atlatling

What, me first again? Great photograph. Thought provoking -- I want to know more about what is happening here. This is one of the most unusual presentations I have seen on POW. Is she coming upon a parade? Is she following one? I thought at first she must be on a bridge and therefore no parking, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

I would crop the right edge off the photo to eliminate the shiny drain or manhole along the edge which keeps attracting my eye and distracting my full attention. I guess it could be burned in a little too.

 

I note your portfolio contains several images of lonliness such as this, with one single lone person. I think it tells a lot about you as a photographer.

 

Very nice work. I commend you and congratulations on being chosen.

 

Willie the Cropper

I love the humor, the simplicity and the white on white. Although I cannot see a good way to crop the image, I have a small (very small) objection to the composition being centered horizontally as it is. In viewing other pictures on your portfolio, I see a dozen or more of tracks in snow. Nicely "seen" and you give me incentive to look more closely when I'm out and about. Congratulations on being the chosen one.

 

Willie the Cropper

I've looked at this photograph for two days now (been out of town) and I cannot make up my mind if I like it or not. The compostion is somewhat bothersome to me and the ultra-sharp focus on all but the lower right thistle seems strange. I think Scott or who ever it was who noted the similarities between this one and the top left made a remarkable observation. Obviously (I think) you've combined at least two images. The stem on the lower right one is more out of focus than the other three too. None of this bothers me like the composition, however. I would crop this into at least three different photographs if it were up to me. I just don't like the out-of-focus middle of the photograph.

 

In viewing your other pictures in your portfolio, I see a lot to admire. You have Photoshop down pat! I just wish I could do some of the things you seem to do with such ease. Nice work.

 

Willie the Cropper

Wilson, I am sure there will be considerable discussion over "manipulation" of the image what with making three photographs and merging them. I just love it. I looked at many of your other photographs and marked you as "interesting" so I can find you again and again. I'll do that anytime I feel I need some inspiration. You have a marvelous portfolio. Congratulations on being chosen for POW.

 

I love the red and yellow colors--bright sharp and inviting. They seem to form the background to the wonderful cobblestone detail to what I see as the subject. An unusual composition, but the wet cobblestones are so very sharp they drag the eye right to them.

 

My only wish was that there would be more sharpness to the buildings in the upper portions of the photograph. Possibly stitching a fourth photograph, focused on that area, might achieve that. I don't know. Then, of course you would be manipulating too much for this audience.

 

I noticed several well manipulated pictures in your portfolio. You do wonderful work. Keep it up. Very nice -- Very attractive, and they certainly do grab the eye.

 

Willie the Cropper

An absolutely striking photograph. What an idea for a background! Marvelous eye for an unstaged picture, or great planning. It makes no difference.

 

I can't help it but I need to crop the extreme right side off at the right edge of the sign. But then, mayby that is why I'm not a great photographer--I see an "unnecessary" shadow and want it removed.

 

Love the colors. Congratulations for being chosen.

 

Willie the Cropper

This is another of Tanya's portraits worthy of note. She has others photographed with this same skill and sensitivity. The somber penetrating eyes just "grab" the viewer and hold ones attention.

 

The subject is just enough off center not to look posed that way, but not centered enough so that it looks as if that's what the photographer desired. (I don't know if that was understandable as stated, but it's a good comment.)

 

The tedium of the greens of the background, which by the way, match well with the object the subject is leaning on, is nicely broken up by the young lady's presence.

 

If I have a negative comment, it is that the young lady's left elbow is too near the bottom of the picture, and foreshortening of the left arm looks a bit awkward -- almost like she's deformed. Not really bad, but it did catch my eye.

 

But what really catches my eye, is the somber look -- those arresting eyes! Nicely done.

 

Willie The Cropper

the photographer has a number of photographs in his portfolio much more interesting, believable, and to my mind better story-telling images. This one is not one of the believable ones. It didn't happen, couldn't have happened and looks unbelievable.

 

I don't believe the image fits together well -- The subject is spread across the too wide of a range to feel comfortably as all one subject. The more I look at it the less severe that problem becomes, but initially it looked like a jumble of images rather than one single thought. Compositionally, if one or more of the two people were to be placed partially infront of the vehicle it would tie them into the story better and improve the scene.

 

Again, as with last weeks image, I can see no way of improving the picture by cropping, so I should probably just leave it alone. I guess instead of cropping, I would like to pull the parts together more.

 

Willie the Cropper

Funny, I don't want to crop it at all, but I do wish the bright splash of light on the robes near the feet could be subdued and darkened considerably. It tears my eye away from the face and beautiful brilliant light just behind the head--the main focus of the subject. Great photograph otherwise.

 

Willie The Cropper

What a wonderful backdrop for a photograph--the Milwaukee Art Museum. The lines are wonderful--an architectural wonderland. I like having the subject doing something rather than just static. Nice job there too. The only criticism I have is that had the model been a couple of feet behind where she was, she wouldn't be looking out of the picture. I find it is much better to have people looking INTO the picture rather than out. Even an exact mid-position would have been better.

 

Nice lighting, texture ect. Worthy of many comments on this fourm, I would suspect. Congratulations on being selected.

 

Willie the Cropper

Yep, I must agree with Mona - you cheated us by giving it the full name. "Wind Cathedral" would have been sufficient. None of this Nambia business, date, etc. I still like the picture very much, but implying that it represents the Nambian desert dune field goes against my grain. Sorry Paul.

This weeks image is an attention grabber for sure. I wouldn't mind showing this picture on my wall, which is one of the measurements I make when evaluating a picture. In fact, I would very much like looking at it often and for long periods.

 

When realization of how it was done, and knowing in my heart that it was not real, I felt a bit better about my geology knowledge. What artist wouldn't like to have something like this to attract his viewers. I cannot wait to try this effect on something of mine.

 

I can understand the feeling some have of being duped by the non-reality of this picture, but not to the extent of disapproving of the technique. I like it a lot, and I like the more natural view someone added later equally well.

 

I agree strongly with Anders Hirgel comments. I can see no way of cropping which would improve it, so I'm happy. My best to Paul for showing me a new way to see.

 

Willie the Cropper

I would love to have this picture gracing my walls. I cannot think of any way to crop it which would improve it in my mind, and I believe that any artistic burning and dodging and color enhansement only improves the already striking scene. (The possible exception I see is that the color of the large rock on the right might be a bit too orange, but that is with my monitor and eyes -- possibly not so with others.)

 

Like a painting, book or other artistic endeavor, the artist himself is the one who decides what is best and how much and how far to go in finishing the piece. I absolutely love what photoshop can do, and although I, myself cannot achieve what this artist did here, I can admire it.

 

I am in full agreement with Alberto Conde who has experience photographing such scenes. I would strongly recommend that you all visit his portfolio for similar views and lighting with wonderful wide scopes. Such work is not easy to achieve. It takes great dedication and I admire both Alberto and Piotr's success. Bravo!

 

Willie the Cropper

More documentary than artistic I feel. Not the kind of photograph I would want on my wall -- yet it it interesting to view. I see the confusion, yet orderlyness of the place, the softness (within the window frame) yet still a hardness that this child will be growing up into. (The pattern of yellow pipes reminds me of my old screen saver.) There is almost zero depth to the photograph I note, not a criticism, just a comment. Colors are interesting and the sadness of the childs face draws ones interest as well.

 

Willie the Cropper

Jan, thanks for confirming that the textured surface of the mid-ground is snow covered ice. Thought so. One additional comment, if I may. I think your way of framing with just a simple black line outlining the photograph and then set it off with a shadow and your name just off the photograph is super. I like that a lot.

 

Incidentally, I went over other of your photographes and am quite taken with many of them. I envy you the opportunity to shoot in the wilds of the back country. You really do nice work.

 

Above somewhere, someone mentioned a possible crop of the rock on the right foreground. It might work, but so would a slight darkening of the rock. Just burn it in a bit and it won't jump out at the viewer, although until it was mentioned, I hadn't noticed it so much.

The color and lighting are fabulous! Try as I might, I cannot find a way to crop the photograph which would improve it. It seems about perfect in that respect too. When I measure the far background's horizon, I think it might be askew just a tad, but cannot say for sure as the picture is too small to see exactly where the horizon really is.

 

I find the texture of what I originally thought was water to be interesting. That must be snow covered ice down there.

 

At any rate, I wouldn't mind having this on my wall and could spend a long time looking at it. Nice work, and congratulations on being selected for POW.

 

Willie the Cropper

I must write this before looking at other comments. Else I might be swayed by their arguments.

 

I was completely taken by this photograph. The green eyes really make it for me! And, I love those muted red tones. I like the way the mask looks back into the picture making one eye the subject following the rule of thirds in composition. The closest point in the picture is slightly out of focus, which doesn't detract at all, but rather lends a feeling of depth to the overall scene.

 

If it were my photograph, I would crop the last little white stripe in the lower left corner by removal of a snippit from the left side. Congratulations on being chosen. I have enjoyed perusing your portfolio. You do nice work.

 

Willie the Cropper

The frame is nice. Having said that, I think the picture needs cropping. The yellow of the shell along the top of the photo is just too much. Not only is it only a little out of focus, but much too bright.

 

Actually, this might be a photograph which would benefit with a "round" crop. Forget the shells entirely and just show the face of the beast in a circular photograph. That's the fun and interesting part of the subject anyway. Nice portrait. I'll look at it more over the week, but that is my view at this moment.

 

Willie the Cropper

I find the composition interesting, but the general subject less so. The model's posture is peculiar in that the head seems to sit on the body like an afterthought. Color is good, and I like the contrast in texture. You would have thought the photographer could have eliminated the many skin blemishes--there must be 8 or 10 dark moles which would't have taken a minute to clone out.

I don't know if this presentation is any good or not, but I do think it is interesting. I suggest that it is a Macro Study in Surface Tension with lighting provided behind a perforated screen. The photo keeps dazzeling my eye like an optical illusion, or one of those nasty, insistant little pop-up ads that blink on and off which you cannot overlook, and are seemingly forced to act on.

 

Like many of the reviewers, I would be interested in seeing how this photograph (and others in your portfolio) were done, but perhaps, that is the exercise--to figure out for ourselves the lighting, materials, etc.

 

This would look great as a very large picture displayed against a brick wall in some large office situation.

Ah, but was the dragonfly dead at the time of capture by the bird? Was it being held by a fishing line to bate the bird? Was the line cloned out in post production? Did Vezon Thierry use two cameras? Will we ever know any of these answers? None of which detracts, in my mind from the excellent photograph!

Absolutely great catch. You must have worked long and hard for this. The posture of the bird looks like one of Audubon's paintings. The eye is in perfect focus as is the rest of the bird with the exception of a bit of wing movement which is great. I like the clover or what ever the plant is at the bottom being slightly out of focus but with the far background completely unfocused. I think you did marvelously with this photograph. I have no desires to crop it or make any changes which is a real switch for me.

I think this is rocks in a flowing stream, or it could be stumps of wood. At any rate, I find this particular photograph unimpressive. My eye cannot light on a subject. It might be better in color. Just what is the subject--the big rock or the large light colored spot just to the left of the rock. The water makes a pattern, but is uninterestiang to my eye. I think the large rock might be a better subject, if it had more space above it. I also would crop the lower third away as it does nothing for this photo.

 

Before I made my comments here, I looked at your other photographs and see that I do absolutely love many of your works. Some of those in still water, especially the one with just the slightest bit of color is absolutely wonderful. I like some of the sky scenes too. Actually even those with water movement generally are far superior to the one selected for POW. I blame the elves for that. You have much to offer and I congratulate you for being selected, but they just picked the wrong one.

 

Everyone should check out the other fine pictures made by this man before commenting on this POW. Really outstanding work.

I think the footprints are a total distraction to the picture. Evidentally, I am in the minority at this point--but then I always seem to be anyway. I, posing as Willie the Cropper, tried to mentally improve the presentation by cropping them out, but that throws the horizon right in the center of the image.

 

In some ways, I like the texture effect achieved in photoshop, but it is overdone for my taste. Some of your other work use similar texture, but not quite as severely. I like them better, I think. The background looks more like a painted canvas against which the girl is standing. I know that that is not what truly is pictured here, but I still see it that way.

 

As far as the discussion goes on "photographs" vs. "Photoshoped depictions," I'm with the photoshop people. The future is here, Long Live Photoshop!

I wish I had the words to fully describe what I feel looking at this image. Alas, I am unable to. I see a little of what I feel in several of the above comments, but most especially as Peter Mead described his feelings. (He never stated if he approved of the photograph or not.) I do!

 

This is simplicity at its best, yet truly isn't really simple. A lot of thought and artistic skills went into the picture. I see it as a very dramatic design, rather than a landscape of dunes, yet I know full well what is pictured here is sand. I'm driven to want to do something similar, but don't know how.

 

A really nice piece of work. The color is fantastic, with or without the dark frame. I'm glad your picture was selected for POW. It gave me the opportunity to check other bits of your most interesting work.

No, No, No, Mona -- that blue depiction eliminates some of the nice cloud structure and changes or eliminates virga in the sky. Not real looking at all. Leave the wonderful color as it is. Unless, that is, you print in Black and White. The photograph works well in B&W too, but is best as originally colored.