stever

Hi Matthew

It's a good question you've asked, and not so easy to answer.... and of course, I'm no expert myself, but certainly willing to give my two cents Canadian :-)

You captured a very strong pattern of the ripples and their shadows. Bottom line is that I like it - the thumbnail certainly intrigued me enough to open up this page.

As for me, I often think in terms of what I call "useful cliches".

One of these is "a little bit of something in a lot of nothing", or "a little bit of one thing in a whole lot of something else."

So my gut reaction is to answer, yes, I would like to see a little something in the photo - maybe a lobster pot float or some other flotsam or jetsam, toy bucket, whatever (I've always wanted to use that term.) ... and I must admit, that I'm not averse to putting something in the scene if I have to :-)

Another useful cliche I tend to use is "diagonal is often better than straight", at least in cases where you don't *have* to keep a straight horizon or edge or whatever. That might work better here, too - sometimes makes for a more dynamic image.

I wouldn't not take the straight photo like this one, just saying that I'd try a few of the variations I mentioned.

So I hope that helps - in any event, looking at your portfolio, you're developing a nice style of your own - just keep taking lots of photos.

Best regards,SteveR

As always, I value your comments, suggestions, brickbats, etc.I took a break from raking leaves this past Saturday, and suddenly actuall saw the wind chimes on my front porch! They've been there for... I can't remember how long... many years.

I saw the afternoon sunlight filtering through the butterflies, got my camera, and took several photos. This one was exposed for the butterflies, and made the sky darker (it was actually a beautifully clear 2 PM sky.) I boosted contrast in PSP7 to further darkened it.

I've made a mental note to re-shoot this next fall, earlier in the season, when there are still plenty of golden leaves on the tulip poplars in the background.

Hi Linda,

No, not confusing at all - the circular pattern and soft focus of the kite(?) make for good separation of the sharply-focused women in the foreground, dressed in equally-colorful, but linear patterns (well, except for the braided headband of the woman at left, which subtly echoes the big circles of the kite.)

This is my favorite of a fantastic folder!

Best regards,

SteveR

Looking forward to your comments, suggestions, and criticisms.

The Ginko leaves are everywhere this year near my former office in Towson, Maryland... and I love their shape, color and texture! You'll see them in several of my photos.

This image is taken straight down looking at a small fountain. The fountain, part of a memorial to Baltimore County residents who died during the Vietnam War, is almost hidden in a garden next to the old Courthouse. I only found the fountain by following its sound.

Hi Margaret,

Well, I'm a sucker for verticals, so right away, I like this better :-)

Also, the leaves at the bottom, since you can see more of them, now "support" the composition - I think they're fine.

I like the fact that this version just about eliminates the strong vertical line of the curtain pleat on the right.

I really like the soft-focus flowers and the detail of the backlit lace - who says the foreground has to be in focus? You did a good job breaking the rule here.

Excellent!

Simple and elegant! Without the shadows it would still be a very nice photo, but the shadows seen through the leaf really make it special and elegant.

Very strong composition - wonderful the way you isolated the flags and the way they "radiate" outward and upward.

The red grouping reminds me of something from the old Soviet Union :-)

Best regards, SteveR

Very nice composition! Great use of the curve of the railing and seawall, the reflections in the puddles, and the pigeons.

Beautiful composition and beautiful, luminous colors!

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!

I had to get out of my chair and jump up and down when I saw this one. I couldn't tell what it was from the thumbnail, but even there, I saw the colors were intriguing and the composition was great.

[making bowing-down motion] - hats off to you - very inspring!

Best regards,

SteveR

You made an excellent image of it, Ulla. I like it for the same reasons you mentioned. I'm very glad you made this photograph before this "art" disappeared for all time :-)

Best regards,

SteveR

Hi Linda

Thanks as always for your comments. Here's a version of the photo with the top cropped - I do like it as well. Is this what you had in mind?

I really ;like this! For myself, I like the figure of the young mother - looks like she's expecting another child as well. The leaves for a nice border for the left-bottom of the image. I like the mixture of colors and textures, though I have no idea at all how to do it.

This would make a great poster, as you've left space that could be used as text on the right.

Great, StevieB!

It looked like an abstract in the thumbnail, and still gave the impression of abstract at first glance of the larger image. Then the realization that it's a beautiful view off of a cliff... and abstract at the same time. Great shades of blue in the water.

Best regards,

SteveR

Hi Stevie,

Beautiful photo, IMO. I like the way you worked in the lines of the blinds as well as their shadows on the countertop. The simple shapes of the kitchen implements and their simple container work very well in near-silhouette. You've inspired me to try something like this - maybe this weekend?

Best regards,

SteveR

Photos of people are not my strong point. With our amost-one-year-old nephew visiting this past week, I thought I'd try some portraits - babies are much eaiser to get good pictures of.

He's normally a smiley little guy, but I caught him here starting to doze off during a stroll.

As always, I'm looking forward to your comments & criticisms.

Hello Hans,

I would just like to add my admiration for all 3 of these "farmers" photos - and I like this one the best. You were right to get out early in the morning and patiently wait for the sun to "paint" the planting rows.

The texture is wonderful, and the combination of curves a straight lines, plus the magic light, are magnificent

"Asparagus" is perfectly good English as well!

Wow! An incredible sunset with amazing streaks of color. Perfect placement of the romantic-looking sailboat. Very appropriate to illustrate a fantasy/adventure/fairy tale.

Yes, Bram, this one does bring a smile to my face.

Not only humerous, but also very well seen and composed. The image frames itself!

You will be truly dangerous once you get that telephoto :-) But meanwhile, you're doing very well indeed.

Best regards,

SteveR

"When the rain comes...." I'm glad I didn't run and hide my head this time

This is a reflection of a small restaurant's neon sign on one of their tables; the tabletop is textured glass. James, the owner, really got into it when he saw what I was doing and moved his neon sign lower to get a more intense reflection. I'm bringing him a copy of this photo tomorrow.

As always, I'm grateful for your comments, suggestions, and criticisms.

Hi David,

It's a really great composition - very clean and powerful.

Here's a thought - how about trying to re-shoot this same scene with strong sidelighting - like early in the morning or late afternoon - or if you could get a strong lamp off to the side.

What I'm thinking here is adding another element - texture - to this image. The composition is already very strong, but I feel that adding contrast in tone and texture will turn it into a really great photo. Sidelighting would add variation in tone to the soil and also provide a contrast between the highly textured soil and the realtively smooth shovel head.

Best regards,

SteveR

Hi Henry,

I think you did very well with this photo! It's very evocative - makes me think of that old Credence Clearwater Revival song, "I See a Bad Moon Rising" ("... I see trouble on the way...")

I don't really notice the rooftop, and the tree silhouette looks sharp enough to me - I think that since it's totally in silhouette, sharpness isn't too much of an issue with the tree.

The two main elements - the great clouds (and the way they flow) and the lonely, naked tree, really make this photo.

Great job!

Hello Anthony,

Your photo is breathtaking in its beauty. The light is magic and the composition finely balanced.

I wish I could offer you some advice here, but I have nothing to offer except my admiration - Ausgezeichnet!

Best regards,SteveR

Hello Bram

Beautiful color, lighting, and composition.

I would like to see some part of the foreground mushrooms in sharp focus, however.

Best regards,SteveR

Hello Bram - very nice composition and brilliant colors for the musicians. The overall treatment makes me think of the Sargent Pepper album and puts me in a happy mood!