jeff_moag1

I really like the shot from a photographic standpoint, it's very dynamic. As a kayaker though it's distracting because the guy looks like he's halfway through a failed roll. I'm curious, did he swim?

Stunning. I would just plain ROLL in horse crap -- even pig crap -- to get a shot like this. Just super.

A pretty picture that tells a story. Well done.

Everything comes together here -- the color of the water, the beach and hotels in the background, the leading lines of the rope and wake. Not just a great perspective, but the right composition and moment.

 

Folks, here is a POW made with a camera that has scale focus and no light meter. Who says modern photographers don't need to know Sunny Sixteen and Hyperfocal Focusing? Great work.

 

 

Sure, this is shot captures a rare and beutiful moment. We can call that luck, and even lament the sad fact that we don't get lucky often enough. But the fact is if we hauled our tails out of bed every morning we'll all get lucky eventually. Equipment? It's only part of the equation. Light is what we record, and when it's good we have to grab it with whatever is available. Now, to get really "lucky," the thing to do is take out a lease on the lodge and set up the 4x5 every day at 0400. Patience, grasshoppah!

I think you hit it. I'd like to see a little more detail in the kid's shadowed features; that might be a scan issue. I really dig the shadow and reflection -- looked wrong to me at first. .

I took this exact same picture, on the road from Joshua Tree NP to Bouse, Ariz! Apparently someone moved the tree.

 

Yes, everyone shoots sunsets -- because they look good, they're easy, it's a high-percentage exercise. While I think we should all strive to move beyond the predictible, there's also nothing wrong with shooting a scene just because it's pretty.

 

I agree that a little underexposure could punch up the sky colors, and a shift this way or that could move the tree into a more dynamic (though more conventional . . . .) position.

I think the other, out of focus, faces are essential to the scene -- especially the guy on the left. The right side has that unfortunate shadow that kind of blocks the symetry. Even so I like it a lot. I think I get it, but even if I don't I like it anyway.

Andy,

 

I like the mood and the sidelight. Very nice. The contrast is too strong for my taste. Try printing on a lower grade of paper and burn the shirt a bit.