blago

Beautiful colors, Andrew ! The tree branches are so sharp that the whole picture looks like one giant autumn leaf. A rare case when the back light works so effectively. Regards. Blago

Happy New Year, John! :-) Blago

Nice action shot. Almost perfect. "Almost" because of a foot behind the right runner and because of the little more space needed to the left to show the whole shadow. Maybe, a "landscape" format, as Pascal suggested above, is the right decision. But the photo is a winner as it is, too. Regards. Blago

It's O.K., but I also see no emotions involved. Whites are beautifully exposed and the red watch makes a strong visual point. The background, however, is distracting, never mind it's well OOF. Regards. Blago

I like it a lot, too, Gerry. You managed to arrange some very exquisite lighting here. As if the light is coming from within her face. The well chosen background nicely complements the upright pose of this extremely beautiful model. Simple, beautiful, and original portrait. Regards. Blago

I like it, too. A story teller and exactly on the theme. Terrific B/Ws! If something, I'd arrange the clothes a little different, so to be more easily recognized by the viewer. The black stocking on the foreground, for example, is not easy to be seen. A shoe over the trousers would be not only better seen but could also add to the story. I suppose the last thing a lady removes when undressing are shoes. That means no way back, but I could be wrong, of course. :-) Happy New Year! Regards. Blago

Beautiful photo, Virginia ! Taken in England, though the pub is decorated with US posters (Route 66, N.Y.C. TAXI) and the people are not "English" looking at all. Probably they are immigrants facing severe problems - lack of money (how frugal their meal is ! ), language barrier, and even the rainy weather (umbrellas on the foreground). But the dramatic facial expressions make me think they came here for a funeral of some close relative and the pub is a stop on their way forward (back). The juxtaposition between that "JEWELLERS", reflected on the taxi window and depicted on the poster above the old couple, makes this candid shot a classic example of street/people photography. Regards. Blago

I'm close to John's speculation. She could be a dancer in a night club resting between numbers and thinking of something unpleasant, far from her job. She hates this job robbing her of her (ballet) dreams and simply of her future. She's realizing there's nothing good in the years to come. That's the drama in the short professional life of dancers and sportsmen - well-paid now but what next. She's looking alone and unhappy. That's why I like the darkness in the photo. It's difficult to me to recognize the place. It looks like a shop for Renaissance furniture (?) rather than a night club.Regards. Blago

Very strong conceptually, PT! We are (or going to be) from this side of the fence, where the lady is, but we are (or going to be) from the other side, too. That's true and inevitable for everyone of us. Everything works here, even the numbers above the two doors, but I like a lot this piece of the window (another fence!) we see through the open door. There still is some hope, though the things would never be as they were. Maybe, some post processing is needed. I'd correct the verticals but I hesitate about the grain. Who likes eye-candy picture of such places ? Regards. Blago

Interesting object and theme fit definitely. I'd consider presenting it in a "landscape" format. Also seeing a little more of the candle flame would be better, imo. Regards and happy holidays. Blago

Nice work, John. You saw this light spot on the barn and exposed for it. Then two final touches - some tiny star trails and, of course, the moonlight glow. And you put all this in a simple but not easy to see composition. Piece of art. Regards and happy holidays. Blago

Why am I insisting on "blood" in this image? This question turns to be almost a fixation to me these days. All of a sudden I got the answer. The connection is, maybe, from an old Koppola's movie, "The Conversation". There was a police inspector who was sure who the murderer is but the body of the victim was not found. And the inspector decided to search the murderer's house for some evidence. Finally, he entered the bathroom and looked down into the white toilet bowl. Nothing again. Then he reached out for the chain letting the water down. There was a deliberately long pause. You cannot expect a dead body to come down from the water reservoir. But after the water went down into the sewer, the toilet bowl started to fill back (from the sewer up) with rose, then red, and finally bloody red water. So, not the blood itself, but the expectation of it could do the job. :-) Regards and happy holidays. Blago

 

 

Hi, John. Let me offer you another B/W version of your image. I tried to give it a newspaper look (adding some shades of grey to whites), but it turns out to be not an easy task because of different sources of light. The image lacks, maybe, some of its original depth (?), though the tonality is improved (?). (I like the AZ's version, too, - more drama in it.)

 

The three people in front are far from "funny and charming". Your message is clear, never mind we don't know why they are so unhappy. More important is that different speculations could be offered. These are not just bored people standing in queue, they are truly unhappy people waiting for something unpleasant to happen. If not the poster behind I could imagine they are in court waiting for their verdicts to be read. Your explanation is giving the image a social dimension dramatically emphasising the visual impact of the juxtaposition captured. (Why not "Paying utility bills" directly as a caption ?)

 

Your photo remembers me some classic photos of tightly packed human heads. I like the main diagonal here composed of alternating man's and lady's heads and "arresting" somehow the leading female character (beautifully depicted!) in the lower left corner. What's on her shirt? "Chivas Regal" Scotch whisky? It cannot be her favourite drink, I suppose, - too expensive. :-) But it makes for another connection: from "This is the Chivas life." to "Funny and Charming". Regards and happy holidays. Blago

Office relations are so funny sometimes. Like two insects, same facial expressions, almost same glasses, as if caught in the middle of something. (I pretend I haven't read your explanation till now.) That's really incongruous, Erin ! Because half funny - funny and serious at the same time (what I've noticed in some of your other photos). They are serious people and they are afraid the public could misunderstand them, so they're smiling awkwardly trying to say "It's not true what you're thinking about, we're serious people!". We know, it's not an easy task to make serious people play funny games. They are too self-conscious. The viewer could be totally confused if not the laughing lady to the right. From the other hand, however, doing funny things seriously is an old trick. And now I'm reading your comment. Ridiculous! :-) Regards. Blago

Nice capture, Jenna! Needs a very small CCW rotation (or a perspective correction), imo. Unexpected and refreshing. Regards and happy holidays. Blago

I'm coming back to your shot I like a lot, PT.

 

Now if you rotate CCW your camera (looking down from the top of it) just a bit you could show the lower left corner of the bath tube, you could add some space to the left (for the plumbing), and you could get rid of that triangle of the right wall. I think, this would improve slightly the otherwise perfect geometry of the bathroom.

 

I'd consider also a little help for the viewer. I mentioned in my previous comment about including a cable release. It'd be very pleasing for photographers but this picture deserves bigger audience.What about using some more popular cord (cable, string, rope) tied to the gun trigger and ending around the place where the hand of the possible victim is supposed to be.

 

Another idea. The scene just after the shot - the gun is still smoking and from the bullet hole it made in the wall a fountain of blood is running.

 

Or (it's coming now to me) it's enough to open the tap and let the blood (not water) going down. (The blood could be blue!) There's a lot of bread, as we are saying here, in your arrangement, PT. Regards. Blago

It's Glozhenski monastery, Darko. Regards. Blago

Simple but effective portrait. Good interaction between the photographer and the subject. The man is not feeling self conscious, his facial expression is open and honest, he's trying to help the photographer. Exact exposure (the glasses are almost not seen, as if the man has put on only its frame), though the light is a little harsh. To take such a simple portrait without helping yourself with a chair or some additional detail is really bold. It shows total control on the media and a high-level craft. After writing all this I went to see other photographer's works. It seems I was right. Regards. Blago

Extremely beautiful, refreshing, optimistic, and human image, Alex! (V.Visotskij pribavil bi kapelku yada: "Razsudok ne pomerk eshcho, no eto vperedi" :-)) regards. Blago

Made to give you a piece of the sky and nailed to take it away from you. A dark symbol beautifully depicted. Regards. Blago

Nice idea, Ken. :-) Thank you. Regards. Blago

Bulgaria? Balkans? Maybe, I recognize this traditional households requisites. Nice capture. Regards. Blago

Hugh, you said "yoghurt carton". Yoghurt is the main dish of pensioners here. :-) But it's only an empty coffee cup. :-( Somehow I like it not knowing why. Regards. Blago

Thank you, guys. Guillermo, I'm glad you "read" the picture this way, because that was my intention. It's not a picture having an immediate impact. The viewer should feel it, as you did. Almost everything is done in PS - converting to B/W, softening, and toning.Then I hesitate for long about the final result. Happy holidays, guys! Regards. Blago

"As good as it gets" - true for the athlete inside, for the miserable girl outside, and for your photo, too, Hugh. I like that you are not sharing the common prejudice of (street) photographers for not taking photos of homeless people. But they are here, part of our life, and that's the truth having nothing to do with our wish to take or not take pictures of them. Happy holidays, Hugh! Regards. Blago