chris_marolf1

I think it is a good idea to pause write about what makes People Photography special to all of us. I've been following this forum since its inception and posting for about a year.

 

What I like about this forum (and what makes it different from photo.net et. al.)is, as others have stated, the absence of equipment "angst" and frivolous postings. Posting photographs rather than equipment questions serves as a nice quality filter ...

 

I appreciate the fact that people who post here do so only when they have something to say. There is a certain continuity of contributors here that allows me to get to know other photographers over time by the quality of their photographs and their writings. There are few "hit and run" posts (with the exception of the guy selling embroidery equipment ...). That may mean the forum looks dead at times, but I'm sure there are plenty of people monitoring it every day.

 

The other characteristic of this forum is the maturity and the civility of the contributors as people have not found it necessary to foist their brashness or other idiosyncracies on others.

 

To me this forum stands out because it has survived for so long with so little direction. That's why I don't think People Photography needs a mission statement now. As long as the contributors are willing to nuture this forum and contribute responsibly, things will be just fine. I think that's the central issue here, not if People Photography is about portraits, street photography, etc.

What do you mean "too bad about the window"? I see nothing wrong with this photo. In fact, I think it is recognizeable as a "Brad Evans" image (probably because of the colors and the tonality ...). Maybe try to get the top right corner a little darker?

I think it works. I like the contrast between the static and the motion.

In a more lyrical sense, it feels like the unsuspecting woman is being

visited by a ghost (who looks a little like Andy Warhol ...)

The reflections are nice, but so is the smoke in the lower left corner of the photo. Where is it coming from, since her cigarette is still unlit? It gives the image a sense of anticipation.

I agree, it's not easy to make a composition work where the two main

points of interest are at opposite ends of the frame. But this works quite

well. My only suggestion would be to crop the ceiling - I think it gives

the circles on the floor more weight, and they serve to tie the

composition together. I also like the shadows on the floor! Nice work.

I've rated Provia 100F at 320 several times (pushed 2 stops), and it

works just fine. You end up with less grain than Provia 400F, and I

didn't notice any problems in the shadows. The only problem may be

increased contrast in situations that are contrasty to begin with.

But it's not a big issue. The only drawback with this scenario is that

you'll probably pay extra for push processing when you develop your

slides.

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<img src="http://www.republicofpixels.com/zoe/zoeimages/webzoe11small.jpg"><br>

<i>The World Through a Strainer, Copyright 2002 Chris Marolf</i>

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It's been quiet around here lately. Hopefully this is better than the "get rich quickly" posts ... Our daughter at 12 months, discovering her surroundings. My apologies for the smallish size. <br><br>

-- Chris Marolf

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Todd - I don't think there are any magic tricks that you haven't heard

about already. I believe that to get started in this type of photography,

you just have to want to do it badly enough.

 

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Compare street photography to when you had to ask a girl out on a date

for the very first time: scary to contemplate, but once you get the hang

of it, not really too bad! It's up to you to take the first step ...

Technically there is nothing wrong with this photo, but it doesn't speak

to me. I think for a picture to hold interest for a complete stranger (such

as myself), it needs to have an understandable message or raise a

question. This could be done by conveying an emotion through a facial

expression, showing the interaction of one person with others, etc.

Obviously, this is much more easier said than done, and I'm certainly no

expert at it! However, I find the old man is too small, his face too

obscured, to be the main subject of a photograph.

First off, I like this image for the dots of light floating around her head.

It never occured to me that these out-of-focus dots could be used to tie

the foreground and background together! Like pixie dust ...

 

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As far as your questions are concerned; "how often"? Probably not

often enough. I've just been going through my old slides in preparation

for my website I'm preparing, and I'm finding that the photos I'm

selecting suggest a different emphasis or focus than what I thought my

interests were. This review has helped me re-evaluate in which

direction I want to develop.

I find it amazing how the headlights and their reflections on the

pavement make the figures look like they are dangling like clothes pins.

Well done!

I was traveling around the salt flats of Uyuni and Lake Titicaca last September, and I can tell you from experience that your film will be refrigerated for about 13 hours a day. It gets bitterly cold as soon as the sun goes down; well below freezing in Uyuni and snowing at Lake Titicaca... During the day it doesn't really get hot either. Your film will love this trip!