William Michael

Love it.

WW

Direct Flash is a tad harsh, I reckon.

Interesting - it's like there's a peep hole at the rear, which is kind of Interesting and kind of distracting. I guess on the balance that's good as it made me stop look and comment.

This is the first of your images that caught my eye and convinced me to look at your portfolio. It was the (pleasantly large) RANGE of Grey tones that piqued my technical eye and made me think "Oh wow, someone who shooting digital and understands the importance of a full tonal range when they convert to B&W"

 

Then my eye wandered into the picture, toward the Subject. Kinda of an 'old world' feel. The Subject's 'Rubenesque' physicality and the dress adds to that I think. I am thinking "What's she thinking? Where's she going?"

 

WW

Clever.

Glad I looked at all of your portfolio.

 

WW

Very warm Portrait. Good connectivity with the lens and rapport to the Viewer's eyes.

What appears to be Available Light only. Good B&W conversion.

I do like this shot.

Brava.

 

WW

Nicely composed seascape. I like this type of Landscape work and I think you have chosen a good sky and time of day for this interpretation.

 

I think you might have over-sharpened the image, there is considerable noise and other affectations which lead me to this conclusion. Also, another technical comment, you can use specialty programmes or Photoshop lens profiles (or manual adjustment in PS) to clean up the Optical Vignette created buy your EF-S 10 to 18. I think that the image of such a beautiful day would be better if it were crisp to the corners.

 

WW

I think it is great.

It has an edge of quirkiness to it - I think that is exacerbated by your wearing a floppy hat.

I found your portfolio because of an IR image at the bottom of a recent thread in Canon EOS where you commented about IR photography: the IR images are really interesting - which lead me to view your Portraits: the two men with beards is a fantastic Portrait.

I think you must have great endurance to get those landscape shots - I really enjoyed looking at your work, thanks

WW   

It has a story.

 

 

Keep taking pictures which have a story, take other pictures too, but pictures which have a story are often quite interesting  . . . collect a lot of stories when you are traveling around and always keep having fun.

 

WW

 

Very nice.

I too am struck by the strong colours and the shallow Depth of Field and how both work together, with the composition, to make a good image.

Good eye.

 

WW

 

The sun playing on the building's face is nice. I would have liked the Spire to not have been cropped.

 

WW

Good topic for an evening of conversation or more than five thousand words to write here.

In Summary: I do like “never applies to journalism” but I think that there are several shades in firstly defining when it is ‘journalism’.

The context of presentation is one shade.

The Elves picked this for discussion here. That is an initial context of both it (the Photograph) and of the discussion / critique of it. It (the Photograph) is not supporting an Headline or Journalistic Commentary or News Story.

WW

IF the Title of a Photograph sways a Viewer to a place where that Viewer is limited and capable of fewer interpretations of the Image than otherwise would be possible, then it is nether the Title nor the Photographer who gave the Title which is the limiting factor.

The limiting factor is with The Viewer. A Critique and Analysis Viewer’s responsibility is to come to the PHOTOGRAPH absent of: bias; records and rackets.

*

Mr Blackstock & Mr Ritson, my two most excellent English Masters at my High School, taught us that we MUST NEVER bring any bias to the Critique and Analysis of Poetry.

Both were very particular and the first element they taught us was to ignore and remove the Title from our mind.

Blackstock, being a most direct fellow, said words to the effect of: ‘Boys - Titles just "F" with your mind. They are there as space fillers. Useless. Pointless. Poets by convention use them. Some use them to attempt to convey a message or a framework - ignore that too. It will limit your thinking and "F" with your own analysis of the Poem. Read the Poem. Eat the Words. Savour them. Digest them. When that is done do it again. And again. Thrice at least. And from every angle.
When you are finished then read the title - it might be of some assistance to you, but by that time you will have seen many things that the Poet wanted you to see and perhaps your mind will have created more for you to see than the Poet even realized.'

The same applies to Critique and Analysis of all The Arts.

***

Cracker Street Photograph.

Fantastic range of Grey Tones that have been implemented. The ‘theatrical style’ lighting just lingers and wants me to savour it more.

I interpreted that all the theatre of the lighting and post production was merely to enhance the metaphor of Life. It occurs to me the fellow had had more than ‘just a bad day’. The image conveyed to me a strong sense of how “S” can happen to any one of us. The fellow is still in control of it, but well over it. The theatrical lighting and stage like perspective, both acting as metaphor enhances that simple fact of life.

The second last thing I looked at was the Title and FWIW – the “evil” part of the Title I had already interpreted as ‘that being done unto him’.

The last thing I did was read all the comments here and that’s why I weighed in on the ‘title discussion’ - (Blackstock would never ever allow us to read the Poetry Crib Notes before we analysed the poem for ourselves).

WW

For a tight shot of one person, such as you have made, it only takes a small movement of the Camera Position to get the Sun out of the shot – (if that is what you want to do)

See example: http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=16687653

 

If you’re interested in the technicalities, the flare from the sun which is bouncing around inside the lens is referred to as “Veiling Flare”. What this particular flare does, in addition to placing a milky, translucent sheen over the image - is denude the COLOUR and also the CONTRAST, especially the Mid-Tone Contrast of the image.

 

If the Veiling Flare is too severe, then it cannot be ‘corrected’ in post production, but your sample is mild and with a little work the MID-TONE CONTRAST can be boosted; and the colour SATURATION increased; and the face area DODGED and BURNED to create some MODELLING and DEPTH.

 

Here is a rough indicative and the original is on the top:

 

WW

 

 

The quirkiness that my eye first saw was:

The "Shadow Photographer" photographing the little girl on the bike through the gaps in the "YOSKI" poles.

For my two-pennies worth: that’s either genius or bloody good luck. I’d take genius anytime.

 

Good shot.

Bravo

 

WW  

This pops up at the bottom of the threads often: and I have meant to open it prviously - tonight I did and I am very pleased that I did. It is really REALLY nice low key work. Really good stuff, Lex.

Bravo. 

Stunning eyes which captured me even from the thumbnail image.

The square format works well.

The full profile torso and half profile head works too.

There's obvious rapport.

Good shot

 

WW

 

I am liking the drape of yellow green in the foreground and the red brown and light green Out of Focus in the background.

I think that the Shallow Depth of Field works quite well, especially when viewed large; but I do feel like reaching in and removing those two horizontal twigs encroaching from the right.

 

WW

 

 

I'd suggest probably quite serious: it fits the POTW Forum's Criteria (my bold for emphasis).

WW

 

REF: the POTW Forum Front Page

My eye is consistently drawn back into the OoF area of the image: I find that an interesting and also unusual (for me) phenomenon.
As this function is peculiar to this particular image, I find this image interesting as it held my attention for more than the fleeting glance, in a world of image pollution.
***
The critical comments about the image are also interesting.
Specifically, I disagree that there is only one guideline or rule as to whether an image or a photographer either is successful or "fails".

WW

Spied this one on the 'NO WORDS' thread.

Nice.

I like the 'isolation in the density of the city' juxtaposition.

 

Brava.

 

WW

 

I was responding to a thread about Baby Portraiture, to which you also responded – and this image was at the bottom of the thread – it was so apt for the thread!

SO hilarious and SO just an image of “baby life” really great work . . . I’m still giggling at the expression on the kid in the front . . .

 

WW        

This is just wonderful.

Bravo

 

WW

I like this type of Photograph.

My response when I saw it at the bottom of a thread was "AH! I want to have a closer look at that."

I like this semi abstract style of work, especially if it has something to do with the sea.

Maybe your Photo is not near the sea - but I am happy to assume it is!

 

WW

  

Thanks.

I have just looked at the original.

I commend you - good work getting that shot done so well, in what I would perceive to be under the pressure of time.

 

WW