dseltzer

Thanks, Pnina! She's my granddaughter. She's a beauty awake or asleep, as you said, and scary smart, too! Thanks for looking and commenting.

Best,

David

Hey Gord,

No question about the forward progress of your craft... Pnina's and Fred's, too. I'm hoping to actually come through the door and spend at least some time back here. The time I spent in the past has been terrific learning and I've missed being here. One thing that's diverted my attention that I know you'll appreciate is that I bought an upright bass last summer... played bass guitar for thirty some years but never owned an upright. I'm getting around on it fairly well and trying to learn how to play with the bow which I'd never done. BTW, I still listen to and appreciate the recordings you sent a couple years ago, and have a far greater appreciation than ever for how technically challenging it is to do what those folks do on upright!

A follow-up on your reply to Jamie, I'm curious how you went about the colour and contrast adjustments. Comparing the unadjusted original, the results are really stunning. The original looks just kinda so-so, pretty lackluster, and the finished image really pops. Also, just what is the actual size of that little guy?

All the best to you!

See you soon,

Dave

 

Hey Gord, Haven't been here in quite awhile, and what a delight to start looking at your recent work. This one caught my eye the strongest so far, given there's so much to see and to come back and study. This shot is just exquisite.

Regards,

David

It's good to be getting at least a little back to this, and I'm delighted you like this one. I've always been fascinated by the mimosa blossom, and suddenly the sunlight was just right for both the blossoms and the BG... one of those times I rushed to get my camera! Warm regards, David

Thanks! Didn't know you and spiders were on the outs, but I do know you're far from alone! Scary, creepy, dangerous, or whatever, I think we're programmed to perceive them as menacing, and they do a good job of playing along!  (-;

Thanks for stopping by and looking and commenting. I am just quite busy, but no less interested in PN, and as you can see, I am trying to find a few minutes here and there to look at yours and others' work, and to post images. So, I will continue to work at making time for PN... I do enjoy it so much, and I miss having the regular back and forth with you and my other PN friends.

Warm regards,

David

P.S. I forgot to ask you to tell me who is Kurt. I'm certain if his images are of interest to you, I will want to see them, too. Please tell me his full name so I can go to his portfolio. Thanks!

Warm regards,

David

I had no doubt your use of Kurt's name was an innocent mistake, not to mention one I'm sure I've made and/or will make! I never took any offense. What is important to me is your interest, taking the time to look at my images and the time and thought to give me valuable impressions.

Warm regards, and a wonderful summer to you, too!

David

Thanks so much for taking a look and commenting. You know your opinion is one I highly value. Regards, David

What an eye you have for nature's subtle and easily missed natural and unusual compositions. Reminds me of a dragon fly perched on a branch. I especially like both the b/w and the lack of any distracting background. Very nice! Best regards, David

As you know, I haven't been around here much in the recent past, but I'm trying to work back into it and I'm so delighted to find this image in the moments I found free enough to stop in. To my eye, there are many wonderful elements in this image, with the sandals being the obvious central focus, and they're interesting, but what captures me even more is the light on the surfaces (mostly the arcs) of the portal through which we see the sandals. It gives me the feeling of peeking at something I might not have been meant to see... like looking through a keyhole. I like this image very much.

Best regards, David

Thanks so much for noticing and asking. It's been a long photographic dry spell as I got immersed in office practice - there's a real shortage of psychiatrists here and a commensurately high demand. Also, docs need to see more and more people to try and stay near even as reimbursements continue to fall. Add to that a lot of family situations, a marriage (my step-daughter) a little over a year ago, and we lost a son (my step-son) to cancer last October. Those are, of course, just the high spots! And all that said, I'm OK, thanks, starting to get my feet back on the ground, and I realized I had let my photography lay fallow for too long. I'm just now starting to weave it an PN back into the active mix, and it's especially nice to come back to friends!

 

Let me know how you've been... judging from your recent works, you're continuing to refine your high contrast and fascinating use of shadows to create powerful images. I was at your folio a day or two ago and have to go back with more time to study what you've been doing.

 

Thanks for noticing and reaching out. Looking forward to renewed contact and photo (and other) discussions. Warm Regards, David

I see, appreciate and very much like all the elements others have articulated so well. A fascinating image, compelling, intense without being too "loud." Beautiful! Warm regards, David.

Pnina, this is so very well seen and executed, I could go on and on touching on all the elements of which I'm aware, and I'm just as sure there is more here than I can either appreciate or verbalize. I love that the dancer in motion isn't touching the floor (maybe one toe?) and that his head is backed by darkness just before one's eye comes to the lighted scrim. To me it's also important that no faces are visible as it adds much to the symbolism and allows great freedom in viewing the image. Beautifully done! Warm Regards, David.

Dave, this is really striking and has more positive elements than I have time to write about at the moment, but I had to let you know I'd looked and like very much. This is to my eye a very strong image in a bunch of ways. Very well seen! Regards, David

Wow! This has a wonderful ephemeral, dream-like quality that I love. Your placement of the star in the frame is exquisite, and the image as a whole looks alive, like it's continuing to move! Love the color palate, too. Beautiful work, as usual! Warm regards, David

And who said potholes are a nuisance?! I've always loved your drive-by shootings, and this is certainly one of the best. Haven't been looking for awhile, but this kind of work richly rewards having checking in on your work. I like and agree with the other comments, especially the Steven King quality of this one, and I'm also taken by the rotation of the image and crop. Stunningly and spookily (is that a word?) wonderful! Warm Regards, David

Thank you for stopping by and for commenting. Regards, David

Excellent image, and I think I'm inclined to argue that it stands on it's own. I understand about context, and it's very nice to know the backstory to any pic, but I guess I'm more inclined to think in terms of what the picture says to me, what is it showing me that I might not see myself, what feeling to I have looking at the image and what stories it stimulates my mind to create.

 

This image gives me a surreal, sci-fi feel, it's visually compelling, and it's fascinating to me that it shows movement in two ways. The more obvious is the two men walking across the stage, and I very much like your choice of shutter speed that gives the front man's left foot just the right balance between transparency and evidence of movement, and definition that allows it to continue to look like a leg and foot. The second type of movement is incremental as one looks from one woman to the next and there's a clear relatedness and progression between the women's positions.

 

I also like the structure and symmetry. It's interesting, too, that the direction the men are going is toward the light, or so it appears. Overall, a well executed (of course!) and fascinating image.

Warm Regards, David

It's difficult for me to imagine this as anything but dance... the positions, the coordinated movements, movement captured beautifully in their hair... what's not dance about this?!?! Also, Pnina, I love your lighting, not only for the reflections, but the fact that the light fades so nicely from fore to back that it greatly enhances the feeling of depth. This one rightly belongs among your best IMHO. Warm regards, David.

She is a very lovely child. Thank you for taking a look and for your comments. I would have preferred a slightly different angle that could have shown just a hint of the phone keyboard and more of her eyes. I like the image because IMO it's a good combination of traditional and modern and child. I'm very pleased that you like the light since I know you "follow the light" in your work.

 

A new toy, indeed! I really like the quality and good saturation of colors and the clarity of the new sensor, and there's a huge difference in focusing, metering and speed. The 300 is a huge advance over the 200, and I thought it was very hot stuff when I first had it! And we all know the most important piece of equipment is a couple inches behind the sensor! Best regards, David

You've certainly been busy since I was last active on PN, and I had to stop and comment on this one. It's just plain lovely, and I disagree about stopping down further. That would (IMHO) have ruined the lovely, soft background, brought in more detail and obscured the lovely simplicity of the tiny, natural design you found. I think it's just right just as it is. Regards, Dave

What a gift to see this image and then capture it! I love the light... some areas seem soft and almost glowing, and others much sharper, though none are harsh. And the shadows of the people watching from the upper surface is a wonderful element. Makes it look like the diver is really at the interface of two worlds! Regards, David

Hello Pnina! What a wonderful mood this image creates, and I love the colors. You've followed the light, as you always do, and that's a big factor in the richness of the walls, independent of the out of DoF blur. And about that, I see you've focused on the glass-bead curtain separating the two rooms, and you must have used a very large aperture and fairly quick shutter. I don't see any movement effect in this shot, just what's happening with the DoF.

 

I very much like the sense of intrigue, the feeling of seeing and not seeing all at once. The image is very compelling (IMHO) And the chair that's in the focus plane (really about 5/8 of a chair) serves very well to add depth and perspective. A wonderful shot, my friend. Warm regards, David

Thank you, Jacob! That raining fire effect is what most draws me to this image, too. I haven't done a lot of fireworks, but it seems like longer exposures are better since fireworks are fluid and evolving, a fast shutter image has a lot more trouble capturing enough to convey the motion and development of the firework display. Just MHO, of course!

 

Regards, David