glenn_polin

It seems unbalanced as a composition...my eye wanders around without coming to rest anywehre. It looks like the far right of the picture has the focus, so that the blue jean cuff looks more in focus that the center hardware. It does seem like more DOF would be part of the solution. Then we could "see" if the composition worked better.

I admire the way you lit the child...it really makes the photo pop out. I wonder, however, about the man's skin color. It looks off to me, kind of extreme. With the studio background color, the man's shirt color and then his skin color, the "color noise" detracts from the simple message of the picture.

As I have come back to peek at this several times, I enjoy it more then when I first looked at it. At first I was taken aback by the coloring; I remember actually turning my head away from the monitor, as if the orange was too glaring.

 

But having gotten used to it, I have come to like it quite a bit. A small print of it would be very nice in my living room! The orange color would work there well.

 

I used to know a Robert Gordon...do the initials FOF mean anything to you?

Gazing into water is a very restful experience for me, and this captures some of that feeling.. The lines of light and dark suggest the movement of the water very nicely.

 

As an abstract piece, it is pleasant to look at. But if I am supposed to know it is a pelican and have some relation to the bird, then I suppose it is too small. You titled this Pelican; if I came upon it in a museum, I would glance at it, look for the Pelican, shake my head and walk away. But if you titled it "The Sea at Rest", or some such, I would spend some time looking at it, and when I discovered the Pelican, I might enjoy it.

I find it odd that you chose the launch and not the disaster. It seems like it is missing the most important half of the story; there is no hint of trouble here or their fate.

 

Was that a deliberate decision?

 

 

Maybe time will vindicate your decision, but for now it feels like less than the truth.

I like the composition a lot; it probably isn't perfect, but I continue to enjoy looking at it, without wanting to change it.

 

My only addition would be to add to the dynamics of the piece, its impact and coloring. It seems overexposed to me, and if you look at its histogram, it is mostly concentrated in a small area.

 

An example of more dramatic tones and coloring.

 

 

Really excellent; the content, colors and composition are all strong.

I really like this...it evokes two of the many faces of San Francisco, the downtown tall buildings and the houses right next to one another with the pastel/light colors...they even rise slightly to the right, to remind you of the hills.

 

On my monitor, the houses are not too dark, and I tend to think a little more light on them could spoil the effect of moonrise.

 

"It's a marvelous night for a moondance."

 

I like the photo quite a bit...if it were mine, I would be tempted to go into Photoshop and put a little more light onto the subject's face. Just a little...the tonal range in the face is a little too close to the background.

The horse itself is beautiful and your focus on it is precise. It feel like color would have been better here, to see the golden mane, etc. Carousels are colorful.

 

AS for the rest of it, I don't know how to improve it, but I am left feeling like the impact of the horse is lessened by the vast number of details of the background remaining...all the poles sticking up and shadows below, all distract from my ability to focus on the subject.

It seems to me the lack of precise focus in the foreground really hurts the picture. Perhaps it is due to blurring from movement.

When there is something in the background that gives context, or the background lends to the beauty by its form or simplicity, then cropping harms the photo. Here, I don't see why you wouldn't get rid of it. We have some hard-to-see blue fencing and a lot of dirt. Where is the beauty in seeing more of it. The cropped version leaves enough of it for me.

 

I don't get any more information about the situation (it's a bull ring in a rodeo or whatever, right?) by including more background. So is this a composition issue?

A very nice photo; the similarity in shirt colors against the muted color of the house background make it work really well.

It is an oxymoron, a pseudo military vehicle in a disabled parking space. I wish I liked the photograph, and then I could say something nice about the image to you before beginning my rant....

 

...but it is an unattractive photo and you are treading on dangerous ground here. Here are some things to think about:

 

(1) It is none of your business what a disabled person chooses to drive. If they get some pleasure out of driving a Hummer, why not?

 

(2) All SUVs look ridiculous in the city (to me, here in the U.S.A).

 

(3) They may be transporting a family member who is disabled. I have a very sweet child who can't walk. (See the photo of Claire in the Single Photos folder of my portfolio) What vehicle is it I should drive that would look ok in the disabled parking space?

 

(4) Yes, it may just be a guy with a Hummer who just took the disabled spot...that's a different rant.

 

Let's stick to photography...there is very little of inerest in the photo...big dark areas, and I wouldn't know it was a Hummer unless you told me. Somehow the concrete garbage containers stand out more than the disabled signs. Altogether I think it doesn't work.

Beautiful, bella, bravo.

Yes, quite moody.

I like this one; the wall pattern is still there, and somewhat bothersome, but the "human" content makes up for it.

Would be more compelling for me if more face was visible; also the moire pattern on the wall...is it intentional? real? an artifact of my monitor?

Better if focus would be on the face.

Tim,

 

What jumped out at me was a color cast, or imbalance, that seemed to pervade the picture. I brought it into Photoshop and removed the cast, and I found it easier to look at.

 

Send me a note if you want to to remove the revision; I'd be happy to delete it.

 

As for composition, it isn't "right" or balanced, but I do like the photo. My first thought would be to cut the grass; most of it, in fact.

This one also seems extraordinarily beautiful; unposed and natural, but artful at the same time.

A genuine pleasure to see a real smile on a pretty girl in a fine photograph!

Anna, I don't think it is bad at all; I like it quite a bit. Nicely planned, composed and framed.

A fine moment; congratulations! But I'm surprised that with a Canon D-60 and a not terribly long lens, there is not a lot more crisp detail. I'm not sure how much more would enhance the photo...but I am wishing it were crisper.

Thirumale, you do get around. India and Alleghany. I love this picture. I think your chosen view and perspective is just wonderful.

 

As for the color, I've played with it and don't think I can improve it, right off. To me it is a shape and form picture and the closer it gets to the elements , the more serious conversation an be had. I tried desaturating it in Photoshop and I liked the results much better. Its more about shapes and less about wierd colors.