|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/18/2003 11:47:53 AM
Hi Ted--I was drawn to this image right away; you've really captured the intensity and moodiness of the scene. I was undecided on the composition too until I looked more closely. What I think you've come up with here is a classical composition in a really unusual way: the figure is what draws your eye to the left, no doubt about it but her head points the eye up to the upper right side of the frame where the shorter grasses are blowing. Then my instinct was to look directly left to the tall grasses and follow that decline to the bottom right side of the frame. X marks the spot...I'm immediately reminded of Théodore Géricault's Raft of the Medusa--it's heavy on the left side but the creation of the compositional "x" is so interesting. I also shoot IR the old fashioned way--as soon as I can find the SCSI cable for my scanner, I'll upload some images. I'd love to hear what you think. I also shoot with a red filter but have it on my list to buy an 87c. I read on a newsgroup post that Kodak recommends an ISO of 10 as a starting point for daylight and an ISO of 25 for tungsten lighting. Unfortunately you still need to bracket though...this is one thing about shooting IR that I find frustrating--5 brackets for each image makes that expensive little roll of film go fast. Congratulations on the Editor's Choice nod--it's well deserved.
|
| Photo By: Ted Williams
(K:324)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/12/2003 4:22:02 AM
Hi Alan, what a gorgeous location--where is this? I love how the frost accentuates every branch of the tree and grasses. And there are no footsteps to marr the beauty of the landscape.
Compositionally I think that I would have liked to see this view from you shooting a little closer, stepping towards you right and pointing the camera sharply to the left--I think there might be a better angle to the little house (?) and I think the background would be more interesting (is that a lake beyond?). I'm sure you were focusing on the tree, however, and tried to move around to find the best angle without showing your footsteps. Did you use a polarizing filter to help make the sky that blue? The reason I ask is because the snow in the foreground looks flat and I thought that might be the reason.
Snowscapes are so hard to capture and perfect but you're head and shoulders above my efforts. Take care, Michelle
|
| Photo By: Alan Orr
(K:9671)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/8/2003 3:32:38 AM
Roger, it almost pains me to look at the pictures in your portfolio, I miss Japan so much. This shot is a perfect glance into one aspect of daily commuter life: the rampant display of advertisements they're faced with every day. It's really crazy, but I'll take their colorful marketing to billboards on a Texas freeway any day.... ;-)
|
Photo By: Roger Williams
(K:86139)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/8/2003 2:49:58 AM
Thanks Matej for the useful suggestions...I appreciate you taking the time.
|
| Photo By: Chelle Yelvington
(K:260)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/8/2003 2:13:35 AM
By the way, this is a Polaroid emulsion lift.
|
| Photo By: Chelle Yelvington
(K:260)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/8/2003 1:59:02 AM
Michael--
I've studied this photograph at length and still can't figure out how you managed to pull this off. Where *were* you?! Were you shooting this in a professional capacity? What's the context? Is this guy just doing stunts or did you single him out after a jump? It just doesn't look like the regular setting for motor cross. I'm really impressed by what you've done here--the colors are spectacular, your capture of the fast movement is flawless (I like how you didn't simply pan, you sort of jostled the subject around but still kept him in relatively sharp focus). I love how parts of the image are "implied" because they've virtually been erased by how fast he's going. Head and shoulders above typical sports photography. Kudos.
|
| Photo By: Michael Holm
(K:7931)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/7/2003 5:44:24 AM
Why do I want to say "weeeeeeeeeeee!!!" when I look at your work? I can positively feel the dust-like texture of that construction paper and almost smell it. Actually, the smell I'm reminded of is paste. I think the thing that I like most about your work is the fact that you sit down and *arrange* things, create patterns, etc. There's a lot of creative hands-on stuff going on before the other decisions are made (lighting, lenses, film, etc.). You're like a mad scientist running amock. In Garland, no less. ;-)
|
| Photo By: Barry Walthall
(K:5312)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/7/2003 5:24:51 AM
Barry, I just took a look at your portfolio and I have to say I'm simply amazed. You make it look so easy, taking everyday objects and photographing them in completely surprising ways. You've established such a trademark style...I feel like I could stumble across one of your photographs and say: "Well, would you look at that? That's a Barry Walthall". ;-) Your work betrays the fact that you're having entirely too much fun...
|
| Photo By: Barry Walthall
(K:5312)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/7/2003 4:18:22 AM
Yes, a chair would have been convenient. I like how you enhanced the bronze work--mine was very flat in comparison. But I think the stained glass image of the deceased adds to the composition--without it, I wouldn't have bothered with the photograph in the first place. I do wish that i had increased the depth of field, however.
|
| Photo By: Chelle Yelvington
(K:260)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/7/2003 3:13:33 AM
Gorgeous tonalities--I like the grey/brown monocromatic scheme broken up only by the red writing on the advertisements on the wall behind. The donkey has a touchingly benign look on his face that suggests acceptance of his long life of toil and that perhaps, he's been photographed before. My only quibble with this photograph is that I wish the shot had been made lower and just beneath the donkey a bit--I would have liked just a hint of his legs shown in the frame.
|
| Photo By: In Transit
(K:29432)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/5/2003 2:14:17 AM
Richard, if I was on any pilgrimage it was to see Modigliani and Oscar Wilde. ;-) Jim certainly had the most visitors though. Unfortunately some of them left annoying grafiti throughout the rest of the cemetery with arrows pointing towards his grave. Other than that, I found Pere Lachaise a wonderous place--full of history, beauty, mystery and....some of the most interesting-looking people I've ever encountered.
|
| Photo By: Chelle Yelvington
(K:260)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/5/2003 2:08:34 AM
Just FYI, I didn't leave the last comment. I left the room with this page up and my boyfriend felt compelled to comment--he skulked off after I yelled at him ;-). Back to the topic at hand: I like this photograph, the saturation of colors is very rich, especially the variations in the wood as it soaks up the sunlight. Compositionally it's straight forward (my boyfriend doesn't know what he's talking about--the mountains to the left fill up the space nicely) but all of the necessary information has been given. Nice shot. Great location and emotional impact.
|
| Photo By: Mark Beltran
(K:32612)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/4/2003 9:58:02 PM
Good exposure. Upper left of frame is absent in regards to composition.
|
| Photo By: Mark Beltran
(K:32612)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/3/2003 1:03:00 AM
I like this image a lot--the swirling foliage is seductive and almost hypnotic. I like the fact that the only tonality isn't just black and white; the lines beside the branches add that perfect touch of gray (no pun intended dead heads), just what the image needs. My only quibble is with the bird...I find the tiny bit of color surrounding him to be a little distracting; I also think the type of bird chosen is too soft for this image--a black silhouette of a crow might be an interesting choice. But really, that's nit-picking. I realize that you must have altered this image in PS, but on first glance, I thought it was a Polaroid image transfer because of the wavy edges. Overall a nice abstract image.
|
| Photo By: kita mcintosh
(K:18594)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
12/2/2003 10:44:22 PM
Hi Leo--I would like this photograph more if there was a little more information given. I'm in the food business but even I'm left guessing--are these covered lunches/dinners? Are these lunches prepared for laborers or for a celebration? I can tell by the cloth on the table and the presentation that this is probably a meal time ritual in a non-Western country but I wish there were additional clues as to the significance of the image. Although I'm a big fan of high contrast images, I think you've overdone it just a bit here. I'd like to see the details in the floor and wall behind the table--perhaps some additional clues lurk there. The only other criticism I have is that there doesn't seem to be a central focus to the image--that is, all of the elements are given equal importance. I *do* want to commend you on the composition--you'd obviously given some thought to certain elements (the table and the wall for instance) and how they would lead the eye around the picture. I also think it's a very creative image--it's an unusual subject and gives us that "slice of life" feel. I'd just like to know more about that life.
|
| Photo By: Leo Indrawan
(K:39)
|
|
|
Critique By:
Chelle Yelvington (K:260)
11/29/2003 8:49:32 PM
I love this photograph, especially the lighting. I can't image just stumbling upon perfect conditions such as these, so the photographer must have waited until the decisive moment. The rays of sunlight add a sense of mystery, intrigue and quiet beauty. Although cemeteries are a popular subject among photographers, this image is highly creative. I like that the shot was taken outside of the cemetery, that's also unusual--I wouldn't have thought of this...instead I'd be stumbling among the tombstones hoping for inspiration. Again, the lighting just blows me away. I also think the sepia tone is perfect for the subject matter--time seems to be suspended. Kudos to Andre--this photograph is positively inspiring...I just wish I had it hanging in my home.
|
| Photo By: A. W. Osnafotos
(K:6373)
|
|
