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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
11/13/2002 12:56:37 PM
Next time I go out taking pictures of flowers, I'm gonna take me a set of watercolors and a block of paper. Then I can get the background I want. No, it's not my idea. John Shaw talks about doing this behind fish tanks to get nifty, out of focus backgrounds. Though it's faster and easier to do it in Photoshop.
Either way, the image is manipulated. (Now if that's not troll bait, I don't know what is).
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| Photo By: Anil Nediyara
(K:93)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
11/13/2002 12:52:12 PM
I suppose I can't add too much more to what's already been said (or is that "written?") about this image. From the thumbnail, it looks like bold, painted strokes, but then there's a weird texture in the foreground.
The full image is, well to quote someone else, Stunning (yes, with a capital "S").
Hmm, Velvia, polarizer, the colors just jump out of the screen. A shame about the contrails. Or is it? I don't know. Maybe they add something. They are going the right way, after all. I take that back. Good thing the contrails were there that day. ;-)
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| Photo By: Michael Busselle
(K:221)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
11/13/2002 12:45:30 PM
I'll echo the comments about the duck. It looks more like a speck or some mistake while printing. I just wish the left side of the boat's oar wasn't cropped.
While scrolling down just now, the browser "cropped" the top off the image. I thought it was really interesting as a panoramic format -- cropped about half-way between the duck and the bow.
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| Photo By: Aiman Nassar
(K:11961)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
11/8/2002 5:44:38 AM
I knew this had to be a digital capture with the DOF that it has -- even with the thumbnail. What was the focal length of the lens you used. Probably 8mm or so.
It seems a little blown out on the top left of the ridges. Maybe some sort of diffuser (try a piece of paper) to soften it a bit -- but make sure you keep the great modelling you have going here.
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| Photo By: Paul Brogden
(K:0)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
11/6/2002 2:50:03 AM
This picture is just screaming for the obvious pun: "Feet Mondrian."
Hey, if I didn't say it, some else would have. ;-)
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| Photo By: Ariane Drefke
(K:0)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
11/3/2002 11:27:33 AM
One of the first things I learned about photo-montage is to make sure the lighting is consistent. Here you have three completely different lighting sets and, while not immediately noticable, most folks would (unconciously, at least) see that something wasn't quite right. Especially with the strong directional lighting on the boy and the somewhat softer directional lighting on the girl from the opposite direction. If the girl were backlit, it would look fine as the wall could conceivably (and probably would) be shadowed, as it is.
You could try making the back of the girl brighter but with such a contrast in lighting I don't know if it would still be believable.
Now, I'm only saying this because otherwise it's very well done. It's only after one can assemble images like this that you must look at other, more advanced, techniques.
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| Photo By: Joe McCary
(K:3235)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
11/2/2002 2:51:50 AM
What's so weird about the lens? Remember, this is a digital camera -- not 35mm.
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| Photo By: myliu
(K:2)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/31/2002 1:29:04 PM
I like the light on this one. It reminds me of the Coaster (commuter train) trip I made from Oceanside to Sorrento Valley each morning. Or, in this case, in the afternoon. I have an image of this same beach from above the cliffs, on the train, in the morning. Not nearly as clear and crisp, but an entirely other feeling altogether: http://www.usefilm.com/showphoto.php?id=11700
It's kind of funny, seeing your name there. Just as I move away from North County, SD, another "Adam" starts posting from San Diego.
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| Photo By: Adam Kimmerly
(K:382)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/21/2002 2:16:50 AM
So, how do you really feel about Sue? ;-)
What I find fascinating about this is that the focus of the image is the flower in the background that's not in focus. My eye keeps getting drawn to it.
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Photo By: Rose Hooper
(K:899)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/21/2002 1:57:42 AM
Hi Mary Sue. Very strong lines. Wonderful halo (from the back light, that is, heh-heh). The texture, everything about this is a winner. Even (or especially) the lack of a dew-drop. The fact that everyone is asking for one shows that it evokes a feeling of, er, something. Just a feeling, I suppose. And that's one of the purposes of art. Mind you, I thought the same thing when I first saw it, and would love to see another image with the water drop, but I wonder if it would lose the "edginess" and just become another leaf in the manner of Shaw.
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| Photo By: Mary Sue Hayward
(K:17558)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/21/2002 1:36:54 AM
Hi Terrence. To get rid of the "ghost" graphics, You could try a polarizing filter. There are times, when wearing polarizing sunglasses, the graphics disappear completely so I don't know if it's either all or nothing with LCD displays.
The curve in the trim (above the radio) distracts from it being a product shot but adds some realism that this is someone's car. It depends what you were going for.
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| Photo By: Terrence Kent
(K:7023)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/19/2002 5:08:22 AM
Try again with the image.
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| Photo By: Adam E. J. Squier
(K:9803)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/19/2002 5:05:41 AM
Wow! Flew through the handles? What you can't see is the big skylight "bubble" that makes the space between the roof and handles that much smaller. The building is empty in the middle, a huge atrium/reception area/display area with natural light from the skylight. Here's an image with a more typical angle. This was taken as we drove past on the highway. I cleaned it up a bit but the exposure is off.
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| Photo By: Adam E. J. Squier
(K:9803)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/19/2002 4:58:29 AM
Hi Phillip (I had to double-check that your name has two "l"s). On the full-size one I see what Mary Sue described. Kind of a white area with some blue dots. It looks like some Photoshop cloning with a soft brush and just clicking without dragging the brush as the spots look like soft circles. It also looks like some clean-up around that area in the background.
My suspicion is that what we're describing is a difference between viewing on a Macintosh (which I'm using) and on a Windows system. Sometimes the gamma setting on Macs shows things you can't see on PCs (and vice versa -- don't want to go there).
So, my educated guess is that Sue, Mary Sue, and I are on Macs and you, Beverly, and most everyone else are on PCs. Of course, if that's not the case, my theory is wrong.
If you use Photoshop, you can view your image using a different gamma setting (in the "Proof Setup" menu under "View") though I didn't see much difference in the "halo effect" when I tried it.
Hope this helps. As with Mary Sue, I love this image.
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| Photo By: Phillip Cohen
(K:10561)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/18/2002 11:42:46 AM
Hmmm. Now that I'm looking at it on my main system (Trinitron CRT) I still see it. Right between the handle and the lip of the blue bottle. Weird. I thought it was some flare from a light at first.
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| Photo By: Phillip Cohen
(K:10561)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/18/2002 2:42:38 AM
What's the halo around the neck of the blue bottle? Or is it an artifact of my LCD screen?
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| Photo By: Phillip Cohen
(K:10561)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/16/2002 1:42:34 PM
Well, with the center column extended like that, it's no wonder he has to lean on it to keep it steady. And the horizon's tilted. And the background is blown out. And it could be sharper. And what kind of camera is that with those two knobs? I want one. ;-)
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| Photo By: Elangovan S
(K:10675)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/15/2002 3:16:33 AM
This is one of those images that I could keep coming back to over and over. It evokes lots of memories, though I don't think I've ever been down a path in bamboo. Wait, maybe I have. More like going through a bamboo forest, but I digress.
The spots of sunlight on the footpath makes this photo exceptional: footsteps walking along, showing the way.
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| Photo By: Alexander Wills
(K:28)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/15/2002 3:11:26 AM
AAARGH! The hands are cropped off. This would have been perfect but for that. One of the first things I learned was that the hands are second to only the eyes in importance. I learned this from experience but I see it written everywhere now.
The angle of her face, the positions of her mouth and hands, the look in her eyes -- all perfect. Well done.
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| Photo By: Debi Bishop
(K:140)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/15/2002 3:05:25 AM
I really like images like this. So much like a painting yet not one. What really makes this one work is the cracks in the glaze of the lamp being so sharp, contrasting with the softness of the rest of the image. The white rim on the left side is fantastic.
Now, to make it better: The hot spots in the corner and on the right of the lamp are too distracting. They add to the photo, but maybe tone them down a bit. Also, the white spots should be cloned out.
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| Photo By: Rana Dawood
(K:97)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/15/2002 2:59:03 AM
While I like the tones, I don't think it fits the project of dramatic shadows. I don't see many of them and they're not dramatic.
It's not cropped tightly enough to become abstract and it doesn't show enough to become representational of the bike.
Sorry, but I don't think this one works, but it has potential.
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| Photo By: Lukasz Rzepinski (Łukasz Rzepiński)
(K:1211)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/14/2002 6:27:42 AM
Thanks for the comments. He's at that stage where every smile is canned or "mugged" or otherwise goofy. I caught him off guard because he was afraid of falling out of the tree.
Now that I look at it again, it seems too yellow. Maybe I'll fix that and post it again.
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| Photo By: Adam E. J. Squier
(K:9803)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
10/10/2002 3:16:25 AM
I believe I used a 100mm lens. I wasn't really close to him so I wouldn't have the same situation as you with the wide lenses, as I didn't use one.
The scan is a little soft. The lens was really sharp and I would often put a very light soft-focus filter on it to compensate.
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| Photo By: Adam E. J. Squier
(K:9803)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
8/11/2002 5:27:48 AM
"Caps For Sale"
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| Photo By: Francisco Mata Rosas
(K:71)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
8/10/2002 5:51:09 AM
Cute bunnies. I'd prefer a little more DOF.
Rabbits can be litter-box trained -- more easily than cats, even. As with any young pet, the first week or so can be a little messy but that changes as they get a bit more mature. If you're really interested, I'd suggest visiting the House Rabbit Society's Web site:
http://www.rabbit.org/
Just remember that a rabbit can make a good pet, but they do need about as much care as a cat. They're not like pet mice or guinea pigs. In fact, they're no longer classified a rodents (though I've never put much stock in classifications).
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| Photo By: Nicolette Kintz
(K:146)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
7/12/2002 3:21:36 PM
With as much manipulation done on this, I wish you had taken care of the hair in her eye. The face is so soft, it almost looks like a toy. For some reason the lips look out of place. Maybe if they were as smooth as her face it would look better. The hand, too.
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| Photo By: David Skidmore
(K:66)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
6/24/2002 9:07:49 PM
Very interesting technique. I didn't know about that "phenomenon" of the tilted oceans. Looks like there was a little over-correction going on.
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| Photo By: William R Eastman III
(K:2141)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
6/20/2002 5:18:49 AM
Looks very peaceful. Don't really think it could be better in any way. Very nice.
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| Photo By: Miguel Lasa
(K:62)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
6/10/2002 9:14:32 AM
This is a wonderful expression of space. Very much like a Richard Diebenkorn painting -- his "Ocean Park" series. The balance is perfect. The textures make it interesting. The only thing that would make it better is if there were a diagonal crack in the wall from the upper left to the lower right, to give it some tension. Otherwise, perfect composition.
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| Photo By: Rebecca Browne
(K:10)
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Critique By:
Adam E. J. Squier (K:9803)
5/31/2002 9:26:14 AM
Thanks for the comment, Kim. About it being tilted, I see it too. For some reason it "squares up" between guides but looks off-kilter. This was manipulated in Photoshop a lot as the actual die was in really bad shape. For some reason they don't let me use "live" chips or dice when I shoot them. They keep talking about static or something. ;-)
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| Photo By: Adam E. J. Squier
(K:9803)
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