toby_smith1

Though I truly do appreciate those who have taken the time to view and rate my work, I would be very grateful if you would take just a little more time to leave a comment possibly explaining your rating or even offering a tip or two as to how I might improve. A rating, especially a low one, with no explanation really does me no good at all. A tip on lighting, aperture setting, cropping, POV, anything would be greatly appreciated on my part.

Ian, I can't thank you enough for leaving a comment on my photo "the People". Some of my photos have been rated and yet nobody leaves a comment to explain the rating or offer tips on how I can improve. I must confess, however, that I am so much of an amatuer when it comes to printing that I don't quite understand your advice. Could you possibly explain "split-grading"?

 

Wow! Daniel, this is a great shot. There is something very moving about this photo. The cropping and focus somehow add to the overall mood of the image. Great job! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy being.

I don't know if it was your point or not so I don't mean to offend but it makes me think of life and death in the same photograph. Nice capture.

You know, if you were to ask me what elements I don't like in a photograph, this shot has ALL of them. That's why it is so great that I absolutely love this image. As I said in your "Angel" image, I truly love your work. It fills me with passion and more importantly ideas to apply to my own shots. Thank you for sharing!

Enjoy being.

BTW. Because I am only an amatuer and not qualified to do so, I do not "rate" pictures but if I were to, I would give both this and the Angel shot perfect scores accross.

Critter...

I must admit I am not normally into "goth" or "fetish" art, (actually, I truly hate the fact that I just labeled your work...sorry about that!) but I love your work. Your protfolio is amazing. I find myself drawn to your work in a way I can't even explain to myself. I guess it's kind of like a train wreck, hey? I mean that in the most complementive way possible! Seriously, all of your work is very well thought out and even better executed. I truly hope I can learn from your work for it is pure art. BTW, this is one of my favorite shots of yours! The contrast, both physically and metaphorically is intense and awe inspiring. Keep it up and please keep posting! Enjoy being.

This is a breathtaking capture. I was obssessed with photographing my wife while she was pregnant. I was always trying to capture this exact look but was never successful. Congratulations. The only thing I would have done differently would be to have her remove her necklace. It just seems a bit out of place to me but that is just my opinion. The photo is still perfect the way it is.

I like the shot just the way it is. I think the background is an excellent contrast to the model. She is soft and beautiful surrounded by rough, jagged, and dangerous (note the nails sticking out of the board in the bottom right corner) piles of debris. Good job, very un-orhtodox as is much of your work. Please keep posting!

Pnina,

This is a terrific shot with a beautiful model. I particularly like the lighting. It is soft yet focused. The model is very well posed, gives a feeling of solitude and sadness. I hope that is the emotion you were going for because I am trying to praise your work not criticize. I also like the cropping. It is unusual and leaves a little mystery for interpretation. The only suggestion I would make would be to crop it just slightly lower to include a little more of her forehead and right hand. The shot is just great the way it is without changing anything! Great Job. Enjoy being.

 

Robert,

I love the sensuality of this picture. The title captures that essence perfectly. The pose and cropping are perfect, IMO. You say that she has a scar from a car accident. Have you considered photographing her with the scar? It's just my personal opinion but I love the little things that make human beings unique. I love to photograph scars, birth-marks, beauty spots, etc. etc. I think it makes a person that much more beautiful because it gives an individuality that nothing else can, especially when the scars are from accidents or tradgedys that the person has come out of as a survivor. If the model was "covering up" at your request for the shot that is one thing, you are the artist and only you can decide what you want in the shot, but I hope to think that she realizes that she is beautiful with/without scars. That, of course, is just my personal opinion which you can completely disregard if you like because you take a wonderful photo anyway! Enjoy being.

Ian,Either you are a person of very few words or you have completely missed the point Mr. Peri is trying to make. He is merely saying that it is easy to be rude and critical, however the idea behind this website is to offer "CONSTRUCTIVE" advice/appraisal/criticism. If you find a picture to be "Corny. Pure Kitch." that's fine, that's your opinion and you are certainly entitled to it but how about offering a little advice or a tip or two on how to improve the "technical" merrit of the photo. Short rude blurbs offer no help and only succeed in offending the artist. John is not saying you can't have an opinion, he is only saying "Try being nice and helpful!" That is supposed to be what we are all here for! ;) Remember what your mother always told you, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I haven't had a chance to scan any of my work yet but when I do, I would certainly be more appreciative of praise and especially advice than I would of bitter criticism.

BTW.

I do like your photo. It is simple, yet appealing. The "over-exposure" gives it an elusiveness that leads to mystery. I love the way you cropped it so that there is some space on both the right and left side yet very little at the top and bottom. Good Job! Please keep posting and please try to be gentle on your peers! Enjoy being.

 

Darryl,

I am too much of an amatuer myself to be a useful critic. I will say that I love the effect. I can see much potential for this as a creative alternative to the traditional "portrait". I was hoping that you would be so kind as to tell me how you did it. I don't like using Photoshop and I noticed you said it was not digitally enhanced. I don't know how you feel about revealing your secrets but I would be eternally grateful if you would give some pointers on how to accomplish this look. Is the effect done in the exposure, developement or printing phase? What type of lighting and background did you use? My questions would probably be endless so any information you would be willing to share would be great! Congratulations on a terrific and original image!

 

In my personal opinion, the shot is very well composed regardless of what you can/can't or want/don't want to see. It's not my taste for nude art, but I am glad it is on this site because I can learn from what I see. I thought that was the whole purpose of this website. I thought the point was to provide a tool for photographers to perfect their craft through constructive criticism and example of their peers. If you "don't want to see" a photo, then don't click on it. It's as simple as that! But it's not right to try to have images, that other people do want to see and possibly even learn from, removed from the site. I have seen countless images on photo.net that I didn't care for at all (some that even "disturbed" me) but I would never criticize the photographer for their taste. If I don't like what I see in a particular portfolio, I simply move to the next, leaving the artist's dignity and my own peace of mind fully intact. In the mean time, the work is still there for someone who does appreciate it to do so. Art and beauty are completely subjective and only the viewer has the right to decide if it fills either category. If, by chance, it's your children that you don't want to view these pictures, then there is NetNanny, NetWatch and countless other software products available that give you the ability to shield them from anything you don't want them viewing on the web. Most of the programs you can download for free at www.downloads.com .(BTW that is not an advertisement for downloads.com it's just a suggestion to prevent people from trying to censor this wonderful website!)

 

I was actually a bit saddened after first seeing this image. My first impression was that it was illustrating a persons self-loathing. I look around and see so many people totally consumed with fitting into social expectations, like happy little sheep! They starve themselves to be thin, they dye their hair to be "blonde", they wear colored contact lenses that make their eyes blue, they get breast implants, they buy SUVs. When I look at this image, I see someone who can not see for themselves the beauty they (and all humans) truly posses. They can only see that they don't have the flat, featureless, stomachs that the media has forced the world to find "sexy".

 

Then I read your comment and found out it's just gas. So.....never mind.....;)

 

I do love the shot. It's a very gripping image.

(Minor pun intended.)

 

Hey Chris,

This is a terrific shot! At first I was a little thrown by the modern electric fan but the more I look at it, the more I love it. It actually rounds out the overall satire of the shot. I hope satire was the result you were looking for, because I mean to praise, not offend! This is deffinately one of the most enjoyable pictures I have ever seen. It's so interesting, I keep going back to look at it again and again. Everytime I look at it I notice another aspect that escaped me the previous time and I like it that much more!

 

 

I agree, the blank space makes the shot. It gives it a sense of emotion. This one and your similar picture titled "Nana" are two of my favorites in your portfolio. Both are very powerful images!

It's a wonderful shot! I love the surroundings and the model. I agree with Tove, though, the shot would have been much nicer with a more classical dress on the model. Something, light, white and flowing.

...sorry, couldn't resist it after reading your title!

I disagree with the negative comments, especially the "hippo" comment. Give me a break! I think it's a fantastic shot. Maybe a little underexposed but the composition is great. Who says a body has to be in a "flattering" pose to be expressionate. This shot says to me that the human body is a beautiful thing even in instances and poses that society has deemed "un-flattering". I praise both the photographer and especially the model for taking such an unusual shot! By the way, I am a guy and I think the model, what I can see of her anyway, is beautiful!

 

Good Work!