FallRiverPhoto

Always nice to see an original and interesting concept well executed. As usual, very good work. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Nice composition, and well shot. As a performer, I appreciate your perspective in showing some of the complexities that go into even the simplest presentations. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Of the three tambourine shots, this one best directs the eye with its focal point in the sharpest point of the shadow. Seeing that echoed in a profile of your subject's face would have been nice, but this shot works well as-is. I would also wonder what it might improve to decrease the depth of your blacks a bit. A little more detail, or even the hint thereof might broaden the interest here. But again, as-is, this image works very nicely. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Among the bolder images I remember seeing from among your "street photography." A more inviting image than some of the (also excellent, but remote) more distant captures I've see of yours. Thanks for sharing this one.

I've always noticed how evenly lit your photos are, envying the seemingly perfect natural lighting of whatever house or apartment in which most of them are set. The apparent reflections in this shot, however, direct the eye more firmly and somehow lend an even more natural, "found" sense to the image. The unhung framed map behind your subject lends to that same feeling. The only critique/question I have is whether the subject's face has been brightened a bit more than would be better balanced. This may be due to the reflections, but it seems 'shopped a bit. Other than that, the image represents your usual high standards, with the above-mentioned variations. Thanks for sharing this one.

Remarkable lighting in a strong composition. Nice subtle touches from your model, too. Beautifully accomplished image.

Nice work on the tone (color temperature/hue matching--whatever it's called) and contrast in many of these.

Tough choices to make on brightness and contrast in this image. Possibly handled as well as could be, but there appears to be more brightness on this side of the house, which may have been toned down a bit in favor of a narrative--how the life of a lobsterman provides a big stack of obstacles to their view of home.

 

I love the deep focus, composition, etc.

 

Since you're asking for critique, I might suggest rotating the image so that the house's corners are straight, leaving the barn to lean even further. But given what I perceive in the narrative element, the house leaning ever so slightly away from the viewer does work well.

 

In all this, I'm thinking of making a photo that is definitely an 8+ into a 9+. So, perhaps I should have led with: Nice shot!

...like she floats suspended beneath the trees. Comments? Suggestions? Other

Shakespearean ideas?

Thinking about your question, the choice of red and black in the costuming almost certainly demands blonde hair in visual contrast. Red might have worked, but there's also a character contrast to the blonde pigtails, of course. In the photo, though, the blonde stands out nicely. I would probably have darkened the depths of the alley a bit more, but then the right arm and leg would need a stronger side-light. So, that's probably all the nits I can pick. Stunning effect overall.

 

Accessories? We don't need no stinkin' accessories. Or do we? I'm open to your

critique and/or suggestions.

Her sister/photographer's camera & lens weren't getting the shot she wanted, so

I...well, not "stood-in" so much as "laid-in." This is the result. Suggestions?

One of those shots where you either release the shutter or not, capturing the moment rather than planning greater contrast to the background, etc. I love the juxtaposition of the differing strides of two who are presumably walking together. One sees something worth running toward. Is the other less interested, or less attentive? We get to wonder. But only because you released the shutter and worked with the image you captured. Thank you for sharing it!

There are telltale signs of sharpening by software, but they are not too distracting from a great shot. I like what you did with the colors, too. But with what seems like enough light (unless the muted colors are because of an overcast dusk), here are three of the things I have found robbing me of sharpness that might be affecting your work as well.

Usually, in my desire for greater fine detail, I use too low an ISO for a handheld shot of some distance. Bumping up to even 800 or above does not seem to lose as much sharpness as the longer exposure does for me.

Sometimes, because I do not want to distract someone and thus alter the shot I'm trying to get, I use the longer (longest) reach of my similar zoom (Pentax DA 18-270). This exacerbates the handheld steadiness problem, and seems to have less sharpness than backing off slightly on the zoom, even to 250 or so. 

Third, and it seems from your example that this might be the case, I am choosing such a wide-open f-stop for a shallow depth of field that my plan of focus is off. In the photo, the shoulder seam of her vest seems more sharply rendered than her face, hair, feather, etc. 

So, in each area (ISO, length of zoom, and depth of field) it might help to think in terms of a minor compromise between the optimum you seek and the practical limitations of both equipment and operator. (As a final note, your shutter speed seems high enough so that it's not a matter of your subject's movement blurring the image. Perhaps an adjustment there might help as well.) 

[i just checked photos in your other folders. Does the sharp focus problem seem only to affect those in the RenFaire folder? I'm not seeing it elsewhere. That suggests a fourth issue I occasionally have to remind myself about: is the lens clean?]

 

Thanks in advance for suggestions and other comments.

One of the comments piqued my interest - "something out of nothing." Having had use of blocks like this, some of which are probably in just about this shape now, it is, to me, definitely something. I also can't help but be drawn into several levels of contemplation. Not least among those is the excellent use of vignetting, and the desaturation of all but the block itself. Honestly, my first glance at it as a thumbnail suggested a Chinese-style barbecued rolled roast. So, yes...many levels at which to contemplate a very thought-provoking image. Thanks for sharing it!

Intriguing shot of a difficult, high-contrast scene. I like the use of your extended shutter-speed. Thanks for sharing this.

A fascinating scene, and well shot. Thanks for sharing it.

...there are things that just tell you that they need their picture taken. At least that's how I describe those photographers, especially younger ones, who seem to have a natural eye for composition, etc., without having ever been exposed to formal thinking on the subject.

The panorama from just a short distance further, over the railing...that's the standard shot that says what it is and is what it says. This one raises all sorts of questions, and that's a very good thing. Thanks for sharing it.

Sorry, it needed said. Inspires me to try a similar shot with off-camera flash on the far side of the model. As-is, also a very though-provoking shot. Thanks for sharing it.

Nice control of the depth of field despite the bright lighting. Lots to look at all in one shot! Thanks for sharing.

Nice quality to this, as though a remembered moment, and yet the slight raised eyebrow of hope in the younger with the bleaker expression of the older suggests that nostalgia (remembering the past as better than it was) is not the appropriate sensation. Last moment before...what happened? For me, contemplation provoked by the image means I'm looking at something very good. Thanks for sharing this.

Whatever the cultural context is for the slogan on the closer figure's dress, I found it distracting from the overall composition. I'm working on some multiple image, too. So, this is fascinating, as is the location, posture, etc. But whatever a twenty queen may be, I find myself thinking too much about that and not contemplating the dual figures and their environment as much as I would otherwise. Still, the image definitely grabbed my attention, and the composition and technique is nicely done. Thanks for sharing it.

Not knowing what other elements might have cluttered the corner near the lamppost, it may have been impossible to preserve all of it. The three figures against the slightly-skewed angle of the pavement would have worked. But the lamppost gives an important context to a shot that portrays itself as having been taken near midday. Lots of contemplation is provoked by this composition, and that's always a good thing. Thanks for sharing this image with the rest of us.

Great lighting, depth of field, pose, and just one slight distraction. At first I thought I was seeing the lower corners vignetted with a slight blur, but as carefully as my monitor allows me to see it, it seems that the vignette framing at the bottom is slightly desaturated, but still focused. Doing both, or neither, might eliminate the distraction for me. But it's hard to imagine that most are not captivated by those eyes, and the excellent control of the lighting and depth of field. So, hopefully "nearly flawless" is seen as the compliment it's intended to be! Thanks for sharing a wonderful image with us.