paul_ashton

In my first job, 7.30 a.m. to whenever, I work to find oil which can be refined into gasoline which fills all those tanks in SUVs and then pollutes the air and causes people to have asthma and sinusitis.

 

In my second job I take photographs. Unfortunately the first job pays for the fact that I don't make a lot of money at the second job.

 

Is there a moral to this tale? If you would all buy my photographs then I could stop finding oil and the SUVs would grind to a halt and everyone could breathe easier.

 

If only life was easy. . . . .

 

Peace

 

PS the photo is OK, but from my Ferrari the viewpoint would have been much better. No, I don't own a Ferrari, that part's untrue.

The camera angle makes this shot, along with the action. It may not be perfect in terms of composition but those kids are just about perfectly situated and their shadows simply add to the overall effect.

 

I am young again, in Oswestry (almost Wales!) and I am running away from Mr. Jones, not toward Mr. Edwards. Like last week, this PoW takes me back across the pond to an earlier time. Thank you - I am old enough to be horribly nostalgic, which probably explains why I like this photo so much.

Just cruised by after a long absence and this PoW hit me as a really fine photo. Congratulations! Apparently this scene is more or less timeless in that some think 1950s, I remembered a very similar scene in 1970 yet the photo was taken much more recently. Would it be too much to suggest the Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town" as the appropriate soundtrack? A good photograph can set the scene for the rest of our senses to kick in and this photo did just that for me!

This is a good photograph, deserving PoW. Ive come back to it several times during the past few days and if anything I like it more each time, surely a good sign? But why?

 

First, the composition. It breaks the basic rules but I like it for that, though initially I thought there was too much boardwalk. However, if you crop off the bottom of the picture it does not help, in fact the amount of boardwalk used gives distance to the subject.

 

Second, the timing of the models position is perfect on the brow of the path, left leg raised, swing of the hip, lock of hair, etc. This aspect of the picture cannot be under-estimated in that it would appear from the discussion above that several passes were made. A picture this good is either set up painstakingly well or was just plain lucky.

 

Third, the processing. I am a fan of sepia toning and I recognize that not everyone will agree, but the grain in the sky and the duotone effect gives the picture a certain lazy hazy days of summer appeal. The blue water bottle is a matter of taste I wouldnt have thought of it but it acts as a foil to the overall composition jockeying for the eye in a way that makes the picture more interesting. On a gallery wall this picture would be very competitive to the eye.

 

As to the negative comments about silhouettes surely a silhouette is the ultimate compression of a three-dimensional subject into a two dimensional plane? If it is then able to be as evocative as this example I would say silhouettes can be very effective indeed.

 

Again, a good photograph!

 

I'm coming in very late on this one because I am far from home and just found an Internet connection. Perhaps because of my current location (Equatorial Guinea) I rather like the snow (!) in the scene but the layout of the components leaves a lot to be desired, IMHO. Too much space in the middle that does very little, in fact it actually prevents the "in your face" confrontation that may have been the purpose of the shot. Partly because of this space (and the white blob is the most distracting area) I don't see the engagement that others do. As to the political nature of this shot, should it matter who she is? But as a piece of photojournalism, the photo is certainly acceptable.

Amy, this is really getting most embarassing. All that you are able to do with a Coolpix 950 and the 10 seconds it takes to get into position! I think this may be your best effort to date. The contrasts of light and dark are very effective. I really believe that your contributions to photo.net are not only to a high standard but they push the envelope in consistency of effort and results. Keep pushing!

Well said, Bruce. Darron has effectively been "Prisoner of the Week" to some peoples' vitriol.

So, you've come up with a Triumph. Now, can you please Ellis (where are you, Ellis?) with a photo of a 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (the RT version, naturally)?

I am not much interested in the subject, so I don't get the rush that fans would from seeing this nicely executed photo. However, my choice from Darron's portfolio would be this one. It remedies two problems I have with the PoW selected. One I can see something of the rider's face (which is black on the PoW) and two, the bike and rider are nicely separated from the corner details, whereas on the PoW the background clutter is undeniably present. Don't get me wrong, the PoW image is good, but it's not the best of the bunch, IMHO.

Daniel, a nice photo but I wonder if the fisheye is not giving us the truth! The horizon shows extreme curvature which means that the slope of the ridge on each side may also be exaggerated. This doesn't detract from the photo but it does make me think that those guys may not be quite so crazy after all!

Well done, Glen, this is the sort of shot that bird photographers dream about. The background makes the picture that much more perfect. The owl is nicely in focus with a little blur from the tip of the wing suggesting the action of flight. If there is anything missing it would be the owl's beak. The Nikkor 300mm f4 is a delightful lens to use and will repeatedly give this sort of tack sharp shot even when fully open. Equipment is important if a shot like this is to make PoW.

I just love the way the British stir things up with high intellect, sharp wit and a good sense of humour. Don't go on vacation - you are one of the few good reasons to log on to photo.net. A pox on all those who think otherwise.

Yes, I think Bill took a good picture and should be congratulated for being there at the right time and place to take advantage of the unique light. But I am not sure why the ratings are so very high. To give this photo a 8 to10 seems to be ill-considered. To introduce equipment consciousness is also wrong of the elves. But more important, after nearly a week of looking at it, I cannot get more enthusiastic than my first sentence. I finally decided to post because I think there are a lot of photo.netters out there who are not thinking straight, get upset by Sam et al. and weigh in with a big number. After rating photos for a while I have decided not to any more. Lots of people have rated some of mine (40 or so on one picture), but not more than one written comment to help me understand what they are thinking past those average numbers. At least Bill knows what we all think and I hope his sensitivities are not too bruised! Keep toting those cameras and keep aiming for the best there is.

Look Philip, London has lots of interesting subjects to photograph when in town! This one is one your best efforts to date, Spud!

A very nice picture. I did not think U shaped clouds, but crescent shaped, which then led me to think that Hallmark could market this as a Ramadan card and open up a whole new market in the Middle East!

Congratulations. I unreservedly like this picture.

Beautiful image, hilarious discussion. I think I'll stick a mushroom inside my LS-2000.

Gloria, I went to your portfolio is search of what I would like to have seen and there it was: "Snow Goose Landing". As much as I like the POW image, the goose's head is not as well composed, merging with the wing. "Snow Goose Landing" has that much more impact. It's also a real shame that your images are not larger (I know, this is a photo.net limitation!) because I get the impression they are nice and sharp, but it is hard to tell with small jpegs. A very nice portfolio.

This is an excellent record of a natural event. To be in the right place at the right time is worthy of one set of accolades. I should add to this my impression that the picture is well composed, balanced and exposed. Just as it is with no changes, please! But again, it is more the subject than the photograph of the subject that makes this a very interesting, compelling shot. Have camera, have film and. . . . be there!

Like those above I really like this picture. I'll explain why. The effect of the sand being whipped up off the dune ridge is enhanced by ignoring the rule of thirds, which would have been easy to enforce on this scene. By raising the two horizontal components above the "natural" thirds, the entire picture seems to be raised up, as if the dunes themselves are elevating along with the sand grains. Not everyone will see this or care about this, but I did, and this of course confirms that different people will see different things in an image. It is this quality of the composition that holds my attention.

I am a great fan of sepia-toned seascapes and was delighted to see this image selected as photo of the week. Nice composition, the action figure supplying the necessary foreground imagery. I agree with those above who find the "large" version rather on the "small" side. Philip's own photographs are not subjected to this form of ?double jpeg compression.

 

But, back to the subject, congratulations to the photographer and to the selection committee!