sprouty

Tremendous image.

Nicely posed and lit, but someone needs to mention the dirty feet...

"Reminds me of old Russian color movie "Slave of love" the final scene."

Was the train on the wrong track in the movie as well?

This one works for me. Cool shadow interplay, even the wings of the eagle mimic the hair of the girl dancing. This is well seen.

 

BTW, was it flipped?

Well, technically I never said it was fake. But my eyes tell me it is a construction. Now let's just see what Saul has to say about it.

I apologize ahead of time for being the lone detractor, but I truly can't get beyond the problem with the lighting. The face simply doesn't match the background, the shadows fall wrong. And that takes it, for me at least, from a great concept to something much less than that. I hate to say it, but it almost appears contrived.

 

My comments are offered with no offense intended, and nothing more than my opinion.

 

Best,

Stephen

"Polaroid Spectra is to me is a medium...As a MEDIUM it must be appreciated on it's merits..."

This should be the line that gets read again and again by the dismissive masses.

This image far eclipses anything that's been posted on the TRP pages for as long as I can remember. The composition, color, and format all serve the aesthetics of the image. I find it laughable that in a sea of images with absolutely no thought given to color harmony that anyone could criticize the pallet of Spectra.

And while the difficulty of shooting this should in no way influence a viewers appreciation, it at least warrants acknowledgement in a photographic forum so keenly tuned to the latest pixel count.

I suggest that aspiring photographers review Brian's entire portfolio and compare it to anyone offhandedly dismissing this and then draw their own conclusions.

I couldn't agree more with Andre.

 

However I find it interesting that my first instinct was to suggest that it needed to be cropped, but after a minute it becomes obvious that it doesn't. There is something about the space in the foreground and background that opens the image up. The only thing I might humbly suggest is an edge-burn from the top.

My first impression was that the lighting was "wrong" and I'm still having a hard time getting past that. Now granted the image does work on many levels but if I can't get past that then I'm sorry to say it will always feel a bit contrived.

Excellent use of color and implied motion. This walks the tight-rope line between abstract (the undefined form blurred by movement) and personal (the recognizable depiction of the face) with nary a wiggle of the hips. Well done.

"Pick the category you think you would like the LEAST.

You know, I have to wonder about advice like this? If it were technical advancement she was interested in, like flash-fill or aperture priority mode on her camera, etc. then yes, pick the area you feel least comfortable with and work on it. But exactly what will this do for a person who is looking to find their vision?

Instead I suggest you find a subject you have a great personal involvement with, something that you have a strong opinion about, and then try to express that opinion through images. In other words find the thing you like the MOST and work on it.

And I truly believe that once you begin to think of your images as statements rather than simple representations of objects or people, you'll grow in ways that go far beyond photography.

Dude?

 

Anyway, Kristen, ask yourself what it is you want to say with your images and the rest will follow.

 

-sp

"As mentioned before, I would love this if it were 5 feet square, glossy and hanging in my living room.

Ah, yes of course, the "it's art if it matches my couch" test.

Personally this doesn't move me at all. I recognize the diversionary aspect of it, but it never rises above that. It's simply a Photo-shop exercise.

I'm really not a sunset fan but I think this is well done. I might suggest you crop the top to exclude the upper cloud. I think it would better balance the image.

I think you have a fine sense of what you're after. Well done.

Sometimes a simple expression can tell a life story. Very compelling.

Ambiguous and other-worldly. This draws you in; makes you wonder what is going on. This deserves more attention.

For me a color image lives or dies by how well the colors interact and compliment one another. The purple and brown hues subtly duplicated in the dead sections of the leaves is a perfect of example of this interaction.

 

It takes a keen eye recognize this, and it's harder to do than people realize.

Leigh, are you trying to say anything beyond "this is pretty". Because that's all I'm getting from it. Is there a greater point I'm missing?

I'm with Net Master and John. But I want to crop out the littlest bit on the right becasue it appears to be the only non-organic elelment in the image and also so I stop wondering what it is.

No actually it could not have been better...this is the stand-out image. Your portfolio is full of images that are very well executed, but this is beyond that. This is the the image for me, that shows you stepping outside of what you know. You should go there more often, in fact you should live there.

"it is possible that this is one of those photographs that might be clearer without a title"

The more I look at images the less I'm inclined to believe they are ever necessary.

View the image in the context of the other shots in the folder and it makes a great deal more sense.

 

I see a well composed image taken by an obviously talented individual, who, despite her youth, seems to have a firm grasp on both composition and form, as well as a defined sense of personal aesthetics.

 

I can't for the life of me understand the sexual reference outside of the well chosen title. This looks entirely fashion-based and would fit neatly into any one of the higher end glamor mags on any news stand.

 

So if this image deeply disturbs anyone then I suggest they spend a little more time looking at and trying to understand a body of work they are clearly unfamiliar with.

I like this. The treatment is perfect for what you were after and even though my initial reaction was that it was a little too tight on top, it still works.

Leo, I think this is an interesting composition on in many ways, and I've come back to it several times. However, one element that continues to slightly bother me, is the lack of focus on the foreground towel/blanket.

 

I keep asking myself "why" and in truth I'm not sure. It may have to do with that fact that the image is so iconic that I am drawn to it or perhaps it's the simple fact that it happens to be large and commands attention. I don't know but I do wish it were sharper.

 

Anyway, just a thought.

 

Regards,

 

Stephen