mriy

What a gorgeous photograph. The structure and the execution are just great. The jaywalking person is almost like a bonus to an already tremendous shot. I'm fine with or without the suggested cropping. The tighter crop does make it feel more tense and impending but the inclusion of more of sidewalks and buildings gives it more of a "just another day" feeling to me, which has its own charm.

 

Your portfolio is very nice, a bit of everything that shows your range as a photographer and your comfort in different environments and situations.

 

Great work.

I find this really wonderful. It is much different from the others in the portfolio, but in a refreshing way, I think it may be the best in the bunch. This gives me an old and very comforting feeling, like something that might grab me from a dusty old photography book and make me take notice that here is someone who knew what he or she was doing without fooling around too much with what they were given. The balance doesn't bother me in the least, nor does the bright spot, these give it a very spontaneous, unstructured design that isn't contrived and overwrought.

I love this shot. The composition is beautiful and taking at the dog's level is perfect. The DOF is great and it is well exposed, it feels cold but not stark.

 

You have very nice portfolio, I enjoy your style and sense of how light and shadow work in the composition.

 

 

It is hard to pick a favorite in your portfolio, there are many beautiful shots, but this is my favorite. The tones, composition and focus are just right and it has a very classic feeling. The vignetting is nicely managed, not too heavy.

 

Great job.

This is my favorite in your portfolio so far. The composition and lighting are very nice and the drape of hair is very well placed, making the overall picture more intriguing and interesting.

 

I thought about if it may look better with a narrower Depth of field where her ear, hair and back shoulder are blurred, but I think that without her eyes being clearly visible, a shallower DOF may not help and may hurt by drawing attention just to her nose and lips, though that may be a good thing, especially as the corner behind her leads the eye to her lips...would be interesting to compare a difference in DOF to see if it changes the feel much.

 

The pearls add a lot by balancing the composition and keeping your eye moving from the hair to the neck to the pearls and back again in an easy flow.

 

Very nice photograph, a very skillful use of light and composition.

Beautiful shot. Superb handling of the effect to create a very strong mood with a wonderful dog that works so well with the composition. I sort of wish it were just the dog as the modern style of the guy almost takes away from the aged texture, but you pulled him into the composition really well with the blue hat and partly cropping him.

 

Beautiful job.

 

These shots are just great. It is hard to pick a favorite. The thing I like best of all of them, besides the apparent coolness factor, is that you seem to have the knack for balance and good composition as well as patience to set it up right. You take the time and effort to make sure that as much of the shot will look natural and not shaky in the least, not crooked or busy. Your attention to detail lets my brain relax and enjoy the oddity of the scene. In this one, I love the little scene just below the center, how the bars look like jets lifting the saucer up and especially the ghostly little girl on this side of the fence.

 

Really nice and very well executed.

Stunning photo. I agree that it looks strange and unnatural but in a beautifully rich way. The support posts on the left really help to link the foreground to the mid, and the large structure on the left above the front wall carries us easily into the background. The composition is heavy to the left, but the structure is so dense that the little bit of shadow in the right bottom holds it in balance. Makes me anxious to see more of your work.

 

I love this picture. I love the dark mood and the inclusion of the amorphous foreground. The foreground and variability in the lighting allow the extreme centering to work well. It reminds me of some type of apocalyptic movie poster, letterboxing and the dense atmosphere gives it that cinematic feeling.

Excellent photo.

Gorgeous.

This is my favorite of this group. The lighting and composition are outstanding and complement her beauty without erasing or manipulating her personality. It is more subtle and intriguing than the other pictures in my opinion.

 

Great job.

 

Beautiful portrait.

Excellent expression, composition and DOF and the tones are nice though a bit contrasty. I'd be curious to see this with a little more range of tones to see how it changes the mood and feeling.

 

I like it without the black side borders, allowing her face to fill the frame rather than drawing attention away from her to the sides.

 

You have a nice touch for interesting compositions.

This is my favorite of your shots so far. I just love it. For not having had a camera for long, you have a great sense of composition and understanding of your craft. The placement, the color, the focus and DOF are all just great.

 

Congratulations on a really nice shot.

Beautiful shot. I think I might even like to see one without the tree. I think the horizon and the fence give the cloud its perspective and immensity and the tree to me does not really add so much. Maybe trying to get further back and diminishing the tree would emphasize its relationship to the overpowering cloud instead of sort of competing with it. It looks a little stiff and "uninterested" to me for some reason.

 

I love this shot and it looks great as is, but just thinking how it might look differently composed.

 

Great job in catching a nice moment and arranging it beautifully on film.

 

 

Absolutely gorgeous. The tones are remarkable, reminds me of an old horror movie. I like the dog and think he or she makes the picture outstanding, droopy with head hung low suggests something kind of reclusive and dark.

Without the dog it is still beautiful, but more like an architectural piece rather than the spooky, curious piece that it is.

The lighting is great, I can't quite figure it out, almost like a painting with light technique, but it couldn't be with the dog like that.

 

Very beautiful and intriguing, congratulations on a terrific shot.

beautiful shot, nicely composed with nice detail. I actually like it a little darker with just a hint of light through the background "alleys"

I'm torn about not seeing the bottom of the arching tree, not sure if it would look better or not with it. It looks very nice as is. The bright green shrub in front doesn't bother me much and adds depth.

Black and white would be nice also, maybe even better since this picture is more about composition and texture and less about color, though the leaves at the top give some life, like a golden crown or butterflies taking flight from this secret garden. So, maybe color is best in this case.

Congratulations on a beautiful capture

Beautiful portrait. Agree that I'd like to see the tip of his finger at the bottom(or maybe burned in a bit at the bottom), but it looks gorgeous as is. I'm very anti-smoking but i still like a great photograph and this is one. The expression, the eyes, the fingers, the sweat and the textural detail make it strong and the weary posture and overall composition makes it approachable and not overly intimidating. Very effective and nice.

The cropping down on the top does look nice, but may be a little tight. I like the original background, it give a nice, subtle setting to the picture. On your revision I like the dodging on the bottom of the big girl's dress but it looks a little too much on the face. It doesn't look natural.

It may be my eyes or monitor but it looks like the focus is not quite on their faces and may be on the big girls front arm.

If you had time, A reflector or a really careful fill-flash would give a nice glow to the front of the picture and bring out their faces well.

I like the B&W better myself.

This is an outstanding picture. Congratulations.

I think your close-up photos stand out from the rest. You have a really good understanding of DOF and using blur and grain. These pictures have a really nice feel. I think some your other pictures seem almost timid compared to these and I'd like to see more of this type, getting up close and using your creative subtlety. This shot is just great; the grain, composition and DOF work together really, really well.

Just gorgeous. The entire portfolio is so impressive. Your compositions are brilliant and your processing and color management are bold and satisfying.

 

I don't have any criticisms.

Gorgeous photo. Nice calming balance and smooth tones. I couldn't imagine a nicer composition.

Congratulations.

 

Can I ask what your setttings were and if you did much manipulation of the image in the darkroom or on the computer? Just curious. It looks very fine. In the dark setting with a filter and the nice DOF I'm curious how long your exposure was and if it took many tries to get these nice tones

Congratulations Bridget on a terrific photo. Really nice, especially considering how briefly you've been taking photos.

 

I guess I'm going to moan a little as Drew put it. Just making a suggestion. I agree with Kelly that the composition could be improved a bit. This is a really straightforward composition and looks like a lot of concert or performance pictures that one might see in the newspaper (that isn't a bad thing), shot at a fairly comfortable zoom distance. The space on the left and right, top and bottom is fairly tight and symmetric, maybe varying that would present a pleasing alternative. Maybe trying some compositions that cut across the top of his head and bow or the end of the violin. A classic square composition may be nice as well.

 

The important features of the picture to me are the character in his face, his hands and the center of the violin, focusing on those features with your composition to emphasize them may be beneficial.

 

The background is nicely out of focus but still distracts somewhat. The focus is fine and the tones and all, however the positioning on your second shot is more energetic and emotive, though the shadows are too harsh and the background is overly distracting in that one.

 

I know you had to take your opportunity, and considering the probable time of day lighting and potential for a really disruptive background, you did a terrific job.

 

Would try to avoid these harsh lighting situations and if you have bright lighting may look at a slower film. For learning purposes, I would recommend not using too much zoom and just enjoying scenes with a normal view lens. I think you will like your results more.

 

I don't mean to sound critical, just a hack making suggestions.

 

Congratulations

my favorite of your images. jumps out.

I love the way it feels like an andrew wyeth tempra.

Actually gives a nice feeling rather than just trying to be clever or different for the heck of it. A little melancholy.

Nice job.

 

 

This is my favorite of the folder. The contrast and exposure are nice and the composition is the most interesting, though I wish there were jsut somethign a little extra on the left side. Not sure why I feel that way. I like the DOF, though perhaps even more focus depth would bring out more interesting details far in the background. The fine details work well with the composition. The car is nice and it suggests a lot about the location and the mood and the owner.

THe power lines also add a lot of texture and context. I wish there were a little more action in the sky, just a hint to break up that big blank area that runs off the picture at the top. As it is, it could be cropped down into almost a panoramic and still keep a lot of what makes it strong.

 

Very nice

I haven't read through all of the comments above, so forgive me for possible repetition.

 

Beautiful shot. Deep and rich, palpable. Glancing at hte various crops and lightenings posted, I like your POW post best. The person behind is just right. Without that person, we could be in church or anyplace. The person behind her, in his hat, facing opposite provides excellent context and with that station context, we can reasonably feel assured that she is going somewhere, so it adds another element of interest. Makes it less lonely than the elf suggests.

 

The size of the book is interesting in that most people reading while waiting in public do so with paperbacks or magazines. The fairly sizeable hardback adds to the picture.

 

The rectangle of light on the right adds as well, without it, I think the dark space above would seem superfluous and just a convention.

 

Really nice. The circular rim at the bottom is a bit distracting and ambiguous in an otherwise very elegant composition, but not too much so.

 

Congratulations

I'm one that really enjoys the picture but don't feel that strongly about it. Technically I can't see much to fault, though I didn't really like the blurring at first, I thought it looked like one of those Hallmark cards that are blank inside, but after looking for a while I think the blurring has a more organic and natural feel in that it isn't uniform, the upper right and lower left are more heavily blurred. This helps it to not look too staged or cliche.

 

The composition is not particularly fresh and though the foreground figure's silhouette is interesting, and forms an essential element to the intrigue of the picture, it just doesn't really do it for me to lift a nice scenic shot to a different level. With that lighting you maybe had opportunies to catch different shadows, would like to see some other options.

 

Not saying I could do better, I'm sure I couldn't, and sometimes familiar shots are comforting and nice, but it seems like a very above average slice-of-life shot with a lot of commercial value, but lacking some spontaneity.

 

Congratulations