bob_bill

Matt,

Since you posted this, it appears the hunter didnt get target fixation and fire in your direction a split second later.  Great shot. I can hear that thump, thump.

Well done. Seems like we share similar patient models. Beep, Beep goes the timer. Rembrandt had a similar model. Nice touch with the lighting. Perfect catchlight placement.

A touch of Cartier-Bresson's jumper's decisive moment. Frozen in mid air, toe about to enter the water. "Viand" in NYC or Paris? Wonderful textures in umbrella and puddle surface convey the blowing wind, touching another sense. Rings in the water reveal it is raining as does the building in the background blurred by the rain in the air. BRRR. Cropping out the partial umbrella on the left seems to emphasize the shadow/toe, the water at the lower r and eliminates the bright building and signage at the upper left that pulls the eye that direction and may not really add to the image. It also moves the jumper to about the left third away from center. Maybe some burning to the remaining upper left, The remaining bright path from top of image to his foot surrounds the jumper and keeps him as the highest contrast/attention and acts as a lead in. Because the shadow runs to the lower edge of the image, it appears to be approaching the viewer and involves and pulls in the viewer as the jumper would have if he could be seen looking directly at the viewer. Great shot. Hopefully, you and your gear stayed dry.

I love this and will have to try this combination of hand and torso. As a bodybuilder on his first day of this years dieting, I see the soft, shadowy, sensual curves of her lower right ab/hip area as what is so stunning about this photo particularly when juxtaposed with the 2 hard diagonals of the clothing, the lines of the fingers and arm and brightly lit area on the other half of her body. I wonder if the problem many are having with the hand is its emphasis from its brightness and sharpness? The photographer may have been saying something with the hand, but I would use it differently. I see it as a contradicting yet connected form and would move it slightly further behind the body to minimize the size of the bright hand back, at the same time increasing the brightness in the space between forefinger and thumb. Then drop the elbow slightly and with pinkie still touching dress, move thumb and forefinger up slightly so they and the bright area between them and the forearm line more closely follow the diagonal line of the dress and lead the eyes to the area to area at her r and below navel. (sorry about the minor detail, but in bodybuilding, a simple turn under of the hand makes the bicep pop compared to no turn in the bicep shot-ask Arnold) I might burn and blur the back of the hand and last 3 fingers to deemphasize them and slightly blur the index and thumb but leaving the brighness there. Finally, crop down to top of ab at sternum (because my focus is ab/hip), cutting slightly above elbow. That would be my vision, but it doesnt appear to be the photographer's who emphasized the hand with sharpness and brightness. It is his message, so who are we to criticize. Wonderful combination of hand and torso. What would it have been without the hand? Or dark dress diagonals? Wonderful execution-lighting, mix of fabrics, post capture. Model has sensual abs and the image captures that. For bodybuilding, about 2-3% body fat too high- no 6 pack. Could be why few female body builders left, most have gone to figure competition where softer is the standard and to most of us, more appealing. Unfortunately, for men, ripped body and resulting prison-camp face is the standard. Did I mention: DAY 1 OF DIET!!!

Reminescent of Strand's "Picket Fence" hence the title?

I love the sky color and the way the lighthouse jumps from the page. I can feel the texture of the fence. Great diagonal and perspective on the fence and verticals of the flag pole and lighthouse.

Was the saturation kicked up to achieve the color effect and sharpening used for the lighthouse separation?

I wonder if frame clean up could have been done by a lower and slightly to the left camera position to obscure hose and box and possibly sidewalk. Moving back might still have framed the lighthouse with the fence. Although, I like the repeated diagonal of the sidewalk. Could just clone out the hose and box. I seem to spend a lot of time cloning out flare but if shooting off tripod, have learned to use the timer and shoot with one hand, the other hand as a lens shade where possible. On tripod, a cable release frees a right hand. I like the white house in the image because it keeps the eye on the gorgeous sky between the buildings in a visual gunsight. This photo makes me wish I had been there at that moment. Hmm, both the fence and the houses repeat the framing. Nice! Great shot!