lmcinnis37

The image seems a little soft focus, but still sharp enough to tell the photographer to be extremely wary. Menacing fangs would certainly make me think twice about disturbing this creature! You get high marks for bravery. Overall very nice image with great color.

IMO, the facial area could be lightened a little without damaging the rest of the ambiance of this chilly morning. See if you agree.

I could not make out the details of the decorative pitcher (?) on the right side until I lightened the image. Then, the entire image became more interesting and meaningful (per your title). Since the framing is designed with the pitcher in mind, the image should show its beauty a little more. If this is your first time at such a set up, I applaud your effort and success. You have enough trappings of "demon rum" to sell the concept. Nice work.

IMO you need to be more creative than to place a power pole in the immediate foreground of your framed subject. I am not excited about the grain elevator itself, but IMO the pole takes out most of the artistic potential it possesses. I suggest you move around the grain elevator in an effort find a better vantage point for the shot, or get inside the pole with an ultra wide lense and assess the potential from there. If you moved to your right, perhaps you would have been able to eliminate the pole altogether (or place it on the side of the frame) and include the left (cut-off) arm of the structure, as well. If it doesn't look right in the viewfinder, it probably won't look good in a frame. But, that's just one opinion..

I appreciate your personal philosophy of keeping your landscapes as clean and natural as possible. You have embraced a style which emphasizes the natural and which marks your work. Nobody can fault you for pursuing that approach to photography. But, I think you are a vanishing breed. There are many of those like myself who explore and dream beyond what is to what something could be. It is merely another viewpoint and one which should be expressed, equally appreciated, and accepted as art even if not purely photographically derived. If you took my modification and placed it alongside your original for people to choose from, I suspect that the split would be about 50-50. But, thank you for sharing the natural beauty of this scenic and for tolerating my tinkering with it in open forum. If it displeases you,greatly, feel free to delete it from the critique with my blessing. Best wishes for more of your landscapes of natural beauty. Lamar McInnis, Sr.

Wow! This is one intimidating glare your model offers. Or, is it the contrast and the ringed catchlights in her eyes or the dark circles underneath her eyes? Regardless, I found that underneath all that siniste,r evil-eye look is another person,...nice and not so intimidating and dark. See attached.

The title must be in reference to Batman as he descends in his cape, or perhaps because the eagle seems to be in near darkness. Regardless, the eagle's dark areas seem blocked and without detail. Lightening the overall image would improve the details IMO. See attached.

I feel your title and the bright image don't quite match up. I did some tweaking by darkening and adding some pinkishness to the distant clouds and think it meets the test of a "sunset glow" somewhat better. These are easy adjustments which you can do on your own with an editing program such as PS. Often a fresh-out-the-camera shot doesn't give you what you actually saw, so it isn't always your best friend. It cuts down the drama you probably witnessed and gives a more illuminated "daylight" image. See the attachment. Hope this helps.

If I were a honey bee (or any other nectar collector), I would make this lily my first stop of the day. (In the center, I see a ring of stamen in standing ovation of far-side performers who bow in gratitude.) Absolutely gorgeous specimen and a great job of capturing these beautiful colors and symmetry with sharpness which reveals all the detail of delicate petals and a crowning centerpiece. I can only imagine an overwhelming gasp at seeing this in poster size. Wow!

My previous comment was made "tongue-in-cheek" and in subtle humor. Dorothy was the heroine in the 1939 classic fantasy movie, 'The Wizard of Oz," and the TinMan was one of her comrades on a trek to find the Wizard of Oz. The TinMan wore a funnel hat like your subject's. Your photo subject reminded me of the movie and the TinMan, and if, perhaps, he could be the son of a fantasy, behind-the scenes romantic liaison between Dorothy and the Tinman. :-)

I apologize for my apparent insult of both your photo and your sensibilities. Melanie is a beautiful lady and if your choice of lighting and straight-out-of-the-camera snapshots are what you find pleasing, then you don't really need (and perhaps should not ask for) a critique. All you have to do is hit "delete" on my critique and "poof," it is gone...with my blessings and good wishes. Good day.

Thankfully, for you (and us), that you didn't take just one more step in the darkness before the first light. A very precipitous perch, photographer. But, we do appreciate the peril you faced to bring us this beautiful landscape. Please be careful, now.

Great point of view and good choice for framing. The vibant colors are a major asset as is the sharp yellow pistol (?) which emerges between the petals, You managed to keep the sky from "blowing out", too. Overall very nice image and great presentation.

You owe it to your model to make her look as good as you can when posting her image on an international web site. The deep shadows and facial blemishes should be edited out to make her as beautiful as she really is. The lighting compounded your problem with dark shadow areas. Your model can help in some instances, too. Here, the square opening in her suit allowed uneven skin tones to be visible. These may be edited, but the jewelry makes that problematic, also. Makeup will help, or simply wearing a different outfit that shows only more even skin tones, or have her wear a a blouse that adequately covers those areas not reddened by the sun. I have an example of the facial area after some editing. I hope this has been of some value to you. Happy shooting!

One of the finest nature shots I have seen. Congratulations on this effort.

Even better than the other Red Mill shots photographly because of the sunset's drama. I think you may have taken my advice about the water, but here, the falls and the froth should not be as blue as the water itself as they have aeration and would show lighter and whiter. I suggest a reduction in the falls bluishness and replace it with a much lighter hue of blue. Also, the water would show a light hint of reddish reflection from the mill itself. I believe you will be pleased with the result of these changes. Regardless, a masterful work of art, and I congratulate you on this outstanding image. Keep up the good work!

You were indeed blessed by the unexpected meeting with the "elderly photographic information resource" from a bygone era. The bonus was the print he made and which he gave you. I can feel for the gentleman. He is nearing the end of his life and certainly of his photographic career, but the fire still burns within. Upon his death, the name he has made and the fruits of his labor will likely be unwelcome rubbish to friends and even family members. He, in a selfless, gracious gesture, gave to you, another photography enthusiast, something he prized and wished for it to remain in the hands of someone who will appreciate and relish showing and holding this jewel from his personal treasure trove. Yes, you made a friend, and you will be him in 40 or 50 years when you, too, will be divesting yourself of your own photographic tresures. It is a sobering reality that we all ignore but cannot change.

Beautiful image! Your imagination and composition conveys the pride one has in possessions which have little monetary value, but which have great value and meaning to the wearer and an appreciation within the wearer's culture. The colors, detail, and skin texture are perfect. My thanks for sharing this wonderfully simple work of art.

-Your camera's exposure has been overly influenced by the massive light area on the left.. If your camera has spot-reading exposure capability, take a reading off the facial area and use it to expose. The area to the left will still be overexposed, but the area you want to photograph is going to be properly exposed. Or, you can use fill flash. Even the most inexpensive point & shoot cameras have it nowadays

Technicallly excellent in lighting, exposure, and focus, but pose appears forced and her demeanor seems less than pleasant. Usually, arms with elbows forward and hands on hips indicate defiance. Under the right circumstances this attitude is precisely what is desired, particularly for product advertisement. Without knowing the photographer's intent, it is impossible to properly critique the image's effectiveness.

Tonal quality and lighting are superb. She appears to be caught in a very serious, almost unbelieving state, with mouth agape, as if learning her dinner date is married. Otherwise, IMO the only distraction is that her eyes are cut too far to her left.

Here's proof that Dorothy and the Tinman were closer than we thought. Is this in Kansas?

This is certainly a strong, dramatic image, but it raises questions as to why the sky and clouds are so dark and yet the foreground is so well lighted. Hmmm. Regardless, it is well done and an eye-catcher, for sure. My congratulations to you.

This is a great find, perfectly captured, and with so much potenital. Your depiction is beautiful as is, but sometimes I cannot restrain myself by asking "What if?" questions for other depictions of your image. (It's my "therapy", if you know what I mean.) I hope you don't mind too much my tinkering with it. First, I selected the signage and reduced it's brilliant dominance of the overall image in an effort to make the structure seem more antiquated. Once that was done, I reduced the overall brightness and heightened the contrast of the entire image. I felt these modifications gave a decidedly different character of the setting. I have included my effort for your consideration. I did a similar thing in B/W and liked it as well. I hope you approve.

Wow! What an up-close-and-personal introduction! His piercing, smiling blue eyes are instantly captivating. His leathery skin and grayed, unruly beard mark him as a long-time lover of the sea and sun. His personna conveys his being an outgoing, fun-loving, gregarious person who enjoyed both other sailors and the thrill of the sea. You captured enough of the venue to set the stage, but without distracting from the subject himself, yet you filled the frame with your subject.. Excellent work in spite of the exaggerated nose. Congratulations!