thebigfish

Have to put my two cents in...this is not a photograph, this is a photo-illustration.

And we need to clarify the difference. Because I think that they are actually two

different genres. If you don't take my word for it, just look at photojournalism. Any

photo which has been retouched to the degree that this "picture" has been is called

photo-illustration. It takes the guessing out of it, which it should, and let's us

appreciate what someone has created in the computer, which has its own beauty and

merits, and what has been done in the camera. That way, we can appreciate both

genres and pushing the limits in each. But to me, this should be renamed, "photo-

illustration of the week".

Would love your thoughts...thanks, Brian

Recent shot from Madrid. Thanks for your feedback. Brian

Reflections in a shop window. Would love to know your reactions. Thanks - Brian

"there is no clue that she is mourning simply by looking at the photo without the

caption". Well, that pretty much sums it up, right? Since when do photos need

captions to convey emotions? Time to post a new POW.

A recent photo from a Madrid street. thanks in advance for your comments

Cool

This is quite beautiful. I usually don't like "flower" shots but this one is special.

Marshall, in response to your post, I think our world is completely oversaturated with

sterile images. We are bombarded every day by mediocrity, whether it be advertising,

pop music, or trash cinema, to the point that we believe it is the real thing. How many

times have I heard people say, "but if so many people go to see the Titanic, it can't be

that bad, right?" But we forget that a bunch of people are paying millions of dollars to

try to ensure that we only see "titanics" and only listen to Britney and only buy Cosmo,

and that we believe that that is what is good, because it's the best of the crap and it's

surrounding us and blaring in our faces 24/7. The problem is that our idea of what is

beautiful (or ugly for that matter) is getting lost in the midst of the degraded sense of

what is real. Our world has become a sanitised fiction which has little to do with

reality. So we see a photo which is essentially like an ad, and we think "wow, good

job." Yes, it is a good job. For an ad, it works just fine. And certainly, in photography

there is a place for ad work. I just have, as I think others here do as well, a different

sense of what I find beautiful. It's like sitting and looking at Cosmopolitan and

thinking "but all the girls are so Pretty and the pictures are so Nice." Now, as Ray aptly

put it, "get a grip on reality".

Fantastic, Ray. I am totally into it. It's funny, but I am in Madrid Spain and shooting similar stuff. Lovely.

Ray, appreciated your comments on the picture of the week. And in order to get a Hold on myself, I visited your pics. Fantastic portfolio. I really like this one of Hollywood, and I am looking forward to seeing the rest. Thanks, Brian

I have been following this forum with interest because I think that the debate which is

emerging is really between a "nice" photo of a contrived situation, and a photo which

genuinely captures what the photographer wants to convey. There are a lot of photos

which to me read "kitsch" and do not have what I like to call "authenticity".

Authentic does not mean that the photographer is not involved somehow in the

creation of the image, it just means that the photo conveys a genuine sense of human

reaction to a situation. It's kind of like the difference between a good actor and a bad

actor. So without trying to get into a

competition between photos, I would like to post a photo here which I think may

convey better what the photographer was trying to say. Here is a photo of a widow

looking at the grave of her dead husband, caught in a candid moment, which to me

conveys the idea of mourning in an authentic way. What to you is the difference

between the two photos?

I appreciate comments, critiques, and ratings from people who post photos on photo.net. If you don't have the courage to post photos where do you get the courage to comment on other's work.

A recent shot from India of a young bride's feet painted with Mehndi.

Sorry, Vaclav, but I don't think this photo is worth all this discussion. I find the object

on the right to be totally distracting. It looks like an object or a photoshop mistake,

I'm not sure which. And the colours are dead and green. I don't mean to sound so

harsh, but I think that sometimes by simply posting a photo as the photo of the week,

it gets way too many accolades and attention. There is also far too much attention

paid to photos of women on this site. Not that photos of women are bad, I also post

photos of woman, but there are good, or interesting photos of women and then there

are boring, uninteresting photos of women.

This is part of a new series of walls and windows that I am shooting in Madrid. I would

love to hear what you think. Thanks in advance.

A set of new pictures I am working on of walls in Madrid. All feedback appreciated.

This is beautiful photography!

Shot this at a wedding in Mumbai India.

On a recent trip to Gallicia I caught this moment of a widow mourning her dead

husband. Would love your reactions. Thanks in advance, Brian

Here's another shot from Madrid. What is your reaction?

very simple and beautiful. A landscape photo without the kitsch. I like it.

I like the open feeling. Horizon shots are so difficult. I might have tried a long expanse of gree, and then about half the clouds, instead of the other way around. Good going.

Maestros...I would love your opinions and especially, comments. Thanks in advance,

Brian

I really like this portrait. It's very natural, and lit beautifully. Congrats.