k5083

Airplanes are inherently a horizontal subject but sometimes I like to see

what I can do with a vertical slice of one.

My first thought was almost the same as BM's, that with the nice soft green rythm, this is a fine pic even if there's no bug.  Not that I would take out the bug, and I especially wouldn't take out the white thing that it's climbing on, which anchors the pic.  The bug actually does contribute to the pic; but it isn't necessary to make it a good pic.  And it's a good thing the bug isn't big enough to turn this nice nature shot into a [shudder] bug pic.

I never get the whole babe-with-car thing.  Neither one tends to wear the other well as an accessory.  At best, this type of picture seems to set up a distracting competition between the two objects of desire; more often, one or both is posed very disadvantageously.  It always seems to add up to less than the sum of its parts; and then there's the disturbing subtext of the implied similarity in how we respond to the two objects.  Maybe it would help if the model behaved as if the car were something more than a prop, but they never seem to do so.  Here, the model shows no awareness of the car at all.

To assess it more technically, the model is very cute but I would like some fill light around her left eye, and also, her legs are set up so her left calf looks much slimmer than the other; I would have moved her left foot back so that it didn't press against and bulge out the right calf.

I can see where this would be part of a very interesting series.  This shows a surprising sleekness to what is not usually considered a glamorous type of vessel.  The wide lens helps.  Technically it's very nice.

As you're going for a straight-on symmetrical look, it probably would be good to center the subject perfectly, i.e. crop the right edge just a little.

Good idea, good vantage point, well exposed.  I think a wider shot would have improved it, to not cut the bottoms off the diners and to show more of the buildings.  The shot would then not be so dominated by the empty water in the middle.  Still it's quite evocative.

This has an intriguing 3d effect because the cracks get smaller as they approach the curved boundary when then takes the appearance of a horizon.  The effect is one of orbiting a planet with fissures receding in the distance.  That is a lot to get out of some old paint on a wall, so quite a successful image I think.

Disagree with above points about composition.  I think the off-center brick lines unbalance it enough already.  Textures and subtle colors are well caught.

I like the rigid geometry and the red-gold color works for me too.  The bricks at left complement the main structure; the apartment windows in the right background maybe not so much. 

Very good.  The momentary spatial disorientation is effective and then it settles into a nice composition.

That's a nice study.  Nice tone and lighting that models the subject well.  A well composed abstract, yet recognizable (to the buff at least).  Invites us to ponder the shape and construction of the machine.  The yellow stripe is nice relief from the near monochrome image also.  Good work.

Thanks for the thoughts Dan.  It is a dead-center pic; maybe i should try shifting the plane to the left a bit, so that the prop is barely inside the left edge of the frame.  There's some retouching I'd like to do here as well.  The rope under the wing, obviously, but also I think I should delete the words on the cowling.  Prominent legible text can really distract attention from the composition.

Nice work Alex.

I think the clouds somewhat betray the pic as rotated; they seem to be layered in a diagonal way that matches the plane.  Maybe some cloud retouching, or a pic with a cloudless background, would look more natural.

From your pics it clearly was a great show this year.  Better weather than usual.

Simple concept but subtle.  I like what you did with the reflections.  I have to say I think it would look better if the emblem were in better condition.  Also I would retouch out the reflection of your head just above the emblem.  But overall I really like it.

I appreciate the colors, but it comes off overcooked, with people's faces being bright orange, the grass and trees unnaturally bright, etc.  It would be easier to be impressed by the colors of the balloons if they were in contrast to not-so-saturated surroundings. 

Very busy but a lot of nice reflections.  What's interesting about this picture is the ambiguity between solid and empty space.  In the top third of the picture, the empty sky to the right and left, the sky through the glass at center-left, and the sky reflected in the metal at center-right all "read" the same, visually.  That opens up the picture and invites the viewer to work out what is what. 

I like the way you pick a plane like this DC-3 and just shoot the heck out of it.  Most airplane photographers get a shot or two on a walk-by and figure they've "done" that plane.  You take the time to explore all the angles.  I feel that this shot could be improved a little by panning to the left, putting the wing-fuselage join closer to the right edge and giving the prop a little more space on the left.  But I do like the lines and the tone control.

Lots of graphic strength here with interesting details on the prop hub and the rectacular intake echoed by the window in the b/g. 

Another good shot with sensitive use of the moody light and the plane's marking.  With a title at the bottom it would be a great cover shot for a book of airplane photos.

Very nice abstract, graphically strong with good colors and good choice of in-focus area.

The blood was worth it.  One of the best C-5 shots I've seen.  Real nice colors, textures, and signs of wear on the bird, and the sky and lighting set it off perfectly.  I like the attention to composition with the fuselage edges just about hitting the corners of the frame.  Maybe color in that burned highlight in the window is all I would suggest. 

Actually I hate the nose art.  It's hard to see in this pic, but it looks very amateur-1970s-Chevy-van-airbrushed, not the way they were painted in wartime at all.  You were right not to show it any more clearly.  Overall I like the pic but haven't decided how I feel about that yellow prop tip sticking into my face.

Nice feel for the colors.  This shot flatters the plane more than the other angle and the colors, though less dramatic, are nicer too I think.

Peculiar photo with the eye drawn very much to the two people, the model and the driver on the screen, who have such an ambiguous relationship to each other.  The shot of the highway to the right of the screen and the orange background make it a little surreal.  It ends up being surprisingly thought provoking.