chad_gard

I like the contrast in textures between the tank and the sticker, but a slightly older tank or one painted a different color would probably emphasize the better. I also think i'd prefer either a straight b lack and white or a color version. This warm duotonish version just doesn't work well for me.

Another shot of the top beam of the Henderson Creek Bridge. Indiana's historic bridges

are sadly rotting away. some are being "rescued" for reuse in trails, but are invariably

modified to include guard rail fencing to keep toddlers from falling off. Most are

neglected to death or destroyed outright for new, more expensive, less interesting

bridges.

 

I'd appreciate comments on my photos of this bridge, as well as any thoughts folks might

have on how to locate these bridges other than randomly stumbling across them.

I love the very earthy and natural colors and textures. But there are just a couple of slight distractions.

 

First, his teeth look unnaturally white, like a tooth-whitening commercial. Where they really this white? Or did you make them so in post-processing? if the latter, dialing it back a bit could be more believable. I find it hard to believe his teeth would be so much brighter than his eyes...

 

Second, less disturbing but somewhat so, is the table on the right side of the frame. Cropping it would ruin the composition. So that leaves us with either removing it before shooting, or cloning it out in PS.

 

You said you did some work to keep the head from fading into the dark background. You may want to do some of the same on his right hand as well. The skin tone is far enough different now that it looks like it belongs to a different person.

 

Great idea, nice photo. I'm not sure what the original looked like, but this is nice. I think just a bit more work and it could be great.

Interesting composition - they look like a line of dancers in some sort of fanciful modern ballet.

 

It looks like the shot may have been taken on a breezy day or without a tripod? There's a great depth of field, yet nothing is really in sharp focus, so it seems it must be attributable to motion blur. Solving the movement of either the camera or the plants could allow a much sharper focus, making for a that much better a photo.

Nice composition and pose, and really wonderful light on the boy. Maybe just a little more of the pebble-line in the foreground would be nice.

 

I disagree with Ben - i think the background values are fine. I might choose a shirt that isn't quite so busy, though.

Interesting angle and motion. I find it interesting that you choose to blur the boy sticking out his tongue, a the boy picking his nose, yet the serious-looking girl is in clear focus. Happenstance, or a statement you're trying to make? Intriguing either way...

I really like how the light catches the glass insulators. One of the things we loose as we go away from those...

 

The shadows are interesting, too. You don't quite know where the bottom of a pole really is.

 

However, i find the white spots (grave?) in the foreground a little distracting from what is otherwise a photo with very simple and appealing lines.

Great control of exposure on a tough subject. The composition is interesting. I like much of it, particularly the yellow line reflection. I think that ads a lot of meaning to the shot.

 

But it's also rather busy. Perhaps a shallower depth of field, so the elements to the right of the breather would be a bit more blurred, would simplify the lines a bit. But you'd have to be careful - you definitely need sufficient depth of field for the back side rim of the breather to be in focus.

I think the subject placement is probably OK. The depth of field may be a bit too great, though. Or, maybe it's that you're focused too deep into it. The back of the squirrel is quite sharp-looking, and the tree is very well in focus, but it's already a bit soft on his head.

 

The eyes and ears of a squirrel can be so compelling, I'd like to see the center of focus on the eyes instead of the back. Maybe a shallower depth of field to blur the tree a little bit, but maybe not - it'll blur a little bit even at this aperture setting if you focus on the eyes.

He is indeed happy and Thai. I'll take your word for his being a fisherman, given the background. There's a little color on the right and left side, while the center portion of the sky is blown out. Perhaps vignetting from filters/lens shade?

 

What I'm wondering, though, is why is he so happy, and what motivated you to take the photo? Is there something that makes this individual or situation unique, or is it just a happy guy you came across in your travels?

 

I guess I'm saying, since this is obviously an environmental portrait, I'd like to see some of the environment to enable me to become personally engaged in who this guy is, what makes him special, etc.

 

 

Wonderful textures and rich colors. I love the low angle and the detail this allows us to see in the cobblestones when combined with such depth of field.

 

The extreme right side gets washed out just a bit, and the eye is drawn that direction by the composition. I think if you trimmed just a sliver off the right side, so that we still see it getting obviously brighter, but not completely blown out, it would be that much more powerful.

Interesting photo that breaks a lot of the traditional rules of composition, yet still works very well. The only thing that really bothers me is that the lamp is right in front of his face. I'm not sure if you could have or not, but a higher or lower angle might have allowed a more unfettered view of the cobbler himself.

 

Excellent job of exposure in what had to be a very challenging range of light values.

Removing the icicle and lens flare glare is a definite improvement (for me, anyway).

 

Cloning out the sunspot may have been a bad call. Now I miss it. I do still think it's distracting in the original, but the light seems wrong without it in the modified version.

 

I wonder if something half-way between the two, so we don't completely obliterate all of the branches, and still keep some of the sun there would be better. I know that's beyond my photoshop skills, but I'm pretty sure it's possible (ie, I know someone who could do it).

I really like the contrasting textures and colors, between the stacked stone walls, the wooden door, the painted walls, and the cliff face. The mat seems to be a bit distracting, though. It's very strange how it changes colors, as if perhaps you put a print on a mat, lit it in a mediocre fashion, then took a photo of the photo. Or maybe it's a strange scanner lid. Crop out the mat, or replace it with something more even-toned, and it probably won't fight with the image so much.

What an interesting and small-looking hat!

 

I like the tonality and textures of the subject, and good depth of field control. However, I think the grain of the film actually detracts from those strengths, as we loose some definition between background and subject simply because of the film grain.

My first instinct is that it is a strange choice of DOF and placement of sharpest focus. I think if I were keeping that DOF, I would have focused more clearly on the log, and allowed the foreground grass to be more out of focus.

 

However, with the title of "dreaming", I have to reconsider. It would certainly be less "dreamy" that way. Perhaps to make it more dreamy, an even closer focus and perhaps an even narrower DOF would be more effective?

Very interesting. I like the shapes and motion implied in them, and the light behind the dark sphere. I'd like to hear about your technique, both in lighting and in creating the whatever you photographed.

Beautiful and ethereal. The sun comes through the drooping branches just a tad too strongly, and obliterates them. I find that mildly distracting, but it's probably a necessary evil to capture this light.

 

Also, there's a bit of lens flare near the bottom third/right third intersection that is a bit distracting, and something light-colored (branch? Icycle?) interrupting the silhouette of the tree trunk. Those two could probably be cloned out to improve the effectiveness of the photo somewhat.

 

Really all very minor flaws, though, on a very impressive photo.

Very nice - I particularly like how the birds echo the shape of the wall and surf below.

 

I think I'd like it more if the foreground of the wall were more in focus (would require hyperfocal distance focusing). Also, I think the sky may have come out just a bit too dark - maybe an orange instead of red filter?

There are a lot of elements I like, particularly in the lower half. But a lot seems to have been added either in multiple exposures or post-processing that becomes very disturbing/busy. It's very unclear what the goal/meaning of the photo is.

Nice colors and idea, very good focus on and definition in the shoulders. However, I find the lane divider distracting, and the fact that we see one hand and not the other makes me feel a little cheated.

 

Either cropping the left side or changing the angle a bit so we can get some of the hand on the right (the swimmer's left hand) and no lane marker would make it more powerful. Of the two options, I'd prefer the latter.

I like the high-key effect, but it may be a bit over-done, loosing definition of the nose. Also, the shadow in the lower left detracts from the overall effect.

 

I'm also curious about the title - "softly spoken lies". With such a clear focus on the eyes, one would typically think of this as a very "honest" subject.

Very warm and personal. I just wish the highlight on the hair weren't quite so blown-out.

Interesting colors and composition. It does appear a little over-saturated, beyond what is natural. Perhaps done after-the-fact in PS? Also, on a cloudy day like this, greens tend to come out a bit cool-toned. A warming filter could get a bit more natural green out of the field kitchen.

 

As for composition, I like the angle looking through the tent (and the obviously non-military tend with the obviously military field-kitchen. However, the truck and person walking in the background are distracting. A shallower DOF would help isolate the foreground elements and avoid those distractions.

creative pose and nice surroundings. Would have liked a little color in the sky - maybe a sun just beginning to set, throwing a little bit of orange/red/pink tinge to the clouds (not many people get married early enough for a sunrise), but nothing over-saturated.

 

More of a distraction, though, is the dark object behind the bride. Some sort of vegetation, I assume, that has washed up on the beach.

 

Finally, warming the tone up a little bit would help both the model's skin tone and the beach. Not a lot of warming, but maybe an 81a filter