brian_d_watters

Thanks folks.

Kathy, this is a self portrait I took of my own hands, using the camera timer. The wire is from a fence that surrounds the parking lot of a chicken processing plant. :) No wire cutting allowed. :)

Cheers!

Photographed in Black and White. Constructive Criticism, Comments and

thoughts welcome.

All Comments, Constructive Critiques, even ratings welcome.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to view my work.

Thank you. It's funny you're right though it's weird about the hands and head being different tones, as the are both from the original same photo. I too think it looks a bit too cut out, though there were shadows from the fingers, originally, a few people over that photo blink.com suggested I remove them. That background is totally created in photoshop, and maybe that in itself is a mistake, taking away from the real depth of the the image. I appreciate the time and thought you put into your critique, as it's both objective, helpful, accurate and kindly worded.

Thanks to you for for I think the most useful critique I've ever received, and thanks everyone else for their thoughts and comments.

Feel free to look at the rest of my limited portfolio, and leave comets and critiques if you like. I'll be putting them all in for critique eventually.

Brian D. Watters

Yup, I Apologize to you. I wish you'd elaborated on your original comment, and I could have save myself the embarrassment of this moment. :) But now that you've given me some history to go on, I realize that I was in the wrong for being so brisk. Grin, I was am amateur 20 years ago, and still am today, so you can see how far I've progressed. I hope you accept my apology, as it comes with sincerity and not without a bit of humility.

Thanks for writing back Alexis.

Brian

Thanks so much folks.

Brian

Thanks for the compliments and criticisms folks. I like the complements as they make me smile, but more valued are the constructive criticisms, as the make me strive for excellent in my little corner down in the basement. :)

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Alexis, I had some pretty good equipment 20 years ago, and I don't know of any camera that would even do a more than half decent double exposure back then, at least to this degree. :)

I did however own and operate my own black and white darkroom back than, as did some pretty cool effects under the red light with my Hana enlarger, some Polly contrast filters and a piece of window screen.

I believe Minolta were already producing specialty cards specific to sports and portrait photography then, but I didn't get my first digital camera until 1997, and that was for beta testing. I might still have the plans around for one I made with an old flat bed scanner?

Anyhow, thanks for your efforts, and for letting me know what type of images you don't like because you've see it before. I can't wait to see your Original stuff that hasn't been done before. And encourage everyone to check out your profile to see just where you're coming from.

Now, on this image. I think I may have up-sized a lower quality web version, but now that I look at it, it does seem choppy in places. I wonder thought, how real a person actually coming out of one would look.. Grin.

Cheers everyone, and thanks again for taking the time.

Sincerely, Brian D. Watters

I thought I was submitting this for critique under Digital Alterations, however looks like the mouse wheel slipped and it went under Events instead. Please treat this as a DA when critiquing, I realize my error. :(

Thanks.

Brian

... I uploaded the original by mistake, please see my suggested crop with this link.

Brian

Interesting Black and white, but the focus is a little too fuzzy to be considered just a soft focus. Also the crop I think might be better adjusted to compensate for the fruit touching the bottom border.

Every Score should be accompanied with a comment as to why it was given I think. Rated (3;3)

Cheers! Brian D. Watters

Sounds good to me. I too have gotten off to a wrong start before and know how things can escalate from misunderstandings. I just saw the thumbnail of your doggy shot, looks good.

Cheers!

Maybe you're new to critiquing and or photography, but you're missing the point. Yes, you are supposed to give reasons for an abnormally high or low rating. If you dislike all abstracts in general, or macros, then don't let you personal bias influence your rating, simply skip the image. If you don't know how to properly assess an image, then read and learn, it's the only way you'll grow.

I admit, there is a lot of unnecessary "Candy Coating" going on with these types of sites, where abnormally high ratings are just as harmful and useless to the photographer as the uneducated low ratings. Giving a high rating "Just to be polite" is useless as the photographer does not know their weaknesses. Giving an abnormally low rating, out of jealousy because the artist / photographer has obtained a skill level that you have difficulty matching, just leaves people shaking their heads. "Poor child, must be that awkward age.", folks might think.

Trust me, if you are at all interested in having your opinion valued, back up your ratings with words that make sense. You don't automatically have peoples respect in this life, you need to earn it through not just your words, but consistency of actions.

If you're not ready to leave the sheltered life of living at home with your folks and paving your own road through life yet, that's Okay, but getting a good start by respecting yourself first takes discipline, and people you meet in life will judge you, like it or not, on how disciplined you are, and how you hold yourself in public.

Best of luck. And it's never too late to turn yourself into someone that others will respect and listen to with interest instead of contempt. :)

Cheers!

All you need to do to fix the quality problem is hand the camera to someone who knows how to use it.

Really though, based on your destructive rating history, I for one will petition to the site moderator to have your votes stricken and hopefully have your ability to vote disabled until you can offer constructive and fair ratings based on the work your viewing.

I hope that others reading this post will follow my example and write the web master asking for a review of your activities.

Have a good one, Eh!

I've viewed a few of the images in your folder and must say that you have some outstanding work that deserves more attention. This being one of my favorites. I cannot find a flaw in your technique or presentation. Perfect exposure for a difficult capture with such low existing light levels. I don't think there is a need for me to go on and on, as the image tells the camera's tale perfectly. Well see, well captured, and well presented.

Well Done.

-Brian D. Watters

I like this candid portrait of the "Old Man". I think you've captured this well, with special emphasis on using the darker tractor as a background, which in my opinion provides the depth required to hi lite the mans head dressing and facial features. I don't think this image would have caught or held my attention had you shifted angles to have the sunlit sandstone as a backdrop. On that, the only suggestion I propose to further improve an already good image, would be to either crop out or digitally remove the red artifact from the upper right hand corner. Apart from that, well done.

Brian D. Watters

Was the girl added or replaced after the original image was captured, or is that shimmering line that surrounds her just an artifact from sharpening that girl or blurring the background? I can see the shadow gracing the front of the display case, and the angle from which the light and shadows fall seem correct, however that outline really stands out for me. I'll take a stab at it and say that you blurred the background as the shadowed person and door frame reflected in the front panel of the display case are as sharp as the mask or bust within.

The entire image could use a bit of lightening, but I can see where you might be concerned with bringing too much up on the shoulder of her shirt with a global change.

Overall, this image is pleasing to look at, and the expression on the girls face shows a great deal of interest with the face on the other side of the glass. Well done, but I think if you start again with the original, you can do a lot better.

Practice makes perfect, keep up the good work.

Brian D. Watters

This image provokes feelings of a life past, though there is no indication of age apart from the sepia tone effect applied, there is also no indication of modern artifacts to disturb my perception. The pathway leading to the distant figure in black shadowing the even further figure somewhat engulfed in the mist, tells me the story of time which is always moving us further along the path of life, to eventual obscurity. The tunneling effects of the trees, nicely spaced and defined in their own stages of texture and distance helps funnel my attention through the depth to the fading figures.

That's my perception on what I consider a potentially haunting image that Will remain timeless in nature in my mind.

Well done indeed!

Brian D. Watters

What a treat! This is something that I would expect to see as a poster gracing the walls of a gallery. Inspirational in almost a religious sense. Very well done, with sky, mist, and silver lining around the pussy willows. I don't think the sky is too pale, as I read earlier, unless you've changed the image since that comment.

Cheers!

Brian D. Watters

Well seen, well taken, good eye on this on. When I first saw the thumbnail, I thought I was looking at a sky diver. I think you've captured and framed this well, with the encroaching clouds offsetting yet balancing the kites to the left.

Nice work.

Cheers!

Brian D. Watters

I thought I was going to be given an opportunity to upload an image with that last post. Maybe that's in a different forum?

Brian

I'm glad this is a macro, cause I would hate to think these critters came in this size. Though your image certainly makes me feel like I'm looking through the eyes of a caterpillar. Though I am very impressed with your capture, the depth of field and framing of this fellow, I do think that it is bordering on just being a little too dark. I don't think that lightening it up a tad will hurt the image any, though you'd be the best judge of that by attempting it first. I've provided a sample, though may have over done it a bit, just to give you an idea if this is somewhere you'd like to go, or not. I still think the Aesthetics are good, as well as Originality, as a double 5 from this end.

Cheers!

Brian D. Watters