atlatling

Personally, I like the black bands at top and bottom of the photograph. I wish the copyright and artists name were down there rather than on the photo. I think Doug is correct in his photo showing light on the man's face. Maybe not that much, but a hint more than is showing in the original at any rate.

My problem with the image is that the girl seems taller than the man, and had she been looking upward to his face it would have made a better photograph. Oh well, It is still an attractive looking image. At first all I saw was the water spray when all of a sudden it dawned on me that there were two faces there. That is the "magic" in this image. No cropping required here either.

Willie the Cropper

Greg, thanks for your comments. Sharp, clearly defined clouds may be difficult to get the nearer you are to sea level. Mostly then you have a difused fog-like cloud bases, and not these much higher ones we get in the midwest and southwest part of the country. Good luck on the meterology study. I looked for some of your pictures in your gallery and found none. I'll check back later on and see if you publish some. I'd like to see them, especially weather related ones.

John A. said it best with his last and final comment: It is still a nice, pleasant image. To move further into the terms of WOW, or Extraordinary, I would suggest a couple of crops. Why? because they are there. Make a horizontal rectangle rather than a square of this "pleasant" image. Cut the sky and horizon away midway from the horizon to the upper-most rocks, and make a similar cut at the bottom half way up to the rocks. The blue tones look best in my view with just a hint of the pinkish tones. Those pinks fight for the forfront, when we know the rocks are the subject. I think my suggested crops make for a more dramatic shot.

Willie The Cropper

Another WELL SEEN from Willie the Cropper. I agree with Doug's comment that the upper right doesn't look quite right, nor does the extreme right center where there is a blob of something. Can't tell just what. Both areas could be fixed with a couple of minutes work with PhotoShop or other picture programs.
Beepy mentions the back and forth feel of the image and I couldn't agree more. Very nice composition. I am drawn into the work.

Willie the Cropper

I don't want to get into this as deeply as it appears others have. I'll wait until later to read all of these critiques -- Looks like a hornets nest. Anyway, I think this is a great photograph. It could use a small change or two as i see it, but no elimination of whole people. In fact, although I tried and tried, I could not find a way to improve it by cropping, unless one was to eliminate a tiny strip from the right side to help lose the dark corner. That could also be done by cloning that dark area away. Initially, I though the object in the upper left corner could be cloned away or darkened, but after further review, I think it adds to the depth of the picture.

The tiny dark frame around the picture causes confusion as to what is in the picture and what is not. It could use a lightly shaded border first, and then the dark one, or none at all. Personally, I see that as this images greatest flaw, and that's not much of one. That frame and the darkened corner do bother me a tad.

Overall a great shot with wonderful light and shadow. That light, almost hazy background set this picture off, nicely.

Willie the Cropper

Great idea, Lannie. I just may add a color image of Antares in the background. Thanks, ... Bill

I couldn't agree more with Ryan Aldrich's views above. Get rid of the power lines. They are to me, a major distraction. I love the shot otherwise. Good crop. "Lit" up trees. Massive towers. Best of all, a sensible and sensitive title. I so strongly disagree with those who feel titles are not the photographer's job. Without this clever title one might not know just what the photographer was stating. Besides, it is an artistic form of completion to the work. Granted, some photos don't absolutely need one, but often they improve the work in my humble view. No cropping needed here.

Willie the Cropper

When I viewed this absolutely striking image a few days ago, I looked for a crop too, and found it. The same one that Gorden found. However, I didn't see turning the image 90 degrees as he did. Excellent idea. I do feel that the original artist did crop. Whether in the camera or in production, I don't know. I feel too, that it was too tightly cropped at that point, cutting off the feet, and if done in the camera, it did not allow diagonal views as well as the horizontal, as Gordon suggests, or the original vertical. It might have been even more attractive in some other pose.

That issue aside, it is a technical wonder and one of the most eye catching inages I have seen in a long time.

Willie the Cropper

I agree with Monika's assessment in that the little lit up object in the upper right is out of place and once called to my attention does distract me a little. But then so does the bulbous shadow lower right. Both could easily (probably) be cloned out or reduced to such an extent as to become oblivious to the viewer.

I tried to crop away from the existing image, and can successfully make a couple of different images out of this one still making quite good compositions and eliminating the two objects I mentioned above. However, none would be better than the artist's construction as is. It's really a lovely piece of work. That walkway is most interesting and could be used as a backdrop over and over with other pictures. Congratulations on being chosen for this week's POW.

Willie the Cropper

I am not really into ballet photography, however you seem to be an expert, judging from your portfolio. Overall very nice work. I do have a couple of problems with this particular image, however. First, for slightly better symmetry, crop the floor away just above the shadow. That shadow may not be connected with the dancer at all--it could be from some bystander. Ah, yes, it must be from the dancer. I see the same shadow in other very similar shots of yours.
What is that green object along the floor line. It keeps attracting my eye. Clone it away, or make it some other color.
I admire the very graceful lines depicted here. The desaturated colors go well with it. Congratulations on being chosen this week.
Willie the Cropper

A most interesting picture, but I think I remember doing this photo a few months or weeks ago. Could my memory banks be exhausted?

Willie the Croopper

The strong diagonals make it for me. Both the floor and the palm leaf display diagonals. Both, the top and sides are cropped rather close and not much "air" is left. The top can handle it because it is a smaller element which approaches the outer frame as well as being just a tad bit more spaced than the sides. The bottom is just great as far as that goes. I think what I am saying is that it might be just a little over cropped on the sides to achieve the square format.

The lighting is good, but possible too strong on the girls legs. It could stand to be a little less overpowering. Overall it is good, however.

Congratulations on being this week's chosen one.

Willie the Cropper

Love the shot. Very nice and sharp, but the out of focus area is possibly too abrupt. Was it "helped along" by adding blur? I am bothered by this striking photograph for having too many photoshop cutesies included...

First is the copywrite, then the signature, a frame and finally the shadow behind the picture. To me this is too much. Try eliminating any two of those. I think the colors, although I like that green very much, are a bit too exagerated.

Additionally, I would crop it away where your signaure is, and add about as much to the top and left side. That would put the center of attraction in place for following the "rule" of thirds.

Congratulations,
...Willie the Cropper

First off, I must say that this is an attention grabber. A most attractive abstract. (And, yes, there is a but coming.)

But... The more I look at this image, the more I find myself confused. The lighting is coming from all over the place. Some from the top, even more from the bottom and a dab from both left and right of top. Maybe more that those four places, too.

I don't think the middle marble is quite right with the shadow or redish color around the left side. It looks as if you forgot to finish it. However, the bottom marble is the part that really confuses me. Maybe that's good too. It is sort of an optical illusion. Is the marble on a flat surface as one might gather from a first look, or is it in a spoon shaped hollow hiding its front edge?

I think it warrents further examination, and I am curious to see what the others have to say. I do congratulate you for both an interesting photograph and for the honor of having Picture of the week.

Willie the Cropper

Thanks Emma,. No, not real. Heavily modified from the original landscape and made to hopefully look other-worldly.

 

Bill

Two things bother me a little with this most expressive image. I can enjoy (if you can call it enjoy) the story that comes to me of having to put down an old dog. I have been through it a couple of times in my life. The dog is aware of the sad feelings the woman shows. Well done in that respect.

One of the two points I have difficulty with lie in the bottom of the picture. The woman is resteing her elbow on an object. Is it a purse, her knee, or something else all together. Also below the dog's shoulder is a white strip at the very bottom of the photograph. Those could be done away with by a simple crop just below the woman's elbow making a square format.

The other bothersome item is the dark blob on the light colored vertical strip (a pipe maybe) in the upper right side of the picture. That whole pipe could be removed, or at least the dark blob could be cloned to match the rest of the white pipe. I find my eye is continually drawn to that distraction. I love the sentiment shown and see an obvious story.

Willie the Cropper

I meant to add that the sky is interesting to me especially with 37 years of being a weather observer. Those cumulus clouds are what we in the business call "streets" of cumulus--for obvious reasons.

This one is among your best landscapes. I am a little troubled with the lower left corner being too washed out. If you have Photoshop or some similar program you could darken that area a little. The tree is nice and even in the shady portions one can still see details. Lovely area to shoot in too. Take care and thank you for looking in at my portfolio. Good luck.

 

Bill

Hi Alejandra,

 

This photo is a real attention grabber. The monochrome scene gives one a feeling of eerieness and foreboding. The reflections in the glass and overhead lighting in the room enhances those feelings. You did very well on this one. I like it a lot.

Bill

For once, I don't see that a crop is in need here. The vignetting is a bit strong, and could be reduced which might give the photo a more natural feel. I like the red umbrella a great deal and it's location is not far from where the rule of thirds would place it. That could have been better placed, but it's not bad. Tone down the yellow vehicle and the bus, or clone them away.

Maybe it is the weatherman in me that wants to see the snow falling all over the image. Something like a Guy Wiggins painting. As it is, only three flakes make there appearance here along the left side in among the trees looking as blotches. I think I might try putting blotches all over the photograph with photoshop, the nearer ones larger and smaller farther away. This would be just to see what it looks like--that might, or might not improve it. It could make nice art and/or bad photography. It is a nice picture overall and my congratulations for being chosen this week.

Willie the Cropper

I find the nose on the main subject to be too far out of focus. I would suggest cropping it away making a square format. It might need a little cut from the other side to achieve the square. Other than that, I find it a nice picture with great sharpness of the eye and the subject within. Well done, but you might try the same effect with a straight on approach where you have a flatter image to shoot. Never the less an interesting photograph.

Willie the Cropper

Marc G. you've done wonders with the change to B&W. It makes all the difference in the world, I think. I'm going to have to pay attention to colors more from now on. The colors didn't bother me until I saw your reproduction. Now I think it is a far better image.

Willie the Cropper

When I first looked at this photograph, I was struck by the sweetness of the little girl and the baby, but my eyes kept seeing that background -- the wall trim.... Then I wondered about the eye lashes --- could they be real?. (My wife assures me that they are indeed real and that the little girl's hair will probably turn a bit browner by age 10 or so.) They are so long and beautiful. Any way, I am not sure I like the out of focus foreground and I do not like the mop boards or wall trim. I'm left with, since you don't clone, one cure, if indeed this photograph needs fixing, and that is cropping.

Cut the bottom of the photo off just above the photographer's name, say half way to the baby's arm, and then darken what's left of the out of focus portion. Crop away each side leaving a little space beyond her shoulders. It makes another picture, but you do away with the wall trim and keep the same proportions.

Or you could just leave it alone and not worry about what us viewers think. It still is a lovely shot.

Willie the Cropper

That should of course be --- Indeed!

Fantastic indead!

Bill