dhawks

Well, Jay, as any photographer worth his/her emotional salt knows the experience of being there is 90% of the game. Actually getting a great photograph is frosting on the cake. It sounds like we both have had memorable experiences with the powerful forces of nature.

Obviously a "real emotional girl," especially when you consider her sadness was caused by a dinner choice. This is a very fine "real life" photograph...well composed and thought provoking. And, no I don't need to see her face. Well done. Regards, Doug.

Hey, this reminds me of a very clever holiday greeting card I received. Ingenious composition and highly original use of focus and color. Well done.

I agree with Jayme. The meandering river moving to the stark horizon as composed is wonderful. Excellent use of B&W as well. Regards, Doug.

The composition and perspective are quite dramatic and, at least on my screen, so is the sky. The purity of the snow and the contrast with the red rock also my this landscape soar. Well done. Regards, Doug.

I'm a great fan of night shots and I especially like this one. The colors are vivid and the composition is quite strong. Well done, David.

What's so intriguing about this "portrait" is that I feel as if I can devine so much about the person from so little information...a leather jacket, white knit sweater with a shirt on underneath and a neatly trimmed beard. I guess this is what they mean by the value of simplicity. Great stuff. Regards, Doug.

This is quite beautiful, Kim and I agree wholeheartedly with the symmetry comments. It is a wonderful example of its use. Perhaps you could donate this to Don's school. Well done.

Tuolumne Meadows is my favorite place on earth and now I have an exquisite photograph of it. Thanks a bunch. Regards, Doug.

Wonderfully composed and absolutely terrific lighting. I agree that the soft and obviously active wave make a nice contrast with the sharply detailed rocks.

 

It brings to mind, in terms of tumultuous water and steadfast rocks and land, the north end of the Big Island of Hawaii. This end of the island is where two major current collide and I was told by more than one local that it was well worth a visit. So I decided to take the trip. As I drove down the road to get to land's end, my windshield became as wet as if I was in a thunderstorm and I was still over one half mile away. As I approached my destination, sheets of salt water blew past me leaving my clothing soaked and my hair sopping wet. Fortunately, I was farsighted enough to have wrapped my camera in plastic. When I finally got to the point, I could see that the outcrops of land were reinforced with huge blocks of concrete the size of building that were intended to slowdown if not stop to erosion inevitable from water of this force. As waves hit the rocks, plumes of water would shoot 20 feet or more into the air while making a sound that was more like the roar of an airplane than something from nature. It was surreal and, to be honest, pretty damned scary. But, I had made the trek and I was already beyond the point where my clothes would dry out within the next week, so I started looking for a vantage point for a photograph. I maneuvered along the cliffs, holding on for dear life, and finally came to a small cove where the water absolutely boiled. Looking down from my perch, trying to decide whether any photograph was worth the risk of going further, I noticed a small sign. It read "NO LAUNCHING BOATS AFTER 6PM". And I thought to myself, "Yeh, launch your boat and then what."

Whoa Nelly. The tonal range on this photograph is simply unbelievable...it darn near rivals film. The composition is great as well. All-in-all it glows. Great work. Regards, Doug. P.S. You will note that I managed to be the first here...a Photo.net triumph, getting to a Jayme photo first.

Lovely lighting, Jean, and strong composition. A very pleasing and evocative photograph. Well done. Regards, Doug.

A brilliant mess of a photograph. Great work. 6/6

Brilliant stuff. It's nice to see another B&W afficionado, hold out, dinosaur, whatever the label these days. Well done. Regards, Doug.

Well captured as usual. It looks like you came close to getting your butt kicked by the Shanghai mafia. Well done and a medal for bravery.

Nice detail, tonal range and composition. You've made it look almost life like. Well done. Regards, Doug.

Simple, pure, stark, emotive...a fabulous photograph. My only hesitation is the framing which steals some of the impact of the pure tones. Well done.

Brilliant photograph, John. In addition to the graphic excellence of this effort, I also see a strong social statement, in that, while this was taken in the US, it might as well have been a scene from the rice paddies of Vietnam or the potato fields of Chile or just about anyplace where the low cost and high availability of human labor promotes backbreaking toil in lieu of mechanization. Thought provoking stuff. Regards, Doug. By the way, if you had left the title "Strawberry Fields Forever", i.e., without the Plastic reference, you would have had another grouping of three.

Brad, I read the same article in B&W magazine. From what I've seen so far you are well on your way toward your goal. The series so far is flawless. Regards, Doug.

Wonderful, impromptu photograph. It has an easy, casual feel to it appropriate to children's portraiture. Very well done. Regards, Doug.

I think the shadows add depth and dimension to the scene. A fine example of B&W architectural photography. Well done.

Flatout fantastic. What an evocative and empathetic portrait. Great stuff.

Nice graphical composition and exquiste tonal range. Well done.

Very evocative, it sent me back to childhood memories of my own family and of beloved grandfather. It was a nice trip, thanks.

A very inviting scene. The rolling road, the fall foliage and the white farm house all say "slow down, take it all in and warm yourself by the fire." Nice work.