mitchel_whitehead

Nice photo:  gerat subtle color balance and fascinating contrast between the dark mountain silhouette and the glowing cloud in the background.  You are obviously travelling in a boat when you took the photo, and must have been thrilled when the composition briefly fell into place...

between the grays/blacks of the trees and the soft orange/yellows of the cabin.  very evokative.  Where's the cabin?

...and tones.  Enjoy the shot.   Found myself wanting a tighter crop (down to the next row of leaves), possibly even moving the center of the leaves to the upper right third.  

Agree with other posters on nic light, contrast and composition, but ESP like the way it captures the "tilt" and steepness of the hill.  You can really sense the place...

very nice color balance of blue and orange.  Very relaxing.  Especially, like mist visible against the rise in the distance.  only quibble is the two seaweed clumps in the foreground (right at the bottom of the frame).  They are just a bit distracting to me, and I find my eye spending too much time being drawn to the bottom of the photo.  Nonetheless, really enjoy the shot.

I like the shot, but the color pallet (sp?) and the processed feel leave me a little cold.  just a bit too dark and brooding for my taste.  like the rock and moss in the foreground, though.  Also found myself wanting a bit more shadow detail, esp in the dark parts of lower right quadrant.  keep workin it...

Submitted this one to the Kids at Play contest, and would very much

appreciate any feedback. Please view in the large format -- it's the

only way to appreciate what I was trying to capture in the shot. Thanks.

also really liking this superb shot, but think it still has untapped potential.  I'd be tempted to do the following  two things (if I might be so bold):  1) photoshop all of the little white bits floating on the water (including the white spot on the horizon right above the flamingo's head -- they are distracting from the otherwise awesome ethereal feeling of the water and the photo;  2) refine the dodge in the area between the sun and the flamingo -- it seems just a bit too "defined" for my taste.  I really, really like the green/gray/pink color combo on this shot.  I'd love to see a big enlargement of this hanging in a gallery somewhere...   Mitchel  

Nice focus on the fly (and not too large in frame to be "gross").  The pod shape and color really set this image apart.  Really like your choice on the crop -- very smart...

agree with the above commenters, and add that the shot has a very appealing symmetry (foreground, midground, background) that really adds a lot to the peaceful/contemplative nature of the shot.  You must have had "that feeling" when you did the capture, knowing that you were in the right spot at the right time with the right equipment (esp the grad nd filter).  absolutely love the way the rock shelf ends right under the sun:  again, really a nice balance point.  good work...

Just got back myself, so this shot really brings back memories.  Agree with the other commenter that you should probably go with a tighter crop and cetner the tree.  Also, the horizon appears to be a little off and you might try to level the proverbial playing field.  Nice capture, though...

Nice capture with great colors and a great "feeling" of an early fall morning.   Just wondering if you knew about the spot in advance and went to capture this image or if you were out hiking around and just stumbled across it.  Either way, well done...

but just not enough going on in the photo to capture and hold my interest.  The foreground shapes are  interesting, but they lose a lot of "punch" because they are all "hidden" beneath the horizon line an there's just not enough contrast and depth.  Also, the clouds are a nice color and well captured but, again, aren't doing anything dramatic or different and don't add enough interest.  I find myself wanting to see the sun in the frame (as opposed to the hint over to the left).  I would keep coming back to the spot -- which appears to have good potential -- so that you can be rewarded with a more interesting sky and better profile on the rock formations in the foreground.  Keep at it...

Standing on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood at midnight as the cars drove by.

Took over a hundred exposures between .5 and 1.5, but this one just

seemed to capture the moment... Any reactions, comments, criticisms

appreciated.

this is a nice image taken with a nice camera set up in a nice location... Not a bad shot at all, but I find myself wanting something to make this image stand out:  better light perhaps;  better sky (with some clouds);  a more interesting and better balanced foreground;  or, perhaps a little more abstraction with the dunes (and a crop which focuses on the top portion of the photo).  Maybe it's just me, but I find the dried bush nearest the camera to be just little bit too large and distracting for the rest of the image.  Anyway, these are quibbles with what is otherwise, as noted, a very nice shot.  Looks like you hit DV on a very nice day;  must have been a great experience. 

great "as is", but I can't help but wonder if it wouldn't be better if you straightened the head/neck with a different crop.  try it and see what you think.  :)

great light and color.  strangely surreal on some level:  love the two stacked, round portals on the green boat just left of center.  a bit of a shame the lower right corner lacks anything of interest, but does not really detract from my enjoyment of the picture. 

but I really like how well the shadows of the little stalks are captured on the petals of the flower -- makes the whole thing sing...

delicate colors, tastefully done.  don't mind the "hdr-ish" look at all, and think it works perfectly here (in my view, mimicking pretty well the dynamic range of our eyes).  and, as with all of your landscapes, hella good sharpness and resolution (which, in my view, are very much in the service of the image and the overall effect).  Just one question, this shot seems cropped a bit weird to me -- the "nodding donkey" isn't centered (shifted to the right).  you are obviously a meticulous guy:  so why the decision to off-center the donkey?  Did you feel the shot had better balance this way, given the shape of the oil pump?  Was there something distracting off to the right?  Would love to hear your thinking on this.  Anyway, really like your stuff:  very nice perspectives, very well executed and outstanding use of the format.  look forward to more work from you...

nice composition and very nice light, both in the sky and on the ground.  I'm assuming this was late afternoon, but can't be sure.  Curious as to whether you walked in or if you were driving on the dirt road on the left...  With the 17-40, I also assuming you had even more sky to work with, but cropped some of it out -- I think this was a good choice.  Btw, I've switched from the 17-40 to the 16-35 and have been extremely happy;  I would encourage you to try it.  Keep up the good work.

Space Shuttle Endeavor touching down at LAX. The people in the

foreground have stopped their cars in the middle of the freeway to get

a view...

This is a nice shot -- I like the balance above and below the horizon in terms of color and structure, and I really like the whisp of water reaching into the lower right corner.  Only suggestion is the exposure:  i find the overall "feeling" a bit too dark and like i'm missing shadow detail in the foreground.  Not sure if it's just how it comes across on this posting, but you might think about a version that bumps the exposure on the foreground a bit and brightens up the sky.  just a thought.