kkwan

I rather like the muted lighting of this image. Although less dramatic

than sunrise or sunset light, I think it conveys a nice sense of

serenity. Your comments are much welcome. Thanks.

Shot on a fall evening. Thanks for your comments.

Taken on a fall morning, just before clouds drifted over the perfectlight. Thanks for your comments.

 

www.kennethkwan.com,www.timecatcher.com

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

www.kennethkwan.com, www.timecatcher.com

This is the best lighting situation in any sunset photograph I have ever seen. When I first saw this shot, I stared at it in awe for several minutes. Having just seen the brighter version, I think I actually prefer it a little brighter. What a fantastic photo.

Well-seen composition with effective use of thirds. The lighting and reflection are gorgeous and the squarish crop works well. Did you use a grad? I can see a bit of a grad line 1/4 from the top. Perhaps you can use a lighter grad and pull it further down.

Beautiful light and superb composition. The fore-, mid-, background relationship gives a good sense of depth. The complementary colours are very eye-catching. There seems to be a very slight tilt to the right. Did you use a bubble level?

Gorgeous light. The SUVs provide a good scale and give a sense of place. Well done.

Wonderful light and gorgeous textures. I really like how the lines in the snow take the eyes to the back of the frame. The blue tones in the shadows work just fine. I noticed the sky before reading the comments. I wonder what the original sky was like. With such good light, it's hard to imagine a boring sky.

Taken on a winter afternoon. Many thanks to Tom Grubbe for showing methis wonderful location. Critiques are very much appreciated.Thanks.

 

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Thanks for you comments.

 

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Taken on a cold morning at first light. Thanks for your input.

 

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Magical lighting and delicious textures. Superb composition that takes the eyes deep into the picture space. Fantastic shot!

Fantastic lighting! Magical shot.

Perfect control of exposure and just the right kind of light to bring out all the wonderful colors and tones. Good texture in the grass. Great shot.

Superb lighting conditions and dead calm reflection. Beautiful!

Subtlety is definitely your strength. This one doesn't need overly saturated colors, just good light and a solid composition. Well-seen.

Fantastic light and solid composition. Bravo!

Taken on a cold morning shortly before sunrise.

 

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Taken early on a summer morning. Got lucky with the clouds. Commentsmuch appreciated. Thanks.

 

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Thanks everyone for the feedback. I apologize that I can't address each comment individually.

 

Marc is pretty much exactly right about how I took this photo. It was really easy. After checking in at the front desk, I was waiting for the elevator and saw this staircase. I took out my camera, pointed it up, set it to f/4, focused, held my breath, and released the shutter. Marc's estimation was generous. The photo took less than a minute from conception to "click". The viewfinder was oriented exactly as the photo is presented: horizontally. It has not been rotated. The composition just felt natural to me and, as some have pointed out, is probably the composition that most photographers would have chosen. I wasn't trying to be original with this composition. I just thought the lighting and the pattern would make a pretty picture.

 

Steve & Marc: Thanks for mentioning my other staircase shot - Semi-circular. Interestingly, that photo took just about as long to shoot as this one and was just as easy. But there, I saw an opportunity for what I thought would make a unique abstract and I was definitely trying to be original.

 

Carl: Regarding your thoughts on the direction of entry, I tend to find lead-in lines from the bottom right and top left more effective than the other two corners. I don't know if other photographers feel this way but I checked previous POWs and leading lines come more often from the former corners. But apparently, an individual's preference plays a central role here. Also, I tend to like leading lines that take the eyes to the area of most contrast, not necessary the brightest spot, although that's often the region of most contrast.

 

Michael & Claude: Thanks for your in-depth analyses. I think the preference to read and write from left to right is based on a practical consideration. As most people are right-handed, writing from left to right avoids smudging the ink and allows one to see what was just written. Since writing involves declarative learning, the preference for left-to-right might be one that is acquired. Whereas deciding whether one likes a particular composition or not is something that cannot be taught. Learning may be involved, but it's certainly not procedural learning. So I don't know whether the same predilection can find a parallel in looking at a photograph and considering the composition as a whole.

 

Regarding the color, the intense yellow is the result of tungsten lighting on daylight balanced film. The greenish parts of the wall came from daylight through the windows. It's the same color of paint. Also, I agree that the depth of field is shallow and wish I had used a tripod, which I actually carried with me. Regarding the digital quality, some of the compression artifacts came from photo.net's old compression program.

 

Cheers,

Kenneth Kwan

An old favourite, re-worked. Thanks for your comments.

 

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Taken on a summer evening in the backcountry of Humphreys Basin.

 

Thanks for your comments.

Very well-seen and well-composed. The pastel colours add to the serene mood. My only nitpick is that the sky seems to be slightly over-filtered, being visibly darker than the water. Perhaps a soft-edge ND might work a little better.

Superb. I love the textures in the sand and the small pools of water. The curve in the composition takes the eyes around the frame and leads them comfortably towards the back where you have a beautiful setting sun. Very dynamic composition. Outstanding photograph.