june_ranson

If you want to see a movie that takes this theme further,(lottery winner dies after seeing his number called on the TV), there's a great Irish film called "Waking Ned Devine" (1999).

 

I think the photo is set in present-day time (because of the big TV) and as an earlier comment said, he is alone now, the lottery ticket would have taken him from his poverty, and the location suggested by the decor could be Europe, or USA, it doesn't matter. Staged? Yes. It tells a story and gets people discussing it. Like it or not, that's your choice. Well done. As for the long title, the artist said he meant that to be the caption, not the title, but entered it on the wrong line.

Looking at it again, I now prefer the cropped version. I love the glowing colors, it was a rare sight.

What is happening here? The horses are wearing harness bridles, so why would they have riders?? Nice action shot!

Clouds? Or is it smoke? I hope it's not an approaching wildfire! I like the colors of this picture, the clouds look like mountains.

Lovely work on the foreground/background, it looks like a 3-D picture, I can almost touch the lower-right greenery, as if I was there.

 

David K., to explain "Layers" for someone who has never seen PS (Adobe PhotoShop) in action, imagine a layer as a clear sheet over your picture, you can draw or make changes on this without touching your original. You can add or remove layers, doing something to the picture in each, independent of the others. That way if you get something 'just right', or it's an experiment you may or may not use, you can do other work without touching it, even put it aside while you work with another layer. A 'mask' shields part of the picture so it's protected while you work on the unmasked part, and you can change the mask or turn it on/off. You can do so many incredible things in PS, even the experts are still learning, but you can do basic stuff, too. When you have your picture the way you want it, you save it- with a new name- and there's your new masterpiece. You should always keep a copy of your untouched originals, too.

I guess it depends on your purpose for the picture. If the customers are horse-show people, they'd probably feel happier with the whole photo. If it was to be a magazine cover, I'd crop it. At least in this photo, you DO have multiple choices of how to set it up. If I was to change anything, it would be to clone out that tree trunk sticking out of the rider's back.

where were you, to take this picture? It's almost a frog's-eye view. Very beautiful as-is, but a cropped version could be great too. The dark shadowed background and water make the display of green and yellow really stand out.

Thank you for pointing out your article on color correcting, it is very useful, as is your demonstration on this picture. You make it easier to understand.

Nice action shot, and well focused, but if you were to crop the left and right white fences off the scene, making this into a vertical picture, it might look better. The horse & rider get lost in all that white fencing. That would also make the subjects larger..... unless it's an ad for the jump equipment?

Yes the ears look fine-- for the breed-- and what a cutie, but I just don't prefer this breed. I like more regular-looking cats, that's all. Are the colors muted deliberately? Do you think it might look nicer with the color warmed-up just a little? That shade of gray is so neutral it almost looks like a BW photo that's been colored.

You caught the look of intense curiosity very well, and such a cute pose with the folded front paws! But this breed of cat doesn't appeal to me, the ears look wrong, it's like Indiana Jones wearing a beanie.

By the way, would those who see this picture please tell me, which do you prefer-- with the beach or without? Thanks!

Thanks Lannie! Nature is the best artist of all! This shot was worth sitting out in the morning chill for an hour. I also got some pre-sunrise pix that morning while waiting for it, but the colors were not as spectacular.

Hi Lannie,

 

My camera, a Hewlett-Packard 618, isn't as fancy as most everyone else's, but I like it-- it's easy to use! The colors are as the cameara saw it, set for automatic focus/exposure, 'no flash', and .jpg file type. I panned several shots, stitched them in Photosuite 4, cropped the edges to neaten it, and there you have it. Adobe PhotoShop may be able to do a lot more complex 'tune-ups', but sometimes you don't need to. ;-D

Hi Lannie, we are lucky to live facing east so I can get down to the beach when it looks interesting. I agree it's nice not to overdo the enhancement. I like your album, especially the old buildings and nature. I'm using MGI Photosite 4 to edit my pictures, have not learned PS yet, but I've started taking classes.

Hi Lannie, thanks for your kind comment, but I'm taking lessons, not giving them! This was a lucky shot, believe me there are plenty I won't be displaying! I had a look thru your album, and loved it, especially the nature shots.

IMHO it's been settled that Miguel used only minor cleanup on this photo, which is an incredible right-place-right-time shot. Well done, and I'm not the only envious one.

 

Lannie K-

"Degrees and formal study are irrelevant unless they come to fruition in good work"...

 

Your comment should be framed and on the wall of every 'Professional' in every occupation!

 

Miguel- my question is, what sort of blind did you use, that could hold 3 or more people, and how did you survive 8 hours or more per day for many days in there?? How did you keep your hands warm enough in the freezing temperatures? How far did you have to hike with your gear to set up this 'camp'? Congratulations on getting pictures that made it worthwhile, I'm sure it isn't always so.

I know the bottle has been 'done to death', but maybe it is noticed so much because its colors are out of sync with the rest of the picture? How do you feel about retouching it, would that ruin the picture, or improve it? What drew my interest to this picture was the big black hole behind the baker, I wondered what I was looking at, and wanted to see it better. Now I have the munchies. Congratulations on POW.

If it wasn't for the camera-shake you might have made a better picture. It makes my eyes feel strange when I look at it, except as a thumbnail. Otherwise, I like it.

A beautiful October day. This is a composite of three shots, done

in Photosuite 4, and cropped.

Thanks for the encouragement, and I will.

Now that's what I call a useful critique!! I don't understand half of what you said, but I will soon, I signed up for some courses. Time to jump into the deeper water! Thank you!

I think I overdid the blue, and it makes the scene look colder.

Thank you for your comments. This is exactly why Photo.Net is so great!

Your comments are appreciated.