stewart_epstein

Exquisitely framed!

That is an exquisite shot.

Specs:

Digital Rebel 6.3 megapixels

50mm lens

3 hours to get the shot right

1 Vivitar 285 flash with slave, 2 1200 watt/sec studio flashes, 1

softbox with modeling light, 3 light stands, 1 boom, 1 enormous power

pack, and 2 assistants to set it all up.

 

Now I know why the pros charge so much...

I found this gentleman working in a winery in Madera. He grew up in

the area and after serving as a medic in Vietnam, returned home,

married, and went to work as a long haul truck driver. Then one day

he was offered a job at this winery. He took it thinking that it

would keep him close to his family until he could get something

better. That was 35 years ago. He has watched the the winery

transition to the next generation after the original owner passed

away several years ago. Now the cellarmaster is training his son to

take over after he retires.

Superb!

Karl, I have to admit to a bit of luck on this one. Actually, several shots on this roll were unsteady at 1/60th. On another note, the subject is in process of pulling barrel samples one at a time in the glass he's carrying. He is looking (or rather smelling) for obvious wine flaws such as H2S and mercaptans, he reports his findings to the winemaker. He did about 40 barrels that day before his sense of smell deteriorated. This duty was done in addition to the 100 bbl topping regimen that he had finished earlier that afternoon.

Most people, including those in the industry, consider winemaking a very romantic career. Although there is an aspect of that, it is often backbreaking labor in very cold and wet environments. This worker has just spent the entire day topping up in excess of 100 barrels. He was quite literally shivering while I photographed him.

 

 

The slight tilt notwithstanding, an incredible cloud reflection shot. Maybe try to lighten the foreground just a bit.

Good idea but there is too much distraction caused by excess reflection of bridge lighting in the water on lower left of frame. By cropping off the lower 1/3 of the photo your subject (the bridge) becomes an interesting architectural study.

Powerful image. It just draws you into the scene. Print/scan could be better... though newspaper quality isn't any better. First-class documentary work.

An initial look at this photo leaves me guessing what the subject is. Perhaps, had you cropped (or moved in closer) 40% to the left side and 10% off the bottom to get rid of the soft focus, the image would have more visual impact and subject recognition.

Generally, I do like the image; the foward stamen placement off-centered in the frame works quite well and you have used narrow depth to good effect. However, the shadow on stamen #3 is very distracting whereas that on stamen #2 (whose shadow is along entire rightside length)adds visual impact to the shot. On an unrelated note, good choice of film for this subject- I do like the way that the film increases saturation the warm colors.

I really enjoy what you've done with this image but in the future I'd use a smaller aperture to maximize edge to edge sharpness. The sharpness decrease at the edges detracts from the overall impact of the picture.

This shot certainly captures the spontaneity of the moment and the good humour of the subject. IMHO, I'd have cropped the top of frame and moved subject to the right. It would have been nice to see the other friend in the frame as well... it would help tell the story.

I would suggest that you need a wee bit more of the tree on the left edge. Otherwise a fine image.

I like the pure black background and the simplicty of the subject. I suggest that cropping the left side to make the dimensions square would improve the image. Tendrils twisting around a berry like that is uncommon... more often they constrict an entire cluster. Good eye in spotting this one.

Does this work as full frame image or would it be better cropped more

toward mirror?

Simply stunning.

Nicely done. I think I'll just sit here and look at this for a spell...

Unusual image. I like the full frame usage. The additional open space functually isolates the viewer from the subject; as though looking at her from a different plane. Her obscured face adds strength to this photograph. It's left entirely to the observer to guess at the emotions at play.

Wonderful photograph. I'm sure that a fiber based print looks spectacular... but this ain't half bad either. Classic pose. Great work.

Lovely photo. Generally flower pics don't do much for me since they tend to be not much more than ID photos (including my own attempts). This is the kind of work that I can only to aspire to produce. Well done!

Very well posed shot. I think the closed eye helps make it much more interesting, as does the perspective. The item in her hand, though, seems to distract me from her face.

Nicely executed portrait but maybe dodge out the lamp a bit to reduce distracting glare.

Classy portrait; beautifully lit.