elaine_roberts1

What a fantastic shot! What elevates this picture above the ordinary is the simplicity of the composition, moody lighting, and MOST OF ALL, the mural(?) behind the dervish that seems to imitating his every move! I also like the round drum (?) next to the diagonal of the flute, followed by the vauguely triangular shape of the whirling robe. Reminds me of a 18th or 19th century 'Orientalist' (European depiction of Near East) painting.

This image, I believe, tells your story much better than the woman in the parking lot. Its not particularly exciting--but that, after all, is the point. You've got a nice sort of vanishing point effect going on here, and you've been careful to keep your verticals straight. Nice job.

The critical part of any journalistic shot is the story--what is the photo's story? In this image, I can't identify what that story is. I just see an elderly woman walking through a parking lot. Did you try zooming in, to make it more of a candid portrait? The background here doesn't add much in my opinion; as a vertical shot, with limited depth of field to blur the background, it would have made for a nice street shot. Cheers!! Elaine.

This is a lovely moment you've captured. The white sky is a little overwhelming though--you could crop out 2/3 of it without hurting anything (this would focus the composition on the girl-right now the eye is pulled up into the sky). Where was it taken?

This has all the makings of an excellent shot. On my monitor, however, the faces are completely lost in shadow. Have you tried dodging the faces, or lightening the midtones of the image in Levels? I like the use of color (pink and green).

The catchlights and all-dark eyes make him look almost demonic! An interesting portrait-though I doubt that Mr. Haider would choose it for a PR booklet. I like it. Good catch.

A new view of St. Peter's, certainly...I like the concept. I'm not quite sure about the composition, though--it seems a little unbalanced. I think cropping a bit off the left, to make it a square (or almost a square), would strengthen it. This shot is all about lines and shape, and a crop would make the lines more interesting.

Did they live there, or just stay there? I like the bright reds and oranges against the cool background. Is there a slight blue cast, though? It is a lovely shot.

Did she just let you walk up and take a photo? you must have been very cloose...the tilted archway in the back bothers me a bit, but that's tricky to avoid in wide angle shots like this... As usual, a nice slice of life, even if it does seem a little 'in you face'!

You are very good at balancing composition--most people wouldn't have been able to do anything worthwhile with that big black door, but you've balanced it well. I love how tiny the girl is in the doorway.

Here's a version of your photo with some adjustments to levels, color, sharpen, crop and some dodging/burning. I cropped out the foreground to balance the picture--as you have it all that empty space in the foreground just keeps tugging the eye down to the bottom of the frame, away from the main subjects. It's a cute shot--just needs a few little adjustments.

This seems to have a very strong magenta cast, and the highlights are a little blown out. Have you tried color correcting it?

Lovely!

I love this shot--dramatic and beautifully proportioned. I feel the urgency and busyness of the work. A wonderful slice of daily life. I look at this and imagine that the nearest city has got to be hundreds of miles away...

I think perhaps it might be a droplet of water that was on the lens, that would explain why its round.

This looks like it was _almost_ a terrific shot--did you take any shots just as the balloon was between you and the sun? This would have eliminated the lens flare and gotten rid of the burned out sun, which distracts from the balloon.

 

I do like the sense of calmness you've captured. I've always wanted go balooning.

I like the subdued tonality of this shot; nice composition and exposure. Did you do any variations on where you placed your self in the frame?

 

CHeers!!

 

Elaine

Coming back to this image. I've attached a cropped version. It has also had an adjustment of levels and color. Really a wonderful shot; you should just clean it up a little. I keep coming back to it!

The tonality of the bw image above is far superior to the color version on photosight.ru; however, when I look at the image above the 'moment' that I see is the model looking at the photographer a moment before asking the question above (or, perhaps: "Oh, is _this_ how you want me to hold it?"). If anything, she looks bored. I have no problem with posed shots if they are posed well-but this image is just not connecting w/me emotionally.

 

 

The color version on the other hand strikes me as far superior. The vivid colors make it interesting; the model looks a little more pensive, although the tilted window frame is more troubling in that image. As one of the commentators on that site mentions, the blocs of black and white to either side w/color in the middle is quite striking. Also interesting is the subtitle that Evgeniy has provided in that site: "Puzzle Me (between dark and light)".

 

 

They are both well executed shots, but I think I prefer some others of Evgeniy's photos better, such as this still-life and this more stylized shot. I'll definately be taking a look at his work now and again though!

What a lovely, touching moment! This is a great shot. I have two suggestions. First, the empty wall space to the right and left doesn't add much; cropping it out would emphasize the subjects better (just be sure to leave the space above their heads). Second, it might just be my monitor, but the image seems to be very grey and 'flat' - a little more contrast would make the colors and image 'pop' more. This is a great travel shot though, one I'd be very happ y to have taken!

I like the picture, but not the frame. I find it distracting from the image itself...I do like your composition, and lighting.

Nice catch! I have two suggestions, however: I don't think the doorframe on the left adds anything to the image - I'd crop it out. Also, I think that you don't need quite as much of the floor on the bottom - I'd crop a bit of that off too. This would put the subject more directly in the natural 'center' of attention of the image and prevent the viewer's eye from getting distracted. A very nice travel picture though!

I love the solid blocks of color, strong lines, triangular theme, light and dark dynamics, and the kids in the middle to make it interesting. A very strong image, perfect for a travel shot. I especially like the role of negative space in this image.

Nice exposure; must have been tricky. Interesting choice to do this in bw. If I may make a suggestion, I'd recommend burning in around the edges, particularly the upper left area, to 'frame' the image and balance out the light/dark balance better. This also might help bring out the background figure on the lower left, which I like. Nice shot!

Beautiful lighting and exposure. I only wish the little girl had been looking up when you took the shot! I also wonder if excluding the white sky on the left would bring more attention to the main subject...