kelly_perl

I will be the first, but not the last: make your posting copy smaller. 650 pixels in the largest dimension is about right.

 

Try cropping this to the NW corner. The interplay between the old quarter and the new is simply magnificent and deserves to be brought out. Best, KEP

Cedar, beautifully done without being naseatingly sentimental and that puts you ahead of the game. My favorite of the "Tradish Clothes" series so far. Your subject has a dignity beyond her years. That, and the subtle shadows make the shot. Best, KEP

Leslie--a nice pic and a worthy PoW. I remember it from the rotation a month or two ago. The (optical) complementarity of the colors and the light make the shot. What bothers me is insufficent contrast on the shadow v. the board. To my eyes, there should be more shadow or none at all, not the hesitant half-shadow here. A slightly lighter board may help you with the shadow and still preserve that complementarity.

 

Enjoy your week, and don't let the jealousy-crazed get you down. Best, KEP

Not bad, but I don't think you're at the best location to make optimal use of the fisheye. Closer to the tower would have made more sense. You would have blocked out parts of the skyline but you'd have had enough for identification.

 

Taxi in foreground is a very nice touch.

This is beautiful. Composition original, and "underexposed" so WTC 2 looks soft. Shake your own hand and buy yourself a beer or suitable celebratory beverage substitute.

 

This has PoW written all over it.

Maybe it's because I'm an apostate (I converted to Judaism from lapsed Catholicism) but this doesn't do anything for me as a religious symbol, good or bad. Colors are outstanding and composition good & simple. It simply lacks universality.

Ken--great idea, good composition, but you need better execution. First, straighten out the picture. Second, you have too much shadow. I think a little will work but you have too much here. Can you go back at an earlier time of day, or on a cloudy day? Good luck, KEP

Lovely, though not as intimate as much of the work I've seen. If you haven't already, crop out the guy in the dark coat on the extreme right and sell it to a stock agency or somewhere. (And please move the © designation to somewhere a little less intrusive!)

Jonathan, Congratulations on your PoW. I think this is a good, not great, portrait. The darkness of Kate v. the extreme light background doesn't allow me to see what's on her face/mind. For me, her entire hand needs to be in there, w/room to breathe, for the cigarette helps make the shot. Her facial expression would, too, if we could see more of it.

 

 

Not sure if PoW is worth winning anymore given the firestorm you'll get, but enjoy your week. I'll leave speculations of the grassy knoll, accusations of cheating on the photo, whether Kate works for the CIA and knows something about 9/11 that we don't to others who have more time for that sort of nonsense.

Salman--this is a good idea, the problem is execution. First, you need a really deep DOF to do justice to this photo, so the hill is not blurry. Second, and this is related to the first, you needed to add more "hilliness" to this shot--either be closer to the hill, or be on another line. I can't tell where you are, but if you were on the initial descent from Russian Hill on the Powell Ave. line, going toward the Wharf, you'd have gotten that hilliness. Third, for Heaven's sake, this is SAN FRANCISCO. You need a landmark of some kind! It's been awhile but a ride of the system could have yielded you the Transamerica Tower (Columbus Ave. or California) or some choice views of Chinatown (Columbus) or even Fisherman's Wharf (Powell), ugly tourist trap it be. Powell St. if caught near the crest of Russian Hill might give you Alcatraz--I'm not sure, as I said, it's been awhile. You might be able to find some nice SF-type brownstones on any line. You might want to take a forward looking shot.

 

Something more subjective is that I think you should have kept this picture in color. California cities should be shot in color, unless you have a good reason to do otherwise. One exception would be photographing prostitutes down in the Tenderloin at 2am. Contrast this w/New York, often looks better and more real in B&W.

 

Read up on the "Film" section of this site--it says don't use ISO200 and many folks agree with that. ISO200 gives you a lot of grain, almost as much as 400, and only 1 extra stop exposure, not 2. An ISO400 film (anything but Kodak MAX400) would have been a better choice.

 

Bottom line--you're on to something, you just have to improve your execution. If you live in the area, spend a day on the cable cars and knock yourself silly getting shots on every line possible and in every sort of weather. The latter should not be too difficult. ;-)

 

Cheers from someone who left their heart in SF . . . KEP

When I first looked at this I thought this would be a perfect illustration for a Doris Lessing novel, probably *The Golden Notebook*. If we used electric teakettles in the U.S. it would also be a good Updike illustration. I could see it in Thomas Mann as well . . . you get the idea. It's social commentary and humorous at the same time without being kitsch.

 

Exposure, contrast, and composition are wonderful. Where it could stand some improvement is in the presentation. The framing looks clumsy--I see no reason to exclude the bottom edge of the clock radio at the bottom. I think you should include even at the expense of the view on the next shelf (though leave in "POLISH," it's a wonderful pun). Also, you should straighten this out in Photoshop so the horizontals/verticals on the photo are horizontal and vertical. Making these simple changes would bump up my aesthetic rating 1 or 2 points.

 

Despite my criticisms, I really like this. Thanks for sharing this photo.

 

 

This is one of my hobbies, shooting faded signs. How ever did you find this sign in such good condition? How old is it?

 

However, I don't like the way the sign is framed. It should be presented simply, the sign a simple rectangle placed dead center, perhaps even frame filling. Alternatively, you might try some breathing room or context. Can you reshoot or refarme?

I liked this shot, *especially* the black space. It isolates the face in the frame and makes the shot.

 

Any emotional content is not resonating with me. While there's a lot of darkness in this photo and the subject is the only one in the frame, but the subject himself doesn't seem very dark and alone to me; that's not his essence. This could be the host of "The Actor's Studio" backstage, trying to get those "favorite cuss word" questions straight while being caught by a spot. It's more "look how cool the guy in the hat looks!" than a deep portrait. Nonetheless, it is a worthy choice for PoW.

 

BTW, I was unaware digital manipulation rendered photos ineligible for PoW or even respect. Thus, I will promptly excise all my digitally manipulated photos, including most the ones I have uploaded since November. ;-)

Bill, you're on to something, but try cropping out the horizon; it competes with the tree branch.

Ah, you found the husband bench! You might want to see how it looks if you crop out the young man with his back to us. It might not look better, but see how it looks.

Very simple, strong composition, wonderful colors. Every photographer needs a clothesline shot and you have a clothesline shot to end all clothesline shots.

 

The red, with the black background makes the shot.

 

The diagonals--the forground flag and the row of houses--are strong elements of the composition.

 

Much as I am a fan of B&W, I think this is really a color shot, especially with the prominence of the flag.

Gerald--more than the other shots, this works. You picked the right light for the subtle colors. The red and blue are in balance and you have green wall (or it looks green) as well. The bug seems very much alive.

 

All another way of saying: great shot!

 

 

Steve--as much as I am a fan of green, especially weird shades of green, this tone doesn't work for me. Otherwise I like it. It gives the sense of what "Live Woman" does in her off hours.

Wonderful composition, nice color, perfect exposure. Unfortunately, the mike looks like a growth from the singer's face. This is a job for Photoshop.

Again, you need to increase exposure on the child's face.

Nice idea, it's just so underexposed (even at 2 sec) you can't see that much. Either get the model's face in the light (they can pretend they're looking for the ketchup) or open the door a bit more.

THis needs to be more intimate. Moving in and stepping up on a ladder just might do it.

 

All things considered, though, nice job.

Obey, in Berkeley? Moooo!

 

In all seriousness, I assume that "obey" sign is not official unless it's to instill right thinking values. This photo is an "almost." What makes the shot are the two old man images on the left and right hand side of the frame.

 

This would look much better in color and at a shorter focal length for some image depth. You might try cropping at the top of the mural. Best, KEP, Cal '86

Good colors and very patriotic; cropping is weird. Why not all his helmet and a little less of his stick?