joekonz

I love the composition --- strong linear foreground and a very striking background with the tree stubble reflections. Initially I wondered whether you might have wanted to soften the contrast to pick up more detail on the shaded side of the foreground boulders, but then it occurred to me that the radical contrast you selected really does aptly suit the desolation that this image is intended to convey. Nice work, Javier!

I'm viewing this image on a different computer with a monitor with obviously better brightness settings than the one I used when I made my previous comment. I can now see the detail that I spoke of previously, so I thought it would be only fair of me to come back and say ... disregard what I said earlier about the illumination. The display I see now shows exactly what I was looking for! Musin, very nice portrait!

I concur with Hasan. Excellent capture!

Striking ... and, as someone else noted, the lighting helps make this a very strong portrait. There's a part of me that wants just a little more illumination on the gentleman's left side, enough to better discern the lines outlining the top of the eyelid and the left corner of the mouth, but this is so close to being perfect it may just be my computer display.

There's an eerieness ... or, perhaps, mystique ... about this that I like. Perhaps the richness of the verdant color contrasted by the darkness in the forest background. Interesting capture.

Striking ... and beautiful. Such complementary coloring, I can see how this caught your eye. Sharpness and detail are splendid. Very good composition.

I smiled when I first laid on this ... two joyous expressions can do that. I love the mood captured here. Nice!

Curvaciously beautiful. Well done!

Very neat composition. You have an eye for bridges, and I like!

I think I can see why you might come back to this, or at least ... I have a reason why I might. Here's my reason: I do like this frame just the way you have it ... I like the way the linear elements (the pedestrian bridge and rails and the shadows within) point to the background buildings and cliff. But then I blocked out the large buildings and cliff (in other words, I cropped it horizontally right above the bridge-level structure on the right) and also liked the way the linear elements become your sole subject. So I was wavering on which I liked better. In any event, it's a neat photo.

There's a neat subject alignment and composition that makes this image a nice one, Graham, not only with the boys side by side, but also with the birds in near-close-to-perfect patterns. Your boys are off-center, on the right, and both turning their heads left, which is splendid. Your horizon also is not smack dab in the middle, yet another good thing.

Graham, what a dramatic capture! Beautiful bokeh, although I understand how you had to give up perfect sharpness on the bee to get the bloom in focus and get the background the way it is.

Bob ... welcome to the club of shooters who appreciate the photographic potential of a weed (like Joan, I've also got a dandelion image in my portfolio). Soft focus and DOF make this a nice capture; the long stem adds a touch of elegance to it!

Andrea, welcome to the fold. :-) This is very striking. Nice job.

I smiled when I saw this. Nice composition!

Beautiful natural tapestry, accented by the judicious -- and interesting -- highlights.

Beautiful natural framing and background, and the interesting angles make this a strong composition. Nice one, Javier. The title made me smile.

Wow. Powerful image. Went right to the gut the moment I pulled this up, and my eyes welled. The background rubble provides a strong context for it all, softened splendidly by DOF to underscore the sharply focused, dramatically contrasted foreground subject. I'm now thinking about the story this article of clothing could tell ...

The detail here is gripping, Javier. It says "devastation," but does so in a way one can grasp far more quickly than if it had to be explained in a sentence or two.

A frame within a frame ... a sort of accentuation of the subject. Very nice concept. Artistically, I appreciate the contrast (as mentioned by someone previously) and the uppermost linear subjects seemingly pointing to the center subject.

I like this not only because of the color (I can't say that I've seen many violet tulips) but also because you can see the beautiful detail in the petals. The loss in sharpness on the back bloom is very minor, and although I would have preferred both blooms to reflect the same sharpness, I can understand the inclination to include a slight loss of DOF on the second. It's certainly not something to detract from the fact that this is a vivid capture.

Love the angle/pose and the gleaming eyes ... and really like the smooth skin look that this frame gives. The hair display is a nice accent. Finally, but certainly not the least noteworthy, the model is lovely.

Also a very good view of this artist. The vertical version, I think, adds prominence and drama to your subject, which is a good thing. And this frame offers the dangling hair against the cheek, a neat accent. Nice sharpness on the subject and guitar ... and great DOF.

Hello, Jeff. I stopped here because this image caught my eye (excuse the pun; it actually did not occur to me until I wrote it!). I liked what you captured here, and it made me smile. In my book, if you can elicit any response -- even one as seemingly fleeting as a smile -- you've done well. Then I saw and read your remark, so I thought I'd drop this note. I think we've all been through the frustrations and dilemmas you expressed. I've been on PN only three and a half months, and already I've come across several discussion threads lamenting the anonymous 3/3 sniper who seems to dampen everybody's spirit, and it's been uplifting to observe other members rally to reassure, because that reassurance not only is genuine but bears much validity. I see you've been with PN for a few years, so what follows mostly is directed at other PN "newbies" who might swing by and might be wrestling with this same artistic frustration. The sooner all of us ignore the 3/3 guy/gal(s) and not be discouraged by the perfunctory comment (most folks want to acknowledge, but probably don't have the time), and instead focus on those who stop to give us the time of day, the easier it will be to benefit from the vast resoures of PN. I try to compose more than just a "nice shot" or "love it" note when I choose to comment. Yes, I've been guilty of being brief in response to a single image, but often it's in situations when I've come across the photo late in the game -- well after others have gotten there and said everything I would have said. If the image in those situations is quite spectacular, I'll still want to acknowledge the artistry, so I'll "check in" and be brief about it. However, I always go beyond the perfunctory when it comes to remarking on a photographer's portfolio because I appreciate the effort shooters invest in their body of work; encapsuling one's full response in a "nice portfolio" under scores of photographic images seems hollow and insensitive -- even obligatory -- and I don't feel that's fair. But maybe that's just me. Finally, remember, too, that some people may be artists with the camera, but less so with the written word. They mean well, but struggle to find the right words. To them, that is far more difficult than working with their camera and editing software. I think the vast majority of us on PN want to do what we can to encourage each other. We want others to know we're paying attention. Keep up the fine work!

Beautiful detail and saturation with a difficult floral color to photograph.