justpete

Having both the setting sun and the mast in the center makes for a static image. If the image had been taken just a bit earlier with the boat to the left of the frame this would lead the eye across the frame imparting a sense of motion making the composition more dynamic. The balance between sky and sea is nicely done with the mast anchoring the boat to the bottom of the frame for balance so the glow of the sky doesn't overwhelm the secondary subject. Hope this is of some help.

Comparative critiques? TIA

Comments requested. TIA

Strange pic, comments wanted. TIA

TIA

TIA

Um, wow. Fog? What is it that gives these lights such a supernatural glow? As if the street's alive. Very nice use of max black to bring the eye around and around, the use of strong perspective is really cool here, perfect use of a 50mm for a you-are-there kinda vibe. Sometimes the simplest shots yield the most amazing images.

Had to come back to this one several times before I got it. Bracketing tagging in a typically ugly industrial setting with a gorgeous sky above and freely growing greenery (brownery?) below keeps the eye moving trying to bridge the gap, hopping through the graffiti along a sort of figure eight pattern, the slight diagonal imparting movement. And again light suffuses the image, the brightest point in a line in the sky just above the roof of the building makes it seem impossible for the back of the building to be as bright as it appears to be. Nice high key composition anchored with the darkness of the grasses along the bottom. Interestingly cropping out the lightpole to the left and the building to the right strongly diminishes the strength of the composition although I couldn't tell you why. HTH.

Can't say I agree with the ratings on this one. I've a 50/1.8 for my FM2N as well but I've not been able to get this nice a bokeh, probably just not getting the dof shallow enough. What's intriguing to me here is that the chain link fence is lit from the viewer's side only in the area of the lights beyond. Reflection from the camera, and you, or what I don't know but it gives the image a bit of a surreal look. Kinda cool and definitely not textbook, thankfully. Moving traffic I'm guessing, sans traffic, just a glow on the street.

Glowing from within rather than lit from without, the step's reflection off the near left wall gives a nice sense of depth as if one could step right into the picture. My eye's pulled to the near area of the step that's brightest, naturally, with the crossed diagonals drawing attention to the sharply forcused grasses (?) offering a lovely counterpoint to the geometric rigidity inherent to the composition, adding life and echoing the glow. Greater depth of field would tend to keep the eye in the frame as it may wander out to the upper right following the diagonal trying to focus but there are elements that can bring the eye back to the wonderful juncture of glowing step, organic grasses, and reflection defining the near wall. It's an eye catching and beautiful image, thanks for sharing.

Light has character which you seem to have an innate sense for capturing. And without a meter, no less. Light in your images suffuses rather than illuminates the subjects, making it inseparable. A keen eye for texture and geometry. Have you tried cropping roughly square from the left of the frame? The light and the illuminated handrailing would form a strong diagonal across the frame creating a sense of movement obviating the typically static nature of square compositions. Might balance a bit better although it would be a more sparse composition. Just a thought.

Nice use of diagonals livening up placid horizontals. The darker shade at the top and bottom highlight the horizon and again the horizontal nature of the background against which the rocks work. Your treatment of the image makes it wonderfully peaceful to view, brought an involuntary smile to my face, very nice. Thanks for posting this, Pete

TIA

A compelling composition, if only for the lack of expected eye contact one would associate with this sitting pose. From the perfect felt porkpie hat to the cufflinks and wedding ring classically displayed, the tone is muted with a restricted but well balanced palette amplified and expanded by the background's. The lighting brings forth the requisite detail and contrast points to draw the eye, the background structure radiates from the intended point of interest which lies perfectly balanced in the brim's shadow, its extent beyond the face nicely filled by backlighting. Probably my limited exposure to portaiture but all of these elements strike me as a unique composition, based as it is on the familiar but with a turn of the head that causes the viewer to echo the pose, if only for a moment. It also strikes me that the intent of this composition, as in all portraiture, is to capture the character of the subject. If indeed this muted, quiet pose with its dynamic background expounds upon the face unseen, as is shown in its accompanying portrait in your portfolio, I feel as if I know the man from a glance. Nicely and subtlely done, artful as much as it is no doubt valued. Thanks for sharing.

But doesn't the person's shape and position in the composition actually help to add scale and depth as well as create the necessary balance in lighting, from the spot to the upper left of the light above the exit, in blocking reflections down the leftward side of the floor and wall? In a way it seems to help complete a circuit for the eye to follow, otherwise with pure symmetry the only way out of the picture is straight out the door, and the frame.

 

The use of the human form as a compositional element cleverly keeps the eye constrained yet entertained by the play of asymmetrical light below contrasting with the geometrically perfect arches above, and their lighting. Adds a human touch to an otherwise cold and common hallway, I think. And the color works wonders in setting a splendidly calm mood as well; silent within, the noise of the street barely discernable down the way and out the door leaves the straight path out of the frame an option if only by the use of one's imagination. Thanks for sharing.

light, dark, and stuff in between. or not. and?

Bill,

 

You're right, the image appears underexposed. Early on I didn't know about sRGB. The scanner s/w defaulted to ColorSync producing uniformly dark images. Now that I've figured all that out, I would take care of the slight rotation error and replace the image with one appearing more properly exposed. If I do, I'll note here that the image has been replaced. Thanks for the kind words on the composition, I got lucky walking thru the bookstore.

Saw this incredible image in the queue shortly after it first appeared. Sure that the color had been manipulated I checked the details but no, it's as-taken. Wow. The muted colors and strong verticality whisper purpose, at deafening levels. The light/dark alternating shading of cylindrical forms coincides with the line of perspective echoing the strong diagonal dark/light separation from lower left to upper right. The mist enhances depth perspective creating the force pulling the eye from the intricate detail in the darker corner _into_ the image where the similarly grayed out stacks pull the eye back and up dead center only to be pulled down by contrasting, dark and detail rich top of the foremost structure, only to start again. I don't know what anyone else thinks but it's difficult to leave this image, when the detail becomes complex and overwhelming, the calm in the distance offers rest until one is ready to leave or try again. Nice eye, you don't see this sort of image very often.

Cropped for the progression of deepening shades of gray walking the

eye to the plane of focus and the subjects. Perspective carries the

eye onward to a balancing, like subject farther away and opposite

the brightest part of the image with a reversing progression of

grays returning the eye to the beginning. Any critiques would be

very helpful in determining if this use of light works, in the

context of or regardless of the subject material. TIA

Any and all comments, critiques, criticism, catfish, kool-aid, a

catchy tune, crabgrass, more than welcome. Why? Why the heck not.

Beautifully done! What an extraordinary control and careful use of DOF. The emotion is framed and timed so very well, yet increases upon closer inspection. The pose is unlike anything I've seen before, so many wedding photos being so trite. As another said, I'd be proud to have had a picture of such lasting uniqueness and professionalism from my wedding just as I'd be justifiably proud of having the skill to produce it. Very, very nice work indeed. Thanks for sharing it with us.

One word: Dramamine. Heckuva a creative use of the lens' properties. Very cool image if ya' ask me. The highlight on the sign is pretty much perfectly placed, IMHO. Who says digital and PS can't bring new expression to the art of photography? Thanks for bringing a smile to this face.

The background is distracting and seemingly unrelated to the purpose of the image. Waiting for the person to the left of the man's head to move out of the frame would've helped, as would have using a larger aperture and getting closer to reduce the DOF, focusing to get both person's eyes in focus as best you could. Depending on what's in the background, it may have been better to swing around to your right to get rid of the dark shape detracting from the from of the woman, but without having the couple change position only their eye direction. This might've also make it easier to get all eyes in focus by getting them closer to the same plane. And if the background lights were continuous across the image instead of broken by that dark shape on the right, they could be used, out of focus, to provide a counterweight to the point source of light at the bottom. In moving closer to fill the frame, the tables in the background could be taken out by placing the verticals of the frame to bracket the subjects shoulder to shoulder to complete the intimate mood evidently aimed for. Alternately, a longer focal length could've been used but undoubtedly would've been very difficult without a tripod, I'm guessing. BTW, the kick on the man's glasses is distracting and might be eliminated by taking the pic from around to your right. Otherwise, the strength of a triangular composition reinforces the emotions conveyed in their eyes but the image needs to be more of a portrait than a snap to make it click, I think. Sorry to be so long winded, hope it's of help though. A for effort at least.

Took a bit but it finally came clear that this is a diving board or platform on a river. But that's not so important as the composition leaves no room for the kinetics of what comes after the climb, which is accenuated instead. I see it in these terms, through the eyes of the diver whose eyes would be looking downriver, as the perspective of the steps points the eye. Maybe there could've beeen a bit more gray scale separation between the river and the concrete but it's good enough. It's very pleasant the way the horizon is low, emphasizing the sky as is usually the result, but the eye passes over it as a pleasant background, the clouds lines helping to eye to home in on the tension inherent in climbing into the sky, diving left as the implied denouement. To me the angles work, the framing works, the sky and land work, it's of a piece which helps make this imgage so unique. Much to keep the eye involved and not many easy exits either. Nicely done, thanks for posting.

Like the contrast, not just in brightness but new vs. old, moving vs. static, hurried vs. leisurely. The perspective leaning the building inward makes for a cohesive composition by adding a sense of dynamics to the building, an nice bit of cognitive dissonance. Thanks for sharing.