macwise

Greg,

 

Bountiful, eh? I'm from Logan, personally. Been in Cache Valley for about 16 years now, until a year ago. I started school in Santa Barbara (at Brooks Institute of Photography) last January. It's been a great experience. I'll tell you though, you have a knack for cars. I feel that I am fairly skilled in a couple of different areas, but automotive is something I have neither tried a whole lot of, nor had much success in, at least not as of yet. I respect your photos even more knowing you're just getting started. Who's cars are you getting ahold of, and is this a paid gig, or just fun trial/error type stuff? Are you on these shoots basically alone, or do you have group/crew helping out? I think we can all learn something from your ambitious efforts...

From Utah myself. What part are you in? I've been out there a few times, and to be honest, I think I should be congratulating you on not getting the car stuck even more than the beautiful photograph. I heard quite a few bad stories about cars sinking up to the frame and being too far out to be towed out.

 

About the photo, I think this one is underrated, for sure. I can't say it's anything less than perfect. The car looks magnificent, the reflection is a beauty, the color is great. I don't know what anybody could ask for more. Someone mentioned that the car pointing out of the frame was somewhat bothersome to them at first...I think it adds more, not less, to the photograph. Certainly the best one of your car shots yet, though they are all nice. I'm extremely impressed.

Will,

 

I am from Logan, about 30 minutes away from the Idaho border. Preston, Idaho is just across the border...That's the town where the movie Napoleon Dynamite was filmed. The two towns have surprising little in common considering their proximity. Logan is about 5 hours away from Cedar City, though we stop in there often on our visits from California due to family being there as well. How do they like Cedar?

Thanks Will, and Clayton, for your comments. Wow, you guys are fast.

 

Will, I would have to agree with you. I was afraid that somebody might rip the hat, and you spared no time in doing so. I shot this back in my home town in Utah, while on Christmas vacation. It was up to my friend to get the attire together, but in the end, I had to pull together what I could the day before. He's been pretty busy, and let's just admit it, we're all of us artists, and most of us (in this case Casey) aren't too well known for our efficient project coordination skills.

 

All in all, I think the shot turned out great, though I can't argue that the proper attire would have made this shot (in my opinion) more believable. Thanks for your good words, both of you.

This was shot for my friend, who is the one on the cover. He wanted something that he could

hang up in his office kind of as a conversation piece for his investment clients. He isn't really

a cowboy, nor is he very rugged, at least not in the "wild west" sense. He has a great sense

of humor, and no doubt will have a good handful of colorful stories to tell his clients about

"this particular shot that was published on Texas Monthly". ; ) I shot and designed the cover

myself, and we printed up a couple of posters for him to hang up. My question to you...Does

this magazine cover shot sell?

WOW! I clicked to make it larger, and what a treat. Sharpness is even on. The noise is there, but adds so much more to the shot. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

I love shot. It caught my eye, and held up to my expectations when I enlarged it. I love the color, the movement, the slight bit of motion that you caught. I think the hint of a window to camera left-with the touch of contrasting color-is very nice. I am a sucker for smoke, as you'll see in my portfolio. I can't help but think that's what really completes this shot. Very nicely done!

Hey all. This is a different photograph than the one that was uploaded earlier this month.

This one has a bit more of a story, but ultimately I wanted to get anybody's feedback on this

image who is interested in giving it. Let me know what you think about it, and what you

either like or dislike about the image. Thanks for your critiques!

Jochen,

 

Is that your first name? Sorry if I got it wrong. I saw this photograph and had to comment on it. I love the colors, the mood, the contrast, the composition, the expression on the models face, the models face, the choice of clothing....Shall I go on? I love the texture of the environment, the way her hair is perfect, the vignetting, the areas of bright and dark, the color in the models eyes, the foreground elements, the natural framing, the depth of field, the sharpness in the model, even the doggone pearl earring. Gee. You did it. I don't think this shot is original in it's idea, but the look that you produced certainly justified my rating it a 7, and aesthetically I couldn't rate it anything below a 7 with all those things that are working for me. I look at this, and wish I could take photos that had this look. I feel that I am pretty competent as a photographer, but you have a look that is extremely unique, and definitely beautiful. Feel 100% free to come on over to my portfolio and give tips and pointers. Great job!

Jim...My instructor is actually an excellent instructor, and the reason I have been so willing, eager, and excited about going outside the box with these projects. My instructor, Scott Miles, is an excellent photographer in his own right. He does mostly tabletop product photography, though he is pretty much retired from that now and teaches full time at Brooks. He is the kind of instructor that is there to teach every student individually, and often times has taken time out of his busy schedule to sit down and help me put together my thoughts and ideas. He's critical but in a very good way. If you are truly interested in learning from him, his instruction is always positive, and motivated by a desire to help you go further. I admit, I haven't been so inspired in some of my other instructors' classes. Fortunately for me, I have had a few EXCELLENT instructors to make up for it. Thanks for your comments. I am definitely a better photographer for attending Brooks Institute of Photography.

I shouldn't have put this off so long...First of all, thanks to everybody for treating this photo so well in the poles, and in your comments. This community is a steal at $25. Just don't let the big dogs hear I said that. ;)

 

Gundega, I saw your photos, and they are great. I like the idea of the girl with the balloon, though I must say you scared me a little with the blood. That's just fake blood, right? I mean, you're not referred to as "the butcher" by your associates and enemies, are you?

 

Robert and Mustafa...I just get warm fuzzies when you mentioned movies, even though you were no doubt either joking or being extremely generous. I love movies, and love the way things are lit so well in the movies. So much color, shape, form. The light is always so perfect. It is an art that appears to be so easily mastered, but in reality takes years to see. I really admire Directors of Photography (cinematographers) and their craft. Maybe one day I can be one. It's a hope, at least.

 

Mark, I have had a handful of people mention the correlation in their mind with a Stephen King novel, including none other than our own Will King right here at Photo.net, a bit below your comment. Lots of Kings on this one. I can't say I ever thought I would produce a photograph that would be S.K. worthy in intent. Kind of funny.

 

Jana, Stephan and Ben, thank you for your generous comments. We are all better here for such kind words. Jana, I think your comment is a good suggestion about giving it a poetic name/title. I actually wanted to get an unswayed opinion from everybody first, (which means to say, "I suck at naming photographs effectively but I am too proud to admit it right out"). Maybe some of you guys can contribute name suggestions after I spill the beans on what I was shooting for...

 

Will, thanks for your comments and for coming back. I guess it's time for me to give a little. ::sleeves go up::

 

Well, as you guys can see, a lot of people have seen a lot of different things here. I am not personally a horror movie watcher, at least not anymore. I love dramatic movies, and love dramatic movie lighting even more. I would say that in a word, I was probably not looking for "creepy", though it's closeknit cousin "eerie" was definitely in the running. I wanted something ethereal, something dramatic, and something with the contrasting colors of outdoor/night and indoor lighting. If you look at the other (almost square crop) photo that looks just almost like this one, then you'll see the final image I turned in for class. This was the original idea, where the girl is outside, and the family inside. I wanted to really exploit/emphasize the juxtaposition (love that word) of the warm colors of the inside, with the family in there looking happy, secure, and together, against the vulnerability of the little girl, outside in a cold dark environment.

 

Actually Will, it all started about 10 months ago just after I started school. I had a project I was working on that I kind of conjured up this vision of this girl in my head. It was for a different environment/scene, but I saw the same outfit, stance, hair, comfort item (bear). I tried to get somebody, including this girl, but things fell apart, and I had to go a different direction altogether. When I started planning for this assignment, I decided to do something different than everybody else, and shoot outside. This was one of the main ideas, and it ended up all coming together.

 

So, I kind of had the first part, the girl standing outside looking vulnerable. The lighting kind of took care of itself, as it no doubt needed to be dramatic. I'm not sure exactly when the family entered into the final idea, though. I remember thinking I needed a reason for her to be looking in, and I thought it would be good, as I said earlier, to have her looking at the security which she immediately lacks, as that would have the most impact on the viewer.

 

After it was shot, I decided to submit this shot without the family. I thought it may provoke too much of the creepy/adolescent killer feeling from everybody. Although I was more in the camp of "sad, lonely, melancholy", the best word to describe what I wanted was probably "dramatic". I wasn't so much shooting to draw out a specific emotion, but rather any emotion. As I've said to friends and my instructor in class, most title pages of books have "written by" and "illustrated by" on two different lines, with two different names. I am the illustrator, and I feel it's up to you, the viewer, to be the author.

 

The best images, in my mind, are the ones that you look at, and say in your mind that you know the story perfectly, and the next person thinks the same thing; though the story may change for each viewer, the connection to it is just as strong. I want people to be able to connect with my images. I want to evoke emotion. I feel that to be able to do that with the still medium, with no sound, no motion, no follow up, it is a difficult thing to accomplish. That's what keeps me going. Thanks again for all your comments and questions. That's what makes this really fun!

 

I hope this answers your questions. Feel free to ask anything any other questions you might have. I'll try to keep it a little more concise.

Curt, Thanks for your feedback, and your kind words. I am glad that you were the first to post, as your impression of the shot is more inline with the mood that I was trying to set. I'm almost (unfortunately) certain that the comments about this looking creepy and horror show-ish are going to come along, and though I really do want to hear everybody's take on this photo, I'm grateful that you have seen the shot in a more sentimental way. There is another shot that I actually used for the assignment, with a slightly different take on this idea, which is located in my recent projects. I think this one overall had less potential for the creepy factor. Thanks for the great rating, too. Boosts my big ego!

I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings when looking at this image. It was created

for an assignment in which we are to portray a "window light" scene. I chose to be a little un-

orthadox, and shoot an outdoor scene looking in, rather than vice-versa. Mostly I'm looking

for two things. What kind of feeling do you get when you see this image, and what story

does your mind conjure up about the scene?

 

As always, thanks for rating and for giving your feedback.

Well, how could I not in this day and age. Everybody has an iPod shot. Everybody has an

iPod these days, don't they. Anyway, I would love some feedback on this shot. Comments

are helpful and welcome, even if they are good. ;)

This photograph was one of two that were shot for a school assignment. The assignment was

to pick a product, and then shoot one still shot of product, and then one "lifestyle" shot of a

person/people, with or without the product, in which the product or lifestyle associated with

the product is portrayed visually and in a positive light. This is the product shot. The other

shot is in my portfolio under recent projects. Please let me know what you like about this

photo, or any points that you might offer for improvement. Thanks.

This photograph was one of two that were shot for a school assignment. The assignment was

to pick a product, and then shoot one still shot of product, and then one "lifestyle" shot of a

person/people, with or without the product, in which the product or lifestyle associated with

the product is portrayed visually and in a positive light. This is an actual couple, and I

thought the energy between them both was awesome. Please let me know what you like

about this photo, or any points that you might offer for improvement.

 

Thanks

Elaine,Thanks for stopping by. This was actually a photo for a school assignment. I am a student at Brooks Institute of Photography. The assignment was to simulate an artificial light source, such as candle light or flashlight, and make it look as though it were lighting up the scene. The instructor I have for this class is pretty relaxed about how closely we follow the rules, so I decided on this night-time scene, and decided not to be so literal with the direction and source of light as some others did. I mostly wanted a moonlight/flashlight-lit look overall, and feel that I was able to achieve what I was looking for.

 

I very much appreciate your comment that this looks like a still from a movie. I was aiming for that look, and hoping that I could pull off something that would have that level of production value, or something close. I am really intrigued lately with "night-time" shooting, (I mean shooting in a manufactured environment) to give the appearance of night-time, as in this shot. I am working on a project, that if it works out, will be posted shortly, in which I am shooting a themed image outside of a house in front of a bay window at night. Should be fun.

As usual, what are your thoughts on this shot? Your comments are appreciated.

Here it is. I updated the photo with the suggestion of ridding it of the third bunch of flowers on camera left. I like it. What are your thoughts?

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I have always thought this was one of my luckiest (and best) shots. I have gotten some good responses from individuals who have seen it in my studio and such, but I didn't know you guys would treat it so well in the critique and rating forum. Thanks for your support, and for your suggestions.

 

Stephen, as for your comments about the repeating pairs, and the third bit of pink flowers on camera left...Funny you should mention that. I just had a friend mention the same thing not two or three days before I posted this here. Nobody had noticed that before, but I think it is a wonderful suggestion, and when I have a second I will do that and provide an update here.

 

Manish, I agree. I always wonder when I look at the brown duck...What is he whispering under his breath to his little honey. A bit corny, I know, but it really does look like there is an amazingly authentic level of interaction happening between the ducks, as with the couple. Even the ducks' feet are perfectly synchronous, and symmetrical. This photograph has proven to me undeniably that perfect moments do happen. It is simply our job to capture them.

 

Thanks again for all your comments.

Another in this series of the "guy in the suit", this was shot conventionally with a 4x5 camera

on Kodak Tri-X black and white film. The negative was scanned the edges burned down in

photoshop. Otherwise, nothing was altered.

This photograph was taken in a creative series showing a non-descript man in a suit for a

class at Brooks Institute of Photography. There is no over-lying message. The message is

meant to be the one that it evokes out of you emotionally. Please let me know what you

think. I would love your comments.

I would like to hear what you think about this photograph. This shot just happened this way,

and was not manipulated digitally or during the shoot. I just got extremely lucky.

Artificially lit with Nikon camera flashes and photogenic monoblock strobe. Light bulb was

actually lit, though not the key light in the scene. What are your overall impressions?

This photograph was produced for an ad for a restaurant, depicting the free stack of

pancakes that will come with every breakfast entree purchased, to enjoy while the entree is

being cooked. I would love your feedback on the shot. This was shot digitally, however the

sky was not altered, and the boy was actually shot in the environment with the sky behind

him.