jpo3136b

It took me a while to figure out the subject was a knot of roots in a tree trunk. An essential detail for me was the texture of the bark.  Overall, I felt there was a strong composition in the photo, with good use of color and tone.  However, the unusual appearance of that subject tree takes a little longer.  Because of the contrast, and the use of light grays and white, the photo might have more impact in a larger size; those bark details are important to the overall picture.

Abnormally strong composition for a wildlife photo.  Good use of tone in the foreground bushes and tree trunk to set up the eye to go to the bear.  Very good lineup of the light gray back of the blurred tree branches in the background also pointing toward the subject.  This might be your once in a lifetime shot.

I liked the diagonal lines of the ropes and arms; colorful clothing; head at just the right angle:  strong composition in this photo.

Good photo of an eagle.  I had a look at your portfolio because of it.  What, do you have a pet eagle?  There are so many eagle photos in there!  Good job.

I also liked your picture of the sheep in the "Iowa" section.

It seems like there is a slight fogginess near the bottom margin of the picture: really the only imperfection I could detect.  Considering that this is a photo of a wild animal, good exposure, good focus, reasonable composition:  a picture worth keeping.  Keep up the good work.  J.

There is something about the downward angle of the point of view and the upward turn of the cat's ear, combined with the pattern of the fur, that makes the cat's body look skewed or distorted.  That effect commanded my attention more than anything else.  I would suggest trying a lower point of view instead.

I rated the photo a 2 solely because it was categorized as "Street."   I didn't feel that this was a street photo.  For composition, I would recommend cropping out the bottom 20% of the picture.  2.

I rated this photo a 3 for two reasons:  the positioning of the arms and hands did not look right and the overall photo quality seemed as though the picture was under-exposed in color.  The skin tone of the abdomen and the color of the shadow in the lower left hand corner show the signs of under-exposure or a processing problem.  Look at only the hands and arms; isolated, perhaps they could be positioned a little better.  When joints are turned end-on towards the camera axis, the foreshortening can cause optical illusions.  I feel this occurred with the joint in the topmost thumb and with the positioning of the bent wrist with its shadow.  Overall, I felt this was a good concept and a good effort, but that this frame has technical problems and some model positioning problems.  3.

John, sorry to hear about your situation in the comments there.  You do an outstanding job of making these photographs; I wouldn't worry about what whomever says if I were you.

 

The on-axis foreshortening with that foot; I felt it created an unusual illusion.  Maybe it would work better if there was a strong, visible shadow to support that plunge in depth. 

Tangent between head and skylight created an illusion that I found a little distracting.  If she could be one step to our right, her left, then maybe that railing in the background could help lead our eye toward her a little bit.  I felt like some off-centering would do better with this composition.  The individual parts of the photo were all strong.

With a touch more sharpness or definition to the insect body, I would have given this photo a seven.  Very strong use of the brown leaf to lead the eye.  6.

I initially thought this was a composite.  I feel the white balance is too yellow; maybe take it back down to D50.  The contrast between the beach and the road sets up a good path for the eye to follow to the shadows.  The difference in tone between the shadows on the sand and the shadows on the water makes the picture. 

Even though it's nighttime, I felt this was a stop too dark when I saw it without captions.  I think I gave this photo a five or six, but it has the design of a seven.  It's got potential, but I think it needs a touch of editing.  Good photo.  Excellent plan for the camera work.  Superior relationship between the topic and the background.  Maybe crop out a lower 25%. 

I liked the lighting and the similarity of the background's color to the brown feathers.

This photo has strong composition and a clearly defined subject.  The three bands of tone (sky, water and sand) provide good sections of interest.  The alignment of the smaller rocks in the foreground help to lead the eye to the rocky island, near the base of the taller rocks.  I felt the bottom half of the photo was strong enough by itself. 

I rated the photo as a 5, but I felt that it has potential for improvement if there were some changes in composition.  I noticed that the lights are out of line with one another, but that most of the rest of the photo has repetitive patterns and converging lines.  Maybe if there was a way to emphasize the the placement of those lights, the composition could do a little better.  Maybe there are some other potential versions of this scene.  Overall, good photo. 

I felt this picture included a touch of humor.  Good photo, for portraying a moment of story among these people.

I rated this a 4 under the category of "Street."  Under another category, one that would emphasize its role in recording setting or scenery, I probably would have given it a 5 or 6.  The composition and color are strong, but I don't see it as a "Street" photo because there are no people involved in the frame.

I think the eye on the viewer's left should become the subject of the composition.  Half in light and half in shadow, that eye area is the most interesting part of the picture.  Maybe a tight crop of the head area, with the face off center might do it.  The variance of the light and shadow near the face and head are much more interesting than the texture of the grass; much more surface area of the photo is devoted to the grass.  The grass supports; but, the subject of the face and head are more important, more active, and more interesting.  Tighten up and crop. 

 

I'll probably rate this a four or five, but it has seven potential. 

I gave this photo a six because of the difficulty of recording an animal hunting for its food.  The photo needs to be cropped much tighter to improve it, aesthetically.  Maybe about 1/9 the surface area is usable.  Good fieldwork.

Strong use of texture, color and tone.  Good photo.  J.

I rated this photo a four because it was listed under "Street."  For an architectural photo, I would have counted it as a five or six because of the wear and detail of the building.  I felt the building was much more interesting than the activity on the street in this photo. 

The black diagonal makes the photo.  Good work.

Strong use of color (reminds me of Ektachrome); good use of verticals with the poles; good placement of people.  The differing positions and attentions of the people almost make this photo a seven.  Very close.  Probably should have gone ahead and marked it as seven, but I gave it a six on the first pass.  I probably would have liked a 16:9 crop, holding bottom edge and losing about 15 to 20% of the top surface area.  Good photo.  J.

I gave this photo a seven because I think the ropes make the photo memorable while contributing to the composition.  The other aspects of the photo, like color, were strong as well.  It's the arrangement of the bell pulls, I think, that will help the picture stick in my memory.  Seven.

Good use of diagonals and eyes. A variation of this photo cropping out that back tiger paw, and focusing more on their mouths and faces, might also work. Good photo. Good animal capture.