blago

Mixed feelings on this one, PT. The juxtaposition is clear. The democracy, symbolized by the US flag, against the terrorism, fascism, and communism. Maybe patriotic, but not completely true, imo. Stalin was a stupid soldier created by the WWII during the giant fight against fascism. To be more specific -- he was created by his deadly enemy Hitler, from one hand, and by his good friends, Roosevelt and Churchill, from the other. Then he and the last two gave life to all the communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe. Just like this, signing a piece of paper at the end of the war. Should I mention the same company made the state of Israel on not the best place in the world, too. I'm not discussing the visual aspects of your poster, only the messages. And these messages are too simple and too standard to be true, imo. Regards. Blago

Following Mandar, I'd say that's the best themefit for now. Maybe, more DOF would make the interesting pattern around the ball to pop up more. Good idea, PT! Regards. Blago

Smart, free for different interpretations, and conceptually very strong. The leg looks like a guard in a jail where the eggs are the prisoners. Still not born and already not free. Or, you should be dead to be absolutely free. Well done, PT. Regards. Blago

The story goes on. The face of the girl against the "collective face" of the public. We're always ready to help when it's too late. She wasn't dead, was she, Bob? Regards. Blago

The two photos are very strong. And put together (maybe, as a photo essay), and looked as a single one, they become even stronger. "Overdose?" and "Overdose!" Regards. Blago

A very strong photo, Bob. No need to be quite clear, so a caption like "Overdose?" would be even better. I like the random posses of the "heroes" here, as if dumped from a truck. The young lady, totally down and out, attracts like a magnet. What happened? Was it a party, or a concert, or some other event? The charm of the photo is in these questions, imo, and not in their answers. Regards. Blago

It was taken around 3 PM (?) and the light is a little harsh. Minus 2 or 3 f-stops could give such a result. The photos in a strong sunlight are always tricky but here the undersaturation creates some mood that nicely complements the well built composition. BTW, wouldn't the composition be even better if the bush on the right was cropped out ? Regards. Blago

Agree with Jana -- if not the assignment, "mechanical" is the last thing I'd think of as a subject of this photo. Nevertheless, a strong photo, PT. Very nice combination of a motion blur and elements in sharp focus. Pleasing colors against the pure background. I'll mention also the whipping crop against the whipping tail. The crop giving the rhythm and the tail responding to it. Nice. Regards. Blago

Nice photo, Erin. The hall seen on the right adds depth to the picture. The eyes of the two boys are beautifully lit. No tension, just pure joy of life. Maybe, it could be improved a little. Some edges (the facial contour of the boy in the middle, the upper lip of the mother) seem oversharpened. You could duplicate the image, sharpen it, then erase those edges on the duplicate and flatten. Regards. Blago

This one is very elegant, Gustavo. From one hand, the shallow DOV emphasises on the main subject (icicles), but from the other hand, it doesn't deprive the viewer of enjoying the larger scene behind -- the house and trees in the distance. In fact, we have well defined foreground, middleground, and background. Never mind the shallow DOF! A small still depicted against a large landscape, used as a background. It'd be perfect if there was a drop going down at the same moment. :-) Icicles are also very special, as if shoot with some X-ray camera -- the "bone structure" is clearly seen. :-) I like a lot this simple but clever picture. Regards. Blago

I don't see the DOF as a major drawback. The "busy background" mentioned by Jana (welcome!) is another (rusty) part of the same machinery and functionally is just in place. What's more, it provides for a pleasing color contrast against the wheels. The image does need some post processing. Regards. Blago

Good image, PT. A little more space on the right could help, imo. I like the composition and the light (colors). You could increase the impact of it if push a bit the colors or convert to B/Ws. Regards. Blago

Very good and original street photo, though it seems too common at first sight. Yes, people close in themselves, as Esteve Boix noted above, but here also there's a physical separation between them what underlines this idea. Two tired ladies, maybe returning home after long working hours. And they'll continue to work at home. In fact, there's only a formal separation between them. They live the same life. So close and so far away from one another. These jaded faces are simply beautiful, Alex. I'd call your photo "social", rather than "street". Regards. Blago

Biblically simple and very "Russian". The man is walking through the snow to help the wearied horse. A long road ahead. Excellent B/Ws, Kostja. Regards. Blago

A candid shot of a beach scene. Please critique. Thank you.

It's beautiful, PT. Now using your crop and refreshing the colors a bit I'm coming to this version. And I promise not to post on this image anymore. :-) Happy sailing. Blago

A candid shot of a beach scene. Please critique. Thank you.

It's a mild joke and I like it. Never mind the possible association with my name or just because of it. Regards. Blago

PT, you asked me about the technique used for the previous version. Yes, it's different from just Curves because using the Selective Color first is shifting the neutrals in the direction of blacks.(I cannot see the color original yet.) Regards. Blago

Very good photo, Marina, and a little unexpected for your style. I like the face of the lady nicely framed by this machinery and also the feet of the patient. I'd try to close the frame mentioned with the patient's left foot, making it vertical and bigger. If the patient is able to cooperate, of course.:-) Regards. Blago

PT, I'm opening your photo in PS. A single stroke with the History Brush in Overlay mode (Opacity 100%) gives this result.Now you could fade it until you get the desired version. Regards. Blago

I guess it was, Knicki, and here's some reasons for it. Open a color photo in PS and convert it to B/W (Image-Mode-Greyscale). Don't pay attention to the dramatic question "Discard color information?". Now convert it back to RGB: Image-Mode-RGB Color. Seems senseless, the photo is still B/W because we've just discarded the color information. But now stroke it with the History Brush. The discarded colors appear again! :-) And what's more important they could be manipulated in many different ways. If you play more with the History Brush (ridiculous term, isn't it?) you'll find it could be very helpful when manipulating B/W images, too! BTW, if you want to keep the color information of your B/W photo you have to save it before you reach the limit (number of states) of your History. Beyond that limit the color information is lost. All I'm saying is based on my personal experience with PS, so I could be wrong somewhere. Regards. Blago

 

Unexpected and very nice, Murat. I think it'd be even better if the sky was not included at all. It's funny to see the simplest man-powered vehicles shown together in a single frame. But there's a solid logic behind the picture. The man came with a bike, then waded through the swamp up to the boats. This hidden motion is charming. Regards. Blago

I'm comparing this photo to the previous one. Here -- an almost chaotic arrangement of cogwheels, rocker(s), and flange(s) and not a hint of functionality. On the B/W photo -- a single wheel put in an almost working position. I could accept both approaches: the "logical" beauty of a classic machine part (the B/W photo) against the visual hatred and fear of all the machinery (this photo). Of course, I'm referring to the author of the statue and not to the photographer taking a shot of it. What I don't like in the statue (not in the photo :-)) is I see no hubs in the cogwheels. Nothing to support them, not a hint for a motion or some functionality. And I'm sure it's made like this deliberately -- to make the viewer uncertain, to depress him, to put forth again the beaten to death idea "machines vs. men". But the statue/photo is too pretty to support such an idea. I'd suggest more rust and more decay. Good capture, PT. Regards. Blago

The light, though a little harsh, goes well with this image. I like Calin's rotation, too. Two things make this image work, imo: first, it's well isolated from other parts and, second, it's not totally extracted from its working position -- the axle support and the rope strongly connect the wheel with the rest of the machinery. Good job, PT. Regards. Blago