richard_scott5

I like it, and it's technically a very good picture, but compositionally there's just something unnatural about it that I find vaguely unnerving. Possibly the glow on the house in contrast to the darkness of the rest of the photograph. It's the photographic equivalent of a Thomas Kinkade painting.

Beautiful!  The soft green and blue background wonderfully highlights the lovely texture and colors in the sparrow's feathers.  She's in perfect profile - it's like she's posing for you!  Excellent photo and a lovely, lovely subject.  Congrats!

Very pretty.  A classic subject.  Lots of complexity, lots of details that catch the eye.  Nice tone -  I like the very white whites and heavy darks.  I would have liked to have seen a larger version of this photo.  Nicely done Richard.

Any constructive comments, positive or negative, will be greatly

appreciated. Thanks for looking!

It looks almost like a toy - in fact I thought it was when I saw the thumbnail.  I realize you centered your crop on the smokestack, but I think it would look a little better if you centered the entire hull of the ship in the photo.  It seems out of balance with more sea showing on the right side.

Great photo, though.  It's nice to know that these old relics still exist in places around the world.

If the chart is referring to this week's photo, I'd like to see where John fits on the pie chart. At least Lannie, Stephen, Fred and Arthur devote most of their discussion to the POTW rather than just complaining about the other posters. I for one enjoy reading all the posts on the weekly forum, philosophical or not.

Looking over Bela's portfolio, he has a long history of commanding the position of the moon and planets. Neat photo, and a terrific portfolio. Congrats Bela!

Nice!  I like the way the Christmas trees seem to be just floating in air.  Good catch!

Hi Latil - I like this photo a lot.  Nice tone, nice contrast and a very clear and sharp image.  I prefer it to your color photo of the same subject.  There's much to draw the eye - the house, the tree, the tracks in the snow and the mountains beyond.   It's deceptively complex.  Nice job!

I think it's lovely. The colors are soft and easy, and make me feel warm, as a photo of Hawaii should. The composition is simple, but there are many interesting points for the eye to explore. It's like going on a mini vacation! A good, classic shot. Congrats!

I love this photo, as I do all of your black and white "island" images.  It's a very stirring photo.

Excellent.  Nice color, good light.  Very evocative photograph.  Makes me wish I was there!

Your opinions, positive or negative, would be very welcome. Thanks

for looking.

But Michael, those reviews are still made, whether the artist reads it or not. They are made not only for the benefit of the performer, but for others as well, such as a potential audience. As a beginning photographer, it's educational for me read the honest opinions of others. The author of this photo doesn't have to read these critiques, but they still benefit the rest of us.

No one is required to post photos to this website, but if they do, they should simply be aware that those photos may be opened to critism. Such is the burden of those who make art, that people may not react as they'd expected.

Hello all. I'm a beginning photographer and a new Photo.net member. When I first saw this photo, I did not like it. I personally thought it had a very unnatural quality to it and I was not surprised when I read other posts that expressed the same sort of criticism. I, for one, didn't see any comment posted that seemed to be anything other than a sincere critique of the work expressing a negative reaction. I didn't see attacks designed to hurt, but rather comments intended to inform.

In art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, rather than the creator. As artists, we need to develop thick skins. The whole point is to put your work out for others to see, so it's valuable to know when and why a piece of art doesn't work for a given viewer. In my own work I can tell when a person is being instructive and when a person is being mean. But even then, I don't necessarily discount what the mean person is saying. I take in what he says, gleen out the real criticism and see if there's anything useful for me. And I simply disregard anything that's not.

Frankly I dislike seeing those short, fluffy "Nice pic!" sort of comments on photos that don't truly seem to deserve them. They are disingenuous and not helpful. I, for one would much rather have an honest and instructive critism of my work over ego boosting. I don't need encouragement - I have friends and family for that. I need professionals and serious amateurs to give me honest opinions of my work.

I'm sorry that Mr. Gentry didn't see these posts as the valuable learning tool they are. I hope he will continue to belong to Photo.net and to post his pictures here.

Absolutely stunning. I love the contrast, the softness and the shapes. I'm suprised how some just see a bridge. I see a terrific abstract work of art. Great portfolio, too. I think the most important thing an artist has to have to be successful is a unique and identifiable style, and you certainly have that. Congrats!