jimmcnitt

My kind of image! Symbolic, enigmatic and thought provoking. Great work!

A masterful job Airi. But unless I'm mistaken, it all began with a pretty impressive aerial photo. Not sure the lightning bolts are necessary, they seem a little out of place where everything else, indeed, declares a moment of peace and solitude. --jim

Oh my, reminds me of Martinique--Fort de France and Isles des Saintes. Trade winds and sultry nights. Delicious! --jim

A moment in the life well captured. The bright, diffuse light is amazing and really gives this a special quality. --jim

A rose is a rose, but to compose a rose... that's the thing. Especially to do it with originality. A terrific found image. --jim

Hi Brad:

 

The thing I admire about this image is the way you used DOF to throughly isolate your subject from what must have been a busy and distracting background. And the profile view with the curved sax setting up a counterpoint to the musician's wavy hair makes for a very compelling composition. Beautifully done. --jim

Sweet perfection. The backlit dew drops and b&w conversion give it a mystical, or at least mysterious quality that is very enticing. Like all your work, it is the result of a curious and sensitive eye.--jim

Just like putting toothpaste back in the tube. Are we talking evolution here (like Space Odessey 2001?) Or something else? Enigmatic and interesting!

Hi Serge:

 

What an adorable idea! There are a couple of ways you could make this more convincing. One, add a little gaussian blurr to the babies, they are much sharper than the petals. You might even want to take the blur tool to the edges around their hair and hands to soften the edge transitions. Also, you could play with the color balance a little since if they were riding in these roses, there would be a lot of reddish reflected light on their faces. I bet it'll be more fun than changing diapers. --jim

Crooked trees on a straight path. A wonderful image that provokes a very heartfelt response from me: Thank God It's Spring!!!! --jim

Very subtle and very convincing. One mini suggestion, reverse the direction of the crow on the left so that it faces into the frame, instead of away, that way it will guide the eye into your composition. Very nice work. --jim

Hi Claudia:

 

This is the first time I've ever seen artistic filters applied to a painting-- let alone a painter! Very clever and very nice. --jim

Hi Jorg:

 

What a perfect idea for a photounification! Actually, I really do remember seeing this image once in a book on the history of photography. But it was not nearly as intriguing as the way you've done it here! --jim

Cinderellaville is more of a state of mind than an actual place. The residents are young and

nubile and clothing is always optional. What's most remarkable is that the ordinary rules of

logic don't seem to apply here. Which means Cinderellaville exists in a unique dimension

where the imagination dictates--and reality obeys. Comments welcome--jim

Thanks guys.

 

David, once I had all the bits and pieces it took about 5 or 6 hours to stitch together. I wasted a lot of time adding things like discarded hamburger buns and MacDonald's wrappers on the sidewalk -- which no one will ever see at PN scale. In the end, I was pleased with nude silhouettes, but not that happy with the light background which I think tends to detract from the composition by drawing the eye away from the scene. Still, a dark background was just way too gloomy.

 

Floriana, thanks for your kind words of encouragement. You have no idea how much I admire the enigmatic beauty of your work. --jim

Simple yet effective! --jim

Does she leave her trophies on your pillow? My only suggestion would be to considering cropping out the sky so that your bad kitty totally dominates the frame. --jim

Hi Simon:

 

Very disquieting image--but somehow the high key effect and all the negative space don't quite jell for me. I can't help but feeling there should be something behind the figures to tie it all together. --jim

Vibrant color with a unique vanishing point perspective that reminds me a lot of de Chiraco's "Metaphysical" paintings. Nicely done. --jim

Captures and intense mood of solitary contemplation. Beatifully textured and composed. --jim

Hi Pina:

 

It's such a hard thing to get a useful photo of any kind when trying to shoot unnoticed on the street. To get group portrait like this is extraordinary. Thanks for your interest and e-mail. Best --jim

Hi Linda:

 

You really have a knack for finding uncommon beauty in the commonplace! I guess the purists want to see every bubble in perfect focus, but I like the abstract mystery of it -- and of course the tertiary red-yellow-orange color scheme.

 

BTW, my 16-year-old's project "Tracing the Migration of Pesticides through the Production of South Western Connecticut Honey" finished No. 2 in the CT Science Fair and is headed to Atlanta for the Intel Interational Fair. She found no traces of several of the more toxic pesticides in the honey at a local Arboretum--although she did find residue from Neem Oil -- an apparently nontoxic vegetable oil -- used as an insectide by organic farmers.

 

Best--jim

Hi Linda:

 

A great idea with excellent technique. I especially like the blue glow near the top which gives it an ethereal feel--and draws the eye through the entire composition. BTW, from the bio photo it looks as if there's a new -- and very large -- addition to the family. Best --jim

Hi Brandi--

It looks like what your friend really needs is a good Roadie!

 

Anyway, you had a strong concept and took a great shot -- so I agree that in this case the PS work (solarize, perhaps?) is really more of a hindrance than a help. Which doesn't mean there aren't some great techniques out there... but they usually take a lot of work to master. See these for some examples:

 

http://photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=2526972

 

http://photo.net/photos/Katja%20Faith

 

--jim

Very elegant, Ken. Obviously a great shot to begin with and some nice texturing. I love the position of her hands. --jim