kamraman

All photographs are manipulations of reality. In everyday life, people rarely notice the details that can be found in the fragments of time we record with our little black boxes. I'm not saying that photographs can't be documentary, but they are never purely objective reality. Photographic reality is always confined to the vision of the photographer and by the perception of the viewer. Reality is fluid, constantly in motion, and can never be truly captured.

 

Now that I'm off my sope box, I'd like to commend you on a fantastic image. I think I'd like to see more space at the bottom and less at the top, but It's a great capture none-the-less.

 

-James

This is a nice portrait. I like it the way it is, but you consider creating a soft vignette to brighten up the foreground and left side to match the background and draw the viewer's eye in even more. Just a thought.

 

-James

but it's okay. I like your other shot of this model much better. It appears to be slightly soft, but the expression makes it more engaging than this one. This image is alright, just not your best. The messy hair works well, except for the dark piece on her cheek, it's a little distracting. Hope that was somewhat helpful.

 

-James

I like this shot, it feels very peaceful. My only gripe is that the field seems a little flat. You might want to open it in your photo software and increase it's saturation a little. Nice image.

 

-James

Hey Thanasis, thanks for your comment on my image. I think this is a pretty interesting shot. However, I would crop some of the dark space out of the bottom and straighten the horizon. Just my humble opinion, thanks for sharing.

 

-James

This is very nice, but I think I'd remove the dark line in the center. It divides the sky into two halves and detracts from the main subject. Of course, this is just my opinion. It's a nice image regardless.

 

-James

Nice composition and DoF. The guy in the background adds depth to the image. Very nice.

 

-James

Ahhh, what beautiful light! I love the feel of this image. I believe that you shot it out of focus on purpose and I applaud you for it. Not every photo needs to be perfectly sharp, or in focus at all for that matter. In fact, shooting something that's soft or completely out of focus can often completely change the way viewers respond to a particular image. I think the blurriness in this one was an excellent choice, it wouldn't be the same if it were sharp. Thanks for sharing it.

 

-James

Very interesting presentation, I like it. I wonder what it would look like if you were to give the right side a (very slight) cool tone to offset the warmth on the left even more? Nice either way.

 

-James

This is a very interesting shot. I love the motion and color in it. I think I'd like just a little more sharpness in the center axel, but that's just a minor issue. As it is very unique and abstract image, well done.

 

-James

I can't believe he just walked out into the street like that and stopped traffic... What an ASS! =)

This is a very emotive shot, it makes me sad, yet I can't bring myself to stop looking/listening. There's a somber beauty here that really works. On the technical side, I wish the area around the face had a little more contrast. I like the low contrast feel of the shot, but that area seems a little too flat, as if it has been slightly dodged in the darkroom. Of course this is just my opinion; wonderful shot either way.

 

-James

I agree with you whole-heartedly, catching the moment (along with noticing that a moment is taking place) is probably the most important aspect of candid/street photography. I actually like the brightness of her face, my only gripes would be the shadow on her right hand and a little more detail in the background. But those issues are minor and probably unavoidable, so they have little impact on how I view this image. Great light, great moment, great job capturing it!

 

-James

This is very nice. I like the tonality and DoF, but the sharpness on the right is a little distracting. I also think the shadows of the strings a little distracting, but these are minor irritants. Overall nice shot.

 

-James

This a nice highway shot, but I think you should crop the left side in a little. I would recommend cropping it just outside of the streetlight on that side. This would reduce the amount of dead space on that side and ultimately create a more dynamic composition. Just some thoughts, nice photo.

 

-James

I like the feeling of motion in this shot, but the left side feels a little empty. I know it's a lot of image to lose, but have you considered cropping the left side in to the edge of the street. It might create an interesting angle, but then again I could be crazy. I also agree that it would be nice to have the horse's back leg in the image. Hope this is helpful.

 

-James

I know the "no centering" rule too, but I have to agree with you on this one Bucky. I think this image works well with the subject perfectly centered. But, I would recommend cropping to reduce the amount of dead space around the window. I wouldn't crop it all out, just a little to reduce it. Very graphic image.

 

-James

I like the "expression" and interaction of these two. They look like a couple of old men on a bench in a park commenting on people as they walk by. About the lighting, on the last two shots I've looked at I noticed that you're shooting in bright sunlight while the sun is high in the sky. I would recommend trying to shoot some of these shots at different times of day to get nicer lighting. Try shooting early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun is lower in the sky. This reduces the harsh shadows and often gives the light a nice warm quality. Just my thoughts, I hope they were helpful.

 

-James

Hey George, Thanks for the comment on my "Never Forget" photo the other day. I opened up your portfolio to view it and this image jumped off the screen at me. This is an interesting moment you've captured here, but I wish you had taken a half step to the left. This would make it easier to read by contrasting the dark gun the lighter clothes on the child in the background. That would have made this image a little easier to read and definitely increased its impact. Nice catch though.

 

-James

Hey Stefan, thanks for your comment on my ferris wheel shot. I came here to return the favor and I was thoroughly surprised. This is a beautiful shot! It feels more like a painting than a photograph to me, which is very impressive since this is a straight shot. I absolutely LOVE the lighting and colors. Very nice work.

 

-James

Fair enough! You are the artist afterall. I admit that after I tried cropping it I didn't like it not being centered either. ;-)

 

-James

Here's a quick crop to show you what I was talking about. I also made it a little darker to reduce the highlights on the leaves and increase the shadows. I don't know if I necessarily like this better, but it is kind of like what I was talking about earlier. Sorry for the confusion.

I like this. It definitely gives me the chills. I don't mind the building so much, but I wish the couple in the lower left were a few steps closer. This would put them in the bright spot on the street and seperate them from the left side a little more. A nice, cold picture.

 

-James

I'm sorry to say it, but this feels very much like a snapshot to me. It feels like you saw something interesting, stood in one spot, and shot a single photo. After viewing your "shadows" pic, I think there's probably potential for that sort of juxtaposition here, but I don't think you've achieved it with this shot. Perhaps at a different time of day and from a different point-of-view would let you boil this down to a study of the patterns in "the cage" around the building. Hope I'm not being too harsh, just trying to offer my opinion and some helpful tips.

I have to say I agree with David about this photo. It didn't "grab" my attention at first, but after lingering for a moment I get a similar feeling. Have you tried cropping this image so that the shadows lead out, right up to the corners (except for the top right)? This might increase the graphic impact of the shadow pattern. Then again, maybe it's fine as is.

 

-James