, but also like that historical context. I wonder if there is a composition that would focus on the plaque and door but leave out the lamp, or you could crop down on top and the left so you had a red half/white half but not the white outline around the door.

 

Yes, it's busy, but I like all the elements.

I may try to burn in the moon in photoshop (though I'm worried that it could look unnatural). This is a tough one for the photographer to judge - I know the moon is there, so my eye goes right to it.

 

The best thing to have done probably would have been to wait - this was shot at evening time, and the bird was just sitting here posing for us. We probably spent 15 minutes taking him from various angles, walking around 12 or so feet from him, moving the light, watching him watch us and the large meadow next to this tree. Another 15 minutes and the sky would have been dark enough for that moon to pop a bit more. But by then there was another hawk...

 

The moon also pops a bit more on a couple of shots with smaller aperatures - I don't think this shot focuses quite to infinity. But there is noticable blur on those (no tripod - I used my daughter's head to brace the camera on these, much to her delight).

 

Composition? Is the moon too subtle? Does the framing of the tree

work? Thanks.

I'm posting two very similar photos, and would particularly

appreciate input on two issues: (1) which do you prefer? One is

lit by an off camera flash, the other is natural light, and is both

darker and has a bit more in the way of a shadowy feel. (2) My dof

on these is very oriented toward the lower half; does this work?

 

Thanks!

I'm posting two very similar photos, and would particularly

appreciate input on two issues: (1) which do you prefer? One is

lit by an off camera flash, the other is natural light, and is both

darker and has a bit more in the way of a shadowy feel. (2) My dof

on these is very oriented toward the lower half; does this work?

 

Thanks!

Nice shot in the bright sun; did you use a reflector or fill flash, or was there some natural reflection? Tough to get this much detail in a white shirt - and while that white shirt does compete a bit for attention, it also brings out the idea that this is a bright and sunny day.

Very powerful; I like the level of detail around the eyes combined with the completely blacked out shadows. My only nit is inspired by last week's POW discussion - I'm not sure what to make of the catchlights.

Thanks, Kim,

 

I like that, quite a bit. It helps focus on the band-aid, which is what I think makes the shot, removes distraction, and keeps her from ending up in the center without much dynamism. Nice crop. Thanks.

 

I was thinking about some of your shots today as I was snapping away at a couple lizards and a blue heron. Not sure I got the heron. Missed a bald eagle opportunity, too, as a wake upset the boat I was in just as I was about to take the shot. Vacation in Florida. Oh, well.

 

Galina - thanks, very helpful. I'm also now noticing more those metal lugs on the left, and trimming will help with those. Also, the original film image is much sharper, so I should be able to sharped, but I think this particular scan is less than fully satisfactory. So, yes, I think there is room to sharpen, or just rescan more carefully.

 

Best to all,

 

Sam

I think the shadow hurts this one, because it is a partial shadow and it divides your attention, and that you need a bit of additional contrast to bring out the head.

 

But a really strange moment, right at the bottom of the wing flap, and interesting because of that.

I like Galina's version much more, but it sacrifices the "goth" effect that I think you were going for and gives a more traditional look, perhaps one more appealing to her parents. It also reveals a fair bit of what looks like flash glare, and I wonder if the contrast can be increased while softening out the harshest tones.

 

And I, too, am going to be checking in for the Dunkerly tutorial -- the suspense here is building!

Brooks, thanks, and I will post it. And that green branch won't be there anymore!

My favorite of this set of shots. I think this one would be particularly strong in a square format, cropped a bit at the right to really focus the shot on him. As long as you got the curve in the smoke, I don't think you need the whole ball of smoke at top.

An old one that I'm about to reprint and frame - what do you think of

this crop? Focused enough, or should I cut deeper? I'm also

considering pruning that green branch in the background in photoshop -

would anyone save it?

I agree on the effect being somewhat overdone, but think the "overdoing" is focused right around the girl's face in the center. If you could just bring out the definition a bit more, and keep her face a shade deeper.

Nice shot. I think the light on the right hand girl's face helps balance the composition; of all that is cut off, the only thing I find myself looking for are the fingers on the girls hand on the right. Otherwise, I think the tight composition adds.

 

 

No more contrast! It's right as is.

I like the high level of detail on the foreground figures - I think that's part of what really makes this work.

I think the background is very distracting.

Cute shot, but the bear needs to be sharper. Also, I find the edge of the stone in front distracting - it might have been good to get a higher angle if possible to get some foreground in there without the edge.

I like this one a lot - great expression, if a bit "goth", and the bracelets and framing of the arm are a nice touch.

 

I find the trees in the background a bit distracting, especially the wy they seem to "crown" her where they meet.

 

 

I think it's framed just right as is, and that a square format would be too compact. I like the shot from the side.