peter_free

Lovely photo. Ian's right that it's underexposed, but I wonder if more exposure would have retained the mood. As it is, light virtually "explodes" in the sky and at the end of the walk. I'm not sure one could retain this emotional effect if the tonal values were raised to higher zones.

What a wonderful memory this captures. The tender beauty of the child, engaged in the adult action of looking at her watch, makes the picture. You were most alert to capture it.

I prefer your version to Dennis Sloan's because I like complexity and quickly tire of unsubtle simplicity. On the other hand, I appreciate the compositional power Dennis has suggested. Many small format users may prefer his finely honed visual statment. To some degree, such sharpening is characteristic of the detail-simplying, reality-editing that 35mm does so well. So take my opinion with caution. I'm merely sample of an alternative group of viewers that prefers to wander within a photograph and dislikes being confined by compositional "statements" that smack the visual point with an imprisoning hammer.

 

Aesthetics sometimes comes down to a question of individual tolerances for ambiguity. If ambiguity is enemy, Dennis' suggested cropping is right on the money. Nevertheless, I really much prefer your version of the picture.

I very much like this picture. It's original and hints at the beauty of the mosque while giving a good sense of attractive grounds. I like the composition because it composes reality without forcing it to the point of complete symmetry.

 

The photograph would make a wonderful introduction to a sequence of photographs approaching the sacred place. Congratulations.

I like this picture very much. The technical execution is admirable. I enjoy the detail and dynamic complexity that forces my eye to roam the scene. You've captured the vibrance of the evening life that surrounds the tower.

 

A simpler composition would make a different statement, I think. It probably wouldn't interest me as much. However, I tolerate visual anarchy better than some, and my comment should be evaluated with that in mind.

Superb.

I like your photograph very much, Carol. It captures US western space and the joy of being in it.

 

From the perspective of conventional composition--which means trying to please most people, most of the time--I would ask myself whether your husband is too close to the right edge of the frame. You captured his fly rod moving forward. The movement takes the eye with it because one can't see the line (still strung out behind him) on a computer monitor. It might have worked to place your husband slightly left of center, allowing the eye more room to anticipate the fall of the fly on water.

 

On the other hand, the ground and trees behind your husband add to the impression of space that I so like. If the right bank was not as attractive as the left, you had no choice but to place him as you did.

 

As it is, being a rule-breaker myself, I like the picture's slightly "out of kilter" dynamic.

Great photo. It captures physical and psychological perspectives. The grain and orientation of the wood floor boards visually lead to the textured fur of the dog. The dog's alignment toward the man completes the eye's movement toward the center.

I like it the way it is. There is dynamism in exactly those details that bother the eye. The visual tension highlights the child's movement through a hard-edged world.

Portraits of such distinctive quality are rare.

The sun makes the emotional point about aging's sense of waning time and its appreciation of simple joys. A wonderful photograph.

I hesitate to comment on aesthetics, but Bernie's composition provides a sense of movement that the proposed square crop does not. The near bold darkness of the left edge lamp post lends depth when combined with the mist-obscured far post. The left post's inward lean points in the direction of the couple's movment. It takes the eye toward the center of the photograph. It gives me the illusion of walking through the mist myself--being aware of the post's mass looming up to my left as my vision is slightly split between the periphery and the couple before me. For me, this tension in awareness is typical of being outside in the physical environment. Therefore, I think the inclusion of the left edge lamp post strengthens the realism of the scene. Bernie's photograph demonstrates still photography's occasional ability to convey movement and a sense of place. Beautifully done.