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Why not get them from the front? Its not bad but its a bit stiff and detached in my opinion. Nice try, though.

I think Ian's on the right track with his suggestions. I'd trying lightening the image a bit while making the contrast a little bit stronger. Its excellent work, however, that's nice and close to the subject, as it should be. Well done.

Very nice indeed. Good work with the exposure keeping detail in the shadows while not allowing the sky to blow out. The light reflecting off the mud is a very nice element as well.

I think Doug's second effort solved the color cast problem, at least as I see it on my screen. Wish I had some suggestions but I'm an absolute butcher when it comes to color. Compositionally its excellent. Nice balance but also a nice sense of movement and depth given the placement of the bridge.

I think you can stay with the color and keep it subdued as it is. This is excellent. Great eye for catching this one.

Yep, I'm with John. This one's a killer. You couldn't have gotten better spot lighting if you had done it yourself. Excellent composition.

Yep, no way could you take this shot now, Doug. Its an excellent composition and the decision to center the Memorial in the frame definitely works. You used the surrounding roundabout very well as a device for focusing on the Memorial. Believe it or not, in this instance I agree with the crop.

Absolutely lovely, John. I'd shy away from a crop on this one. The vegetation along the left side and bottom are a nice device for focusing attention on the rocks then upward to the mountain. Very nice.

Jacques definitely captured what I sense about this image as well. I like the clean and very simple composition to it. The lines of the wall really help the kid to stand out. An excellent piece of work.

Damn, Phil, those three shots are awesome, but #1 and #3 are in the stratosphere. I legitimately prefer the full frame version of #1 simply because the fuller effect of the arches to me draw my eye down to the action. The placement and subtlety of the bride in the frame is fantastic. As for #3, its so wonderfully atmospheric. The blur gives a sense of festive motion that works excellently. Believe me, old man, you have a damn good eye for this stuff. If you have the urge to quit your day job, I think you could do well.

 

Thanks for sharing these images. They're wonderful.

I know I'll sound like I'm flogging a dead horse but can I be an advocate for the full frame image, or at least a slightly-cropped version? I like the element of the man's leg to the right. It adds a lively element to the composition. I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with the crop you did, but at the same time, I think a fuller-frame version would also have a lot to offer the viewer as well.

 

I like the approach you took with this wedding. I'm becoming a huge fan of the more photo-journalistic approach to wedding photography and it sure works in this image. There's a guy here in Chicago I've been working up the courage to approach who's a master of P-J wedding photography. You might like the approach he takes. His name is Steven Gross. Very cool photography, if you ask me.

Wow, this is gorgeous Phil. Wonderful composition for what I assume was pretty much a spontaneous shot. The softness of the edge of the door and the left portions of her gown really make this for me. Lovely tonality as well. Its got a Brandtish feel to it that I thoroughly like. Now, would you be willing to share with me the uncropped version? I'm dying to know what's been left out.

My only wish would have been a bit more intimacy (i.e., proximity) with the wedding couple, but no question that its a brilliant photo. I'd certainly call it street. Its great work.

Hey sometime I'll post one of my auto-pilot shots where I managed to get one of my fingers and the end of my cigarette in front of the lens before snapping the shutter. Its a classic. Full of Buddhist calm and Marlboro smoke.

Does that emoticon have something to do with the theme of Nipples of the World, Jacques? Is that what those things are called, emoticons? Gotta love nutty, wacky internet-speak.

 

A very rich image, John. I like how the composition is so nicely framed by the fallen trunks on all sides of the frame. Although the cropping suggestions are fine, I like how its cropped by you. If you look at the diagonal trunks at top and bottom, and how they interplay with the verticals to the left and right, the parallelogram suggested by the four lines makes a very compelling structure on which to hang everything else. There's a very nice sense of depth to it as well. Very good work.

Ah, Doug, your words are wonderfully relevant to a discussion Balaji and I had on one of his images. Yes, I agree with everything you said about the act of photographing and the act of feel and how you as the photographer interact with the subject through the act of interpretation. Ultimately what its all about is how you relate to the subject and how the image that comes out is a reflection of that relationship. I've begun, quite fleetingly though, to reach a state of absolute mental quiet at times where I feel like an image of importance is about to occur. At that moment, all the conscious worries of shutter-speed, aperture, composition, etc, give way to a very instinctive sense of picture-taking: almost a sense of being on "auto-pilot", if that's the right expression for it. It's just you and the image (or just you and the subject). I could blabber on about some other crap about "being" and "becoming", but then that would cause extreme narcolepsy.

 

Oh, I too think this one is the best of the bunch. "Sentry" is a very apt title too.

Wow, I've never seen this one before. This is some of the best color work you've done. The sky is just stunning. I really like the inclusion of the person on the beach. It helps to emphasize the sheer size of the scene. Wonderfully done.

I disagree with the idea of "straightening it up" as suggested earlier. This is an excellent shot. The mistiness gives the image the quality of an old Kodachrome, which I really like. The shots in your Cuba folder are EXCELLENT.

I like what you were going for here, but its not quite there yet. Had the plane been a little higher, it would be a cleaner composition. With what I do, I'm not one to usually gripe about a tilt but I think the tilt here is a detriment to the geometry of the shot. Not bad, though.

OK, I'm a complete idiot and it took me about four days to figure out what I was looking at. Now, with a royal hangover, I can understand what you guys are talking about with regard to orientation. Figures that I needed to drink about a gallon and a half of De Konink Belgian Ale to figure it all out.

 

Yes, I agree with Doug and John about the 180-degree thing. My head hurts...

Really nice, Phil. I can't thing of a constructive thing to say about it, however. Perhaps that's simply due to the fact that, for the subject matter, I can't imagine anything I'd really change about it. I can almost smell early morning as I look at it. Nicely done.

Man, talk about immaculate timing. The composition and the exposure are excellent. This one's something to be proud of. Good job.

I commented on this a while ago around the time it was first posted, but its worth giving it a second look. This is such a visually interesting abstract its hard to take my eyes off it. As for the Elves suggestion of a crop, why? I admit to being terminally addicted to keeping full-frame, but there nothing I see that would necessarily be strengthened here by cropping. Its lovely work, Carl.

John's right. That shot is a utterly wonderful. That's one I'd happily hang over the mantel, if I had a mantel.

Well, given that the boat doesn't look so blown out in the actual print, that takes care of the only quibble I'd have with the image. The whole thing is great. I love shots of star trails, but you've also elicited compelling viewing on the shore and in the reflections on the water. Great job.