briarrose

Amar, Amar, Amar--

 

What can I say?! This is breathtaking--simply breathtaking! I enjoy all of your images--but it seems to me that you've a special affinity for these dance photos--they simply *sing* with energy and life. And yes, of course part of that is the marvelous dancer(s?) you've used--but plenty of people take uninspiring images of fantastic dancers--so I don't think I'm overstating this.

 

I love the way you emphasize the gesture and the drama of each moment, in the long shots--by creating a dark background (ah, the magic of Photoshop! :-))--and then gently adjusting the colors until we're left with what is almost an abstraction...but not quite...

 

You've a fine hand with the camera--and an even more delicate touch with your post-processing--and it's a privilege and an honor to view your work. (Which work, incidentally, strikes me as very commercial! I do hope you're trying to market these dance images--they seem like exactly the sort of thing that young, artsy college students love to decorate their walls with--pictures that are sophisticated, and dynamic, and expressive of their own desire to conquer the world!)

 

Keep shooting--and keep sharing, Amar! :-)

What a marvelous capture, Amar!!! This is simply stunning! I would never in a million years even THINK to take a picture like this...but oh, how I wish I HAD taken it! ;-)

 

I think the desaturated colors make this far more interesting than it would have been in full color--or in black and white...that foot really pops right out at you--and the lively look on the woman's face--upside down--wow!!!

 

Did I mention I think this is stunning?! :-)

I like this a LOT--it's dreamy and hazy and appeals to me tremendously...

 

I think, however that tweaking your curves in Photoshop would add a little bit of "zing" to it, while keeping that whole dreamy feel...

 

Still love it though--even without the tweaking! You've got a lovely eye for angles and color. :-)

Beautiful shot, Tomaz! :-) (As for the blurriness--if you're not using Photoshop to sharpen up your scans--you should be. Your photos are too beautiful to be left "as is"! :-))

 

Sure wish we could see the original! :-)

*sigh...* I'm so jealous of your marvelous photos that it's just not funny! :-)

 

Beautiful work, Sergey, as always! :-)

Yet another "oldie, but goodie"! :-) Love the brilliant colors here--the primary colors--the sense of being frozen in time...

 

Thanks for sharing it! :-)

Okay--so it's been done before. Who cares?! :-) Nice reinterpretation of a time-worn idea! You've got a knack for breathing new life into cliches--and reminding us of why we liked 'em so much that they BECAME cliches, in the first place! :-)

 

Keep it up!!! :-)

This is GORGEOUS!!!! I love the finial shadows...the toning choices you've made...the sharp angularity running through the middle of the image--the way the height difference in the three "towers" is accented by the camera angle...

 

Hmmm--I don't think there's ANYTHING I don't like about this shot! :-)

 

Great work!!!!! :-)

David--I'm going to go against the flow here, and state that I DON'T care for the square crop--although I do think it's a decent compromise for getting rid of the problematic elements in the original.

 

My dislike of the square, however--doesn't take away from my enjoying this photo! It's lovely! Soft, pensive, dreamy... Beautiful model--beautifully captured--and good Photoshop work, as well.

 

Major pats on the back for capturing it! :-)

Well--I'll admit I'm partial to anything that's green--but even so--I think this is wonderful! :-)

 

I refuse to critique it--I'm just enjoying it...

Evgeni--you've done it again! :-) This photo is, as others have already said, fresh, enchanting, engaging and charming. There is a sweetness about it--an innocence--that is utterly disarming.

 

I do agree that the shadows are a bit harsh--particularly under her eyes--but that is a minor nitpick, pretty much in the tradition of, "I should say SOMETHING about how to improve this image, so that I'm not just gushing over it," rather than a major complaint.

 

Again--like others here--I like the idea of taking a horizontal shot and making it work as a vertical. This seems to be a theme in your work--using new perspectives, to share a vision with us--and I, for one, appreciate it! :-)

 

Thanks for sharing--and keep 'em coming! :-)

I love the rich, warm tones in this image--and have to agree with the person who said it made them want to take up smoking a pipe! :-)

 

Yes, the image is a little busy--and the highlights could be toned down a little...but overall--I think this is a very appealing image. I especially like the lizards, under the pipe. Don't know why--just do! Adds a dash of whimsy, I think.

 

Keep up the good work! :-)

Paul--I'm devastated to think that this is the last in this marvelous series!!!! I want to see at LEAST 10--maybe more!!! :-(

 

Okay--having gotten that out of my system--I'll address the photo.

 

I like this--alot. While it lacks the darker broodiness of your other pre-Raphaelite pieces--the heaviness of Rossetti or Millais, it captures the lightness and delicacy of the some of the later artists of that period--like Burnes-Jones and Evelyn de Morgan.

 

While I can understand how some people feel the light sky doesn't quite fit with the darkness at the base of the castle...to me--this image seems very allegorical--practically creaking with symbolism!

 

The light sky--the surface of things--the shades of soft pink and blue, with the lovely, fluffy clouds--is consistent with a romanticized view of medieval times--while the darkness at the base of the castle--and the darkness slowly creeping up the castle walls--symbolize the darker, more seamy side of the time. (To be terribly pre-Raphaelite--the darkness could stand for the sordid passions of man--while the lightness would be idealism and moral purity. ;-))

 

The heavy vignetting at the upper right can either be image aging--or more of the darkness, beginning to envelope the castle.

 

I can't help but think that the heavy, overt symbolism would be deeply satisfying to any pre-Raphaelite. Once again, Paul--bravo!!! :-)

Breathtakingly sophisticated, Paul! :-) The tones in this--the rolling hills--it looks like velvet, poured out over a mold of some sort.

 

Myself--I think this is much more beautiful in these shades--than in black and white--it has that wonderful vintage feel that is also timeless.

 

*sigh...* I just don't know how you do it, my friend! :-)

Paul--it's taken me a while to figure out what I wanted to say about this image, so I've been checking in with it the last couple of days, and thinking about it...and the bottom line is--I *like* it--very much!

 

It has a slightly different feel to it than the others in the series, though--to me, anyway... They're more about emotion--mood--and this one is more like a literal rendition of a pre-Raphaelite landscape. I keep expecting to see one of Holman Hunt's sheep or goats, poking it's head around a corner!

 

I think perhaps that is why so many people are commenting on the fog, in this image--even though you used it far more heavily in the photo with the cottages (bother! can't think of the name right now!). Where the focus was on mood--the fog was less obtrusive--where the focus is more on the landscape--it becomes more apparent. (Then again--I could be over-anaylyzing this! ;-))

 

Regardless--I still think it works here--and once again, I find myself in awe of your vision and your skill.

 

Bravo, Paul--and thank you, yet again, for sharing with us! :-)

Now you're talking!!!! This has the sharpness and contrast that was missing in some of your other, otherwise excellent photos! BRAVO!!!!! I LOVE this one!!!! :-)

 

(And I don't think it's ugly at all--it's fascinating--and all about lines...and textures...)

This is just wonderful, Peter--first-rate composition--and wonderful capture--I'm jealous! :-)

 

The only thing I think would improve it would be adjusting the contrast slightly, and sharpening a bit more--otherwise--SUPERB work!!! :-)

I can't believe I've missed this, on previous visits! This is great fun! It's a little like an Escher drawing, as your mind goes around and around, trying to make sense of it... Well done! :-)

Lovely photo, with a dreamy, almost surrealistic quality to it... I think this would look fantastic printed up on a textured watercolor art paper...

 

Bravo!!! :-)

I really like this image, Tiffany--it's interesting! It makes me want to know what the story behind it is...

 

I think you've made very effective use of color, contrast and composition in this photo. It might not follow the rules--but sometimes breaking the rules works--and here, it most definitely does, in this lovely, vintage-feel image.

 

Thanks for sharing! :-)

Ulf--you have a good eye--and this photo is a perfect example of it. The composition is strong, interesting and visually appealing. The only real problem (and the reason I didn't rate it higher in terms of aesthetics) is your post-processing.

 

This image looks like an image straight out of a digital camera. It is a little soft--it needs to be sharpened; have the contrast increased slightly, and perhaps the hue/saturation tweaked, as well.

 

If you're serious about your digital photography, you should be learning Photoshop, and using it to post-process...or, if you're still dabbling (or just can't afford it right now! ;-)), there are other consumer level programs that range from freeware (Gimp) to around $99 (Photoshop Elements, PaintShop Pro) that will do an excellent job of making reasonable autoadjustments, until you learn to do manual adjustments.

 

I suspect that your digital camera might even have come bundled with some image adjusting software, that will at least handle contrast and hue/saturation adjustments in some form--and I think the images you're turning out are good enough straight out of the camera, that you should get very decent results on "auto"--enough to make your photos look more snappy, at any rate! :-)

 

Just my two cents! I think you're too good at what you're doing for your images to be suffering from the post-processing blues! ;-)

Another winner, Paul! I like this one more, and more, every time I see it... I think the use of moody blues on this photo really adds depth and atmosphere and a timeless sense...

 

Beautiful work! :-)

Nice image! :-)

 

I love the hyper-saturated colors, and the use of depth of field...as well as the sort of "glow" effect you've got going here... This is an unusual and effective image. Keep it up! :-)

This is a fun shot! :-) There are undoubtedly things that could make this image look better--but I'll let someone else cover that. Me--I'm just feeling giggly looking at this charming image! :-)

Another shot with great motion in it!