mikelgondra

Hi, Amy,

I took a look at your portfolio trying to identify or see at a glance what´s your orientation in this PN world. I see you are beginning and doing it well but we would need some more of your work to get a solid opinion.

This image of clouds is sophisticated, it has a superb complimentary contrast (orange - blue) and the sea horizon is a little too big for my taste (if we are talking of a clouds photo).

If you take a look to "drifting clouds" by german painter Caspar David Friedrich - you will see thousands image in internet - you will see that photography owns the power to evoque other images capture in our eyes or in our souls. Thks for shrg your clouds, or may be your dreams. Ikusi arte - see you in basque language. Josemi Gondra

Hi, Cory Wright,

Your name is very curious indeed. With that signature in a photo, I would not be able to make a copy of it.

Nice image of the strike in the background; they are usually going down in several multiple branches but I do not know why, in your case, we only see one way back, completely neat.

I agree with other colleague that we see the good quality of the landscape in big size in the screen but I think it is an image to put some more zoom and concentrate on the subject; the left 1/4 of the photo says nothing to me. Josemi Gondra.

You´ve got a very beautiful mountain, I must say. There are hundreds of mountain photos in PN but everybody that loves mountains knows when one is magic, special, unique. It has a special profile, it has variable character depending on light and weather conditions and you have masterly make some different mount images all of them very nice.

I would add Rainer to other magic names such as: Zermatt or Cervino in Switzerland-Italy; Fuji in Japan; Mont-Blanc in France; Lhotse (just to mention one really big) in Himalaya; and others some smaller but with same magic personalty in basque country: Anboto, Alluitz, Udalaitz, Txindoki;... all of them have a little space in my mind and my dreams. Thanks Henry. The black foot of photo, beautiful to make a degradee from dark to light. Have a nice end of year and happy 2.011 !!!!!. Urte berri on - happy new year in basque language. Josemi Gondra.

I have been several times at Trafalgar sq. and I never took so frontal image of the lions; it is very original. The woman is also in a nice pose, natural and relaxed. I would choose a closer crop to increase the size and texture of lion in the image, perhaps reducing a part of the stone base. On the contrary, the buildings on the background ar helping to offer a city image.

Just one question. What day and what time you choose to take an image with only one woman in it. That´s incredible in Trafalgar square. Did you have your camera and a gun on the other hand ?

Nice image, congratulations. Thanks for shrg. Josemi Gondra.

Hi again, Kristian,

I must say OOOOhhh when looking at this picture. The atmosphere created is unique and color tones are beautiful with those complimentary contrast between orange and blue tones mainly in the lights and windows. The image of that young lady or girl on the left is original to give some humanity to the image - I do not like "empty" spaces - and your crop with the full building is very well decided. Master work, congratulations. Josemi Gondra

Hi, Kristian,

Do not know if 25,000 years ago or more. But this image could be taken at that time and would be very similar to this one. I love this images "without date in time", the atmosphere (or "klima", in spanish it means atmosphere, with "c" instead of "k") is of suspense and the harmony in grey-blue colors is very well done. Congratulations. Have a nice 2011. Ikusi arte - see you. Josemi Gondra.

P.D.: To choose the weather with snow and that terrible storm clouds seems very good for a higher image impact. Ouch !!

Kaixo, Josu,

Estaba por aki echando un vistazo y me he encontrado con esta preciosa imagen. Igual no es una foto muy impactante, pero esta combinación que has realizado de rojo, azul y blanco es una de mis favoritas, aparte de todo ese fondo agrisado que le aporta magia al todocolor de la dantzari. Estoy buscando un tema de danza para componer un cuadro - también pinto al óleo en invierno - pero no soy un especialista en este tipo de fotografia con tanto movimiento como la danza. Tu imagen es muy bonita. Zorionak.

I was taking a look and found your impressive image of this young woman dancer. It is not a high impact image but I love this particular combination of colors: red, blue and white, surrounded by cold grey. I am searching for some basque dancers - neskak, women - to make an oil paint but I am not an specislist in this kind of photography. We´ll see. Ikusi arte - see you, Josu. Josemi Gondra.

P.D.: Todas de frente y de espaldas y la dantzari de costado, impresionante, como dice Argiñano.

Hi, Tomek,

When I am so much impacted by an image I can not critique very objective. I can see so much thinkgs - error made by writer - here. Love, passion, photography, b&W, textures, darkness, atmosphere, pose, anatomy, feminity - ... masculinity -, composition,... perhaps these words could help to express how I admire a good work when I see it first time.

About the controversy, I support THIS crop as much more high impact than the another one - more soft, "artistic" - and I think in these cases photography is searching for impact people. See you, bye. Josemi Gondra 

I think the another version is much more passionate and gives a much higher impact in the viewer. Anyway, this is softened by the dark background that gives a mystic and "sculptural" atmosphere: both bodies, man and woman, embraced and catched in love.

I love details in the photo like light level in the skin of both and hands of the woman - soft, straight, showing few fingers; and hands of a man, strong, open, showing passion. 7/7 for this masterwork by Tomek. Hope to enjoy more of your master pieces. Ikusi arte - see you. Josemi Gondra

Hi, Jerry,

Composition is very nice and complementary contrast blue object-orange dress is very well done. But I think the image is overexposed and that is disturbing color and dark-light contrast. Bye. Josemi Gondra.

Nothing more to say. The portrait is nice: expression, clothing, warm atmosphere and colors. The background with those soft touches of intense blue and that curious green tone in the top are wonderful. I usually like hands - nude hands - but of course the gloves are magnificent also to illustrate cold temperatures and playing with the metal baranda to make the composition from up-right to down-left. A fine, nice, very proffessional portrait. Magnifique !!!! Bye. Josemi Gondra

Hi, Nataliya,

Is this floor after an earthquake or it is some uncommon phenomenon ?

I see the subject is interesting and classical. Lines converging in the background, in this case in a long arcade and with a couple of person in the far doing ¿ what ? - it does not mind. The irregularities in the floor are helping you to make a "thriller" photo and I like the BW contrast with the white columns - very white - and the darkness in floor and ceiling. On the contrary, that "modern" metal logo with the boots is not helping to concentrate on the people in the far and in the "classical atmosphere" of the rest of image ( I would definitely go lower with the crop taking out those boots, they are a disturbing object if they are not something "personal" to the photographer). The long white ceiling in the first 4 or 6 meters is also a long "empty" space in the photo and I would reduce it (same as boots). But it is an interesting subject with an interestig light treatment and composition. Of course, without the people in the background, the phto would loose character of "action, story". Ikusi arte - see you. Josemi Gondra.

P.D.: Sorry, I know sometimes I write too much. It´s my perdition.

Hi, Frank,

I enjoyed some of your images in yr. portfolio. This is a magic and simple one. The expression of the girl comes closer to the viewer, with her fingers playing to pose on her soft face and her blond hairs playing with the atmosphere in that very well chosen table and metal chair. The background is also ok, but I would suggest to introduce some dark background around blond hairs to increase color contrast. Congrats. Bye, see you. Josemi Gondra.

P.D.: the expression of her mounth is more than curious. She looks to smile and showing teeth, but is serious at same time ¿¿¿

Hi, again, Laura,

Welcome to PN. I see you are doing a lot of work since last month. Yes, undoubtely this version is better than previous one; I will support several reasons:

- In before version I remember you cut woman´s hands. I think both face and hands - in special cases some other parts of the body, but extraordinaryly - are usually basic parts of expression and beauty in case of portrait photography. Both are ok here, with an interesting hands pose and the face looking to one side to relax the expression.

- The model is wearing a very clear yellow, she is white skinned and her hair is blond, so you needed - and you put it - a dark background to play with claroscuro or dark-light contrast. In the other versions, the woman is surrounded by light and clear objects, so claroscuro is not well done.

- The wood material of the stairs is helping to make some harmony with skin tones.

A good try in portrait photography, one genre that I also practice and like a lot because we are showing human expressions and this seems to be an interesting field. Welcome again. Ikusi arte - see you in basque country language. Josemi Gondra.

Hi, Laura,

Best congratulations for a superb portrait. The composition is very good, with the railways beginning down the shooter and going to the infinite, the body of the young woman in diagonal - the arm also - , the very intense blue color of her blouse and her face and blond-red colors in her hair. The background in dark color close to her head and green on the other side helps to emphasize the natural and spontaneous atmosphere of peace and thoughts. I know it is also spontaneous but the live pink color of her toes nails are very disturbing for the rest of the image; I would cut that down part, or change the pink to neutral skin. Thks for shrg. Bye. Josemi Gondra.

Hi, Richard,

A very interesting image in terms of composition, pose, color and atmosphere. Because of her very long legs - longer with those high shoes - and the distance of the viewer in the background, I would emphasize the image with a vertical version - a square would also be ok -, instead of your horizontal option. Thanks for sharing. Ikusi arte. Josemi Gondra

Hi, Nataliya,

Your image is soft, correct; it looks spontaneous, fresh, not overworked in postprocessing. I do not know if he wanted to reach the top of that mountain of if wants to remember a soccer goal that he saw last sunday; it is the same, he will kick the small white ball of paper or plastic in a second and it will reach the lake at sound speed some later. It is an original photo and his pose (the moment you capture, because it is an image of "sport" or "action" where poses are not static but dynamic) is good. Two small details: I should put him a little more centered - it is too close to left border, and I would eliminate that white object in the floor on right down corner that disturbs my attention to be in the small ball and the young man. Ikusi arte - see you in basque language, Nataliya. Bye. Josemi Gondra

Hi, Tommy,

Undoubtely, for me, the particularity of the image is tha net yellow line in the contrast against the first dark yellow first distance and the background of hills or mountains in dark. The rainbow is a quality detail, even if it´s a little too small. But the lonely tree is a little too far from the shooter. The quality is in the 50% down of the image; from my opinion, you could crop 1/3 or 1/2 up and make a very effective horizontal landscape with a beautifyl yellow-green line, giving more starring role to the right side of the sky, that is very small in this "big" version. But I admit it is a "minimalist" landscape, as other critique says, and that´s a particular style and you´ve got a nice result. Congrats and all the best. Josemi Gondra.

Hi, Andrea,

A very nice picture full of color and live trees in a beutiful area of Europe. Anyway, I would choose up of down, but the crop seems to be a little too vertical for me. I send my congratulations too for your photo title, it is what first capture my attention !! You did it very well. Make more. Josemi Gondra

A back portrait in BW version - see coloured in portfolio. Tks for crtcs

and rtgs.

Itxinako atxak Pagomakurrean. El macizo ó las "atxas" de Itxina desde

Pagomakurre.

Itxina massif mountain from Pagomakurre forest.

Thanks for critiques.

This is the green version of same series. Thanks for your comments and

ratings.