Lou_Meluso

I like this picture. The isolation of the subject is very good against the hazy sky and the strong leading lines brings me into the frame right to the subject. The lighting is unique and the frozen branches stand out sharply. The overall cool monotone has both a unifying effect and gives one a sense of chill of this winter scene.

My only suggestion would be to to take a fraction, and I mean a fraction, from the bottom of the frame and add a fraction to the top. I feel it would balance the composition better. Otherwise a successful portrait with unique visual appeal. Well done, Peter!

Love the pose and depth of this. Wonderful color!

The flower seems well rendered here. The lighting is soft and describes the flower and it stands out well against the dark background. It appears to be in some kind of liquid or water. Frankly I'm having a hard time reading the "idea" behind Afternoon Idea. I can't identify what those things are in the picture with the flower. And the blue? water droplets look suspiciously hand placed in a rather symmetrical way that looks a bit forced. Maybe that was intentional.
I'm genuinely pleased to see Radu experimenting with still life. The is so much potential expression all just sitting on a table.

I like this picture. One immediately gets the feel of a well done photo illustration. With the figure in the Bowler hat one gets a Magritte vibe from it. The lighting, composition and rendering is very competent. There is a clear expression of visual intelligence in this.

I can't say I "get" the meaning however. At least it's not readily apparent. I want to imagine a religious or philosophical theme but it could easily be about the stock market. It would make a great stock image!

It's an excellent visual construct with thought provoking potential that channels its Surrealism roots.

I like this picture. Beyond the pretty sunset/sky is a well composed construct of the dominant foreground figures placed along the irregular yet leading lines of the shoreline. This adds great depth to the image and the rim lit subjects stand out sharply. I wish I could see a bit more of the child's fishing rod but the effect is still there.
The fact the child and man are obscured by shadow, adds power and focus to the underlining theme: the connection between a father and a son (assumed) in the time-honored bonding experience of learning to fish. This give the image a far greater appeal beyond an attractive, beach scene at sunset.

I like this image. This is clearly a photo illustration so I accept the fact it is a composite. It does have a dream like feel to it. While technically the execution could be better, the idea is clear and thoughtful lighting and color plalette was employed. I think the detail on the elephant, especially the undercarriage, could be pulled back some and the blanched looking upper left quadrant could use a bit more tone. Perhaps planning to use different clothing for the child might tie the theme better and help it look less cobbled together from existing imagery. But the general thrust of the idea is good and a decent overall execution.

If this is a portrait of a tree, I understand the figure being used for scale to give the impression of size even if the tree itself is cropped rather severely. The harsh contrast may have been employed to show the tree's weathered age.

If this is a portrait of the girl, then this image has a multitude of problems that starts with a rather uncomfortable looking pose and expression. Placing a subject in or near a tree is a time honored approach but this rendering is so contrasty it creates textures that compete with the subject. Those textures make the composition very "busy" that draw you away from, not to, the subject. This is exacerbated by the deep depth of focus. No edge burning will fix this. The small size of the figure in the frame and the blown highlights of the background and dress do not help the center of interest of this picture either. The over all placement of the figure in the frame is good and with a different processing, depth of field, better pose and expression, and tighter composition, one might revisit this subject and location with better results.

I like this image. It has a lot of visual impact. The action of the diving plane dropping it's water load is very well timed. The smoke and overall monotone orange color speaks to the fire situation and the danger present.
I think the composition could be improved some by a slight crop down from the top and made into a rectangle. that would help the balance of the image to a degree but a small point on an otherwise powerful picture.

Thanks for your comments, Alf. Like others, I got your idea but your title makes reference to something I wasn't seeing in the picture. Others in the thread have sited the theatrical or cinematic elements of your idea. Fair enough, and I agree. I like the pictures mood and gritty realism.

However, pictorially speaking, there is nothing in this scene, other than the gruff appearance of the subject, that furthers your idea of evil, resident or otherwise. Your dark, moody treatment is a step in the right direction but neither the "set", "costume/props" nor the subject's "action", to continue the cinematic idea, speaks of anything evil. The communication of "resident evil" did not happen for me no matter how closely I looked.

While the "actor's" crooked pose and dour expression might be construed as villainy, we have all seen movies and read stories where the ugly duckling or the the beast, or the rough character is actually the hero or saintly one. Without supporting elements, I think your title Grim Reality would have rung truer here.

I like the photo and the dark moody tone. However I fail to see anything evil in this image of a disabled fellow leaning on a railing. Down on his luck, maybe. Not classically handsome, perhaps. The title of this photo is asking me to attach moral attributes simply based on someones appearance. The man could be a saint for all we know.

Thank You for the nice comments. Yes, I know her well. She is my mother-in-law for the past 28 years. She lives with us but is often camera shy.

The model is attractive and the soft lighting sets up a gentle contrast. The expression is neutral but not a distraction. But the color of the light is so very blue that the skin tone looks ghostly. I'm guessing you didn't supervise the makeup but that lip treatment is scary and looks like some horrible disease. While placing a flower in the teeth, Tango style, can be interesting. Sticking the end of the stem in the mouth isn't very pretty for a glamour/sexy type look. Your dark values are getting a bit crushed while the hand and flower stand out as a somewhat too hot. The eyes could be opened up a bit, exposure-wise and the dark circles under them retouched. This image needs some work.

Beautiful shot with good lighting and composition. You caught a great action moment.

Thanks for your candid input, Jack. It's understood on this forum that images presented may or may not be the best work of an individual photographer. It's also understood that the photographer has no hand in the selection process. It is part of the reason why I choose to simply take an image at face value instead of drawing inferences, valid or not, from other work.

Someday perhaps we'll expand to a "Series of the WeeK" or "Picture Story of the Week" which I think would be fun. Until then I will continue to respond the the POW as directly, honestly and as thoughtfully as I can to the single image presented. I do not object to others taking a different path. The variety of opinions, experience and collegial atmosphere here make this one of the better forums for the discussion of images on the web.

Agreed, a good image for healthy discussion.

Interesting comments, Fred. When I view an image like this I tend to try and think beyond the obvious, what is the photographer trying to get me to understand. What deeper meaning may lie within. I see this a lot in Jacks work and many images are thought provoking and successful on that front.

But as a singular frame, I need help. I sense this scene is important in some way to the photographer but that importance is not reaching me at a level I can connect with. Maybe this would read better as a series, maybe not. In any case I don't have that luxury to triangulate supposed meaning from other work since this is not photographer portfolio of the week or artist oeuvre of the week. The concepts of dominance and subordination, composition and other graphic design parameters are only tools the visual artist uses to communicate. They can be used, often subtly, to clarify the emotional or intellectual intent.

I just don't see that here. I don't see a story unfolding. I see no transformation of the mundane, as Michael expresses. I just see mundane. The photographer could have helped me, the viewer, but chose not to. I conclude with my original point. This scene clearly has some personal meaning to the photographer, perhaps deep, symbolic, insightful meaning. But that meaning remains with him, for it indeed represents, to my eye, confusion of purpose.

This urban night scene holds little interest for me. There is a sense of quietness that is indicative of many still, night shots. With the looming foreground pole and distant pin point lights down the road, one does get a sense of depth in the picture. A competent time exposure was made.

But that is not enough for me. The center of interest, the bikes(?) are rather small in the picture. Placed centered in the frame, they give the composition a static feel. Maybe strong local color would have added some interest. A tighter crop might help.

If this location, or the bikes, was special to the photographer, this image might serve as a nice personal memento of the place and time. But, as an outside observer, it serves up nothing special for me.

If I am to assume that the lighting treatment of this image is designed to highlight the sarong then I say this is a successful image. The cloth is nicely illuminated and the drape is attractive and well demonstrated. The forest background is soft and lovely which gives enhanced focus to the subject. I like the sarong. I might buy that sarong.

If I am to assume this is a figure study in nature, then I would see this as less successful of that intent. The hair and deep blackness around the head and shoulders, perhaps in pursuit of a mysterious note, give a heavy feel to the top half of the figure. It almost as if there is a shroud over the top of the model. Even a small amount of fill light would help highlight the sensuous pose better yet still be subdued and subtle.

You're right, Robin, I am jaded by this specific theme in particular, strictly a personal bias. In retrospect, I think my terse expression of that bias, was not helpful in setting the stage for a thoughtful critique of the image. Certainly a lot of care was taken in composition and achieving an extremely competent tonal rendering. I also realize the maker had no hand in posting this here for critique.

I swear, if I see one more spiraling staircase picture with nothing else as a center of interest, I'm going to tear my eyes out!

Sorry Henri, forgive my angst. These things are interesting geometric studies that catch and lead our eye and you have some nice B&W tones there. I've just seen, and taken, hundreds of similar shots. You have led my eye but it needs something to be led to and stop on. A figure on the stairs or at the bottom would help this immensely. An article of clothing hanging, a flag, an old doll lying on a step...anything. Revisit this if you can, and bring a couple of ideas with you. If you can't revisit keep it in mind for next time a similar situation comes up. Sometimes just waiting around for something to happen yields results.

Here are the changes

I like this picture. The model is exceptional in her unique, exotic beauty. The pose and natural light is very nice and I like the direct connection to the viewer. The hand pose is lovely.

Digital processing is always a matter of taste and personal preference. This is a bit too contrasty for my taste but in context of the run-down surround it doesn't feel out of place. I have made a few notes that may or may not improve it:
Tighter crop to bring more focus on the model
Reduce some hot areas
Reduce the brown/green color somewhat
Touch up the wall spot, fly away hair and whatever that thing is on her mouth.
A bit of edge burn to bring the eye inward.

You've good some nice light coming through the petals there. The flower has good dominance in the frame. If the circumstances allow (i.e in your garden), don't be afraid to gently move a leaf one way or another to get a clearer view or minimize a background distraction. Another trick is to carry a small square of black velvet cloth to place behind for a real standout effect. Powerful color saturation is sometimes good, sometimes too much. If the color push starts blowing out the detail, it's too much. Use with care.

In your image editor you can make a custom selection of the front petal and open it up a bit more to enhance the translucency effect or calm down a "hot" petal. It's all about control. Flowers are great subjects. Have fun in your floral pursuits. 

Very nice pose and lighting and good contrast of colors. A bit over the top on saturation for my taste, though. Well done!

I do not like this image. The idea of a photo illustration for the concept of glamorized "trailer trash" may be a good one but the execution is done in both poor taste and poor technique. It certainly shows little aspect of imagination as suggested by the heading.

I get the impression the photog has never been to a real trailer park because the staging doesn't follow even at camp levels. The hodgepodge of cliche elements are strewn about with no thought to composition. I think they may have been going for a "rich tapestry" feel but it just looks busy with no real eye follow around the scene. While the female model tries for some expression the rest of the figures are wooden and lifeless. The cut-and-paste girl on a line is exceptional in it's poor execution.

The whole sense is a like a bad joke not told well. I struggle to find anything to even offer as improvement other than scrap the set and start with a fresher concept.