lduchamp

Any comments would be appreciated.

Is that an ugly fish or what!?!

Any Feedback on composition? Color? Feeling? (Shot on Venice Beach,

I just looked up for a second and a plane was spelling the name

ERIC...)

Just trying to push the thread to 300...

"Maybe someone can do a photo essay and post it someplace else(PLEASE!) so all those who have been "touched" or "moved" by the photo (it makes me wonder what planet they live on if this shocks them) can debate the merits

of life, society, the world... "

 

-- it makes me wonder what planet YOU live on if this DOESN'T shock YOU --

 

As for the picture, I have lived in the SF area for two years now and I must say that I have not been one time to San Francisco without being shocked by the number of poor people living in the streets. See, I've lived in Africa for two years some time ago and most of the people here were not rich so I can't say it's the first time I see misery in action but it's a very different kind of misery: it's not only the lack of money that is hard, it's the loneliness and I think this picture conveys this feeling, thus making it all wortwhile in my opinion. Now call me a wimp if you like but it seems I just can get used to it. Looking at this picture, I realized that I have hundreds of pictures of this city, architecture, Chinatown, people in the streets... you name it, but I haven't recorded one on this important and significant composant of SF. Maybe because I think that I have nothing to do documenting it (what would be the profit for them or for me?). Giving a buck seems more appropriate. Maybe also because I don't dare trying but mainly I think I should have a larger purpose than making a "heart-wrenching" picture. This picture got me to think about my own "work" (which is not a really a work for me) and I thank its author for that.

I thought images were carried to the brain (and stored) via electrical signals (OK, electro-chemical...). Sorry I bothered you, I won't do it again. (This is not the place to start a debate and you seem very categoric anyway). Cheers to Amy ;-)

OK, I don't have 3 degrees in cinematography so, could you explain why film is "as natural as can be"?

Just an other congrat' to Amy and 2 comments for Matthew: 1) Amy doesn't seems like a "Shoot, Look at the screen, oh it didn't turn out? Erase it and Shoot again" kind of photographer to me, her work shows knowledge and skills. 2) A good picture is a good picture, independently of the medium you used to record it (I think even Adams must have done some pretty serious selection and lab work on his negatives, he even wrote a few books on it if I remember well... now that I think about it, he even used the digital camera of the moment (Polaroid) quite extensively and not only to produce test-shots).

First of all thanks for your comments. Concerning the technical weaknesses, I'm glad you didn't notice them (or were kind enough to pretend so) but the focus isn't that good (I can always blame that on the rather dim focusing screen of the Seagull...) and I think I should have tryied to give more depth of field so that you could see her hands better.

It's often said that "a picture should speak for itself". I posted

this picture in some other forum with a detailled description of the

story behind it and got an interesting feedback but I am wondering if,

apart from its clear technical weaknesses, it can truly make somebody

feel the way I did when I took it.

I already posted this shot for critique some times ago but I

accidentaly deleted the post (ooops!). Surprisingly, I don't think

anybody commented on what is, in my opinion, the major flaw in this

photo: the fact that I didn't manage to get the girl's attention

(although I got her little brother's (?)). Still, I like this picture

and I'd like to know if it "works" for you (whatever that means).

Background: I was visiting for the second time Mali (I was a teacher

in Ivory Coast at this time) and we (me and my girlfriend) went for a

walk on the Niger's borders. We arrived at a small Peul's village

where a procession of youngsters were carrying back buckets of water

from the (quite distant) river.

This was originaly a color picture that I desaturated using Gimp.

This was intended to be a silhouette and I thought the subject

would have been appropriate for B&W. Also, I tryied to keep a slight

tone: does-it add to the picture?

I like this shot a lot. You managed to make contact with the children and take a picture where the expressions, although a little shy, are spontaneous. Not so easy when you know how sometimes people like to "pose" for pictures.

Colors look slightly "washed out" though.

Good idea for an original picture. However, the picture is a little too... still for me, maybe a lower shutter speed, by blurring some elements would have suggested movement.

My 2 cts.

Just have a look at the other pictures in Mr Nguyen's portfolio before critizising : they show a great sens of light and colour. Very good composition too, I liked "incense of a soul" a lot !