michael_ward1

OK, I'm confused. But I don't think that's really the nature of the theme - to confuse the viewer. Especially not to confuse the viewer as to what on earth the picture has to do with the theme. The only thing I can think is that it must be some sort of Brit in-joke thing about the queen?

 

Other than that, it's a very nice snapshot of a woman. I'm sure she'd like the color version to put in her photo album. For this to be considered as a professional portrait, at the very least, the flash shadow should be not there.

I like the wagon tracks. Keep 'em in.

I, like those above, cannot see a face here. In addition, the picture does not work as an abstract or as a concrete image. I suspect that PT is trying to pull a visual pun here, and that these are not glasses at all, but some kind of bubble thingy. But for me, that's not enough - I just don't get the joke.

This looks how I feel as Christmas approaches - going every which way at once on glittered paths. I think it catches the theme all by itself, and making it seasonal, too, is a plus.

 

I see both detail and color in the lower right corner, and on my screen it adds a very nice feeling of depth. All in all, I'd have to say I like it very much.

Actually, just about everthing draws the eye away from the main subject, but I think it really works in this shot of shadows within shadows...

I first thought that white line was too much USM, but when I realized it was really there, I had to think long and hard about whether to leave it or take it out. You can see which way I went.

 

The very first thing I noticed about Italy, in Rome, was all the TV antennae. Maybe free TV is worth watching there?

This works as an abstract as well as a nature shot. The colors work nicely in the Fall.

I'm not sure how to comment, except to show my attempt: undistorted a bit, cropped to thirds, saturated a bit and set to sRGB.

Why would you want to get rid of the fog? It's gorgeous! If you really put your mind to it, you could reduce the effect of the fog quite a bit in Photoshop by lots of work with curves and levels and gradient level masks. But there's just not enough color in the top of the building to completely banish it. Just a bit of perspective distortion correction, however, would really improve this. Not bad, though, even the way it is. But I think I'd crop out some of the bottom, maybe to where the wall meets the rock.

Use edit->transform->distort or edit->transform->perspective. They work on single layers, and not on the background, so you have to turn the background into a layer before using. If you lose the control handles, use command-0 (or whatever the Windows equivalent is, and that's a zero) to resize so they fit.

It looks to me like you have used the rule of thirds exceptionally well in this shot. All the red lanterns follow intersections of thirds, which enhances their function of leading the eye to the gate.

 

I have two issues with this picture. The view through the gate shows nice blue sky, but there's only glare above the wall. This makes it look like an entrance into some kind of wonderland. I'm not yet sure if I like that or not. And I would certainly have used Photoshop to reduce, but not completely eliminate, the perspective distortion. At least enough to straighten out the foreground lamp post.

The original posting is a wonderful pastoral scene, well balanced and beautifully colored. But I like Hans' crop too. Maybe even better.

I think this has to go under "close, but no cigar". It's a wonderful character shot, but the overall composition distracts from the main event. The potted plant throws the balance off rather than adding to it, and the whole thing is tilted. I'd have gone more for the attached crop, myself.

Another absolute in my life has been shattered. So it seems that one can, indeed, take a great shot from the window of a commercial airliner. The play of light and shadow in this photo is fascinating, especially in the background, where the mountains seem to glow. The clarity is astonishing for a through-the-dirty-scratchedup-window shot. And the composition also works well just as an abstract.

 

In many ways, this is a memorable image.

I basically like this photo, but I really wish it were better technically. In addition to the things Dominique pointed out, I'm also bothered by the fact that the only things in focus - the baby's eyes - are in shadow. I know it's almost impossible to set up shots like this and PT deserves kudos for getting as good a shot as this is. It's just that it's so close to being a great one.

This is a fascinating photograph. I'd love to know more about the subject. While I might have cropped it a little less severely - perhaps showing just a little more of the arm on the left, given a little more space on the right - I do not mind at all the loss of the other part(s) of the sculpure, or the inability to know exactly how the far figure is being suspended. It's obvious that it is being held up by the rest of the work and that should be good enough. I think the illumination of the features works very well, and would not be improved by a move of the light source to a more frontal location.

 

The one thing I think needs improvement is those rocks in the background. One giant step to the left, and the problem would be solved.

This is a great example of how a photo need not be pretty to be terrific. The expression on the face, the crud on the fork, the stubble - they all conspire to put the viewer off. And yet the image is captivating and compelling. Excellent job.

The dark blob doesn't bother me, but the extraneous blown-out highlight really could have been removed without losing the unmanipulated designation.

I think there's something to be said for just showing, photographically, an interesting object. And this certainly qualifies as that. As a work of documentary photography it is excellent, and I could even see it hanging on the wall of some MOMA somewhere.

 

Sure, if it could have been arranged as part of an artistic composition, then the photograph itself could have been considered a work of art. But I don't think PT has ever decided to limit itself to fine art photography. What I want to know is, was this done entirely with dough and oven, or was there a little help from Photoshop?

The picture fits the themes ok, but the composition leaves me a little unsettled. The desaturation seems sloppy and haphazard, as though a careless sweep of the lasso tool just caught whatever it happened to catch. And my eye just doesn't know where it's supposed to go. I think this is a great idea, but it needs more (and more careful) work.

The minimalist pattern of the dunes in the background contrasts beautifully with the richness of the pagoda and the trees around it. The detail in the shadows and the small human figures in the left background add to the feeling of life amidst desolation.

A great interpretation of the theme. The face really does portray youth, in all its subtle nuances. Showing it as just a shadow is also an inspired idea. Sort of reminds one of Plato.

Wow! Even from this far away, new fallen snow looks extra special. I look forward to seeing both the full panorama, and the next day's shots. I'd be playing with the new Photoshop's stitching tool, but I think that'll have to wait until I'm back from Italy in two weeks.

It's a wonderful shot. He looks like he's looking over the photographer's shoulder. Maybe he saw something the photographer didn't, and that's why he ran.