Critique #48 *Open Theme* 5 Participants

[RayPA]

Welcome to this critique thread. Please read the purpose statement and the guidelines/ground rules regarding participation.

Purpose
The primary purpose of this thread is to provide a forum where photographers can give and receive constructive criticism on one another's photographs. By setting up some basic guidelines we hope that this thread will provide a forum where the give and take of honest constructive criticism can help us become better photographers.

Guidelines/Ground Rules
The thread has very specific rules regarding participation. The one basic rule is that you cannot provide criticism on an image or comment in a critique thread unless you also have an image posted. To post an image to this thread you must be a participant. Participation in this thread is limited. Here are the guidelines and ground rules for participation:

• Participation in this thread is limited to 5 photographers
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• Joining is on a "first come, first served" basis. The first 5 to reply become the participants.
• Please, only join this thread if you are able post an image within 24 hours of joining.
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• Every participant must comment on every photo (except their own—initially)
• Every participant must make at least two comments, one positive comment, and one constructive criticism (which is actually two positive comments)
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• The participants decide when the thread closes.


If you'd like to participate in a critique thread and need some ideas about how to proceed with viewing images critically, you may find this thread helpful:

How do you look at photos (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26459)

You can also provide feedback on critique threads here:

Critique Feedback Thread (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26611)

Remember: Please do not provide criticism on an image or comment in a critique thread unless you also have an image posted.

This thread is now active, please follow the guidelines if you'd like to participate! Have Fun!



.

[formal]

I'm in.

David

[kmack]

I have one I am interested in an opinion on.
I'm in also.

[raid]

I'll join in.

[mascarenhas]

Count me in!

[nico]

Ok, I'll be the fifth.
bye
nico

[nico]

Here my entry:
"three blokes"
BessaR+Nok50 f1.5@1/30
Mertola - Portugal

bye
nico

[raid]

Here is my entry: Old Woman (in Borbon Street, New Orleans)

[mascarenhas]

Here is mine.

[formal]

My image.

David

[kmack]

Sorry for the delay.
Bessa R, Canon 1.8/50
Ekfe KB400 in HC-110 1:119 semi stand.

[nico]

no problem kevin.
btw, raid,
i promise no delay, as I'm used to, this time ;). I'll post my critiques later (i have to finish a work before)! :D
bye
nico

[nico]

hi, as promised i post my critiques:

raid,
i like it because it has an enigmatic feeling: she looks like hiding not only from the camera but from everybody, she may even seems desperate but maybe even not, maybe she is only resting. i cannot figure out clearly what she's actually doing/feeling . it is a good shot it may tell different stories to different spectators. I have nothin to say about composition and light, they make - imho - the photo working. there are no distractions, the dof makes the background fading away. very nice shot raid. :)

mascarenhas,
a classic summer soccer shot, i like playing soccer on the sand (even though i have wooden feet like pinocchio!) , it has good dinamic sense with player in the foreground running with the ball and the other guys playing in the background. In the far background I find a little bit distracting the long pier but i like the guys watchin the match near the gate (it's a tipical situation). as constructive critique the only thing i may say (but it's a beginner opinion) is that i'd prefer you shot this one standing a little bit closer to the action. :)

formal,
if i should sum up my feelings about your shot i'd say it's a perfect visual juxtaposition (what a complicate word) between innocence and the lost of innocence, or between media and reality (jewels, fancy clothes and make up on a poster and a kid with his milk on the street). as said before, i'm a beginner, but light and composition for me are working for the purpose. very nice :)

kmack,
looks like a candid shot but you perfectly caught the smile of the guy who's looking into the camera. his smile and friendly expression are quite contagious and also the other guy seems concentrated in a relaxing way (were they planning a joke or something like?).
i like tones and light. I'd only like to have some more space on the right without cropping the camera.
:)

bye
nico

[kmack]

My image.

David

David (formal).
It was fun finally figuring out what is going on here. Great catch!

A striking image. This is the kind of photograph that defies criticism. Surreal, dream like, you nailed it.

The apparent size differential between the two figures is a major part of the surreal feel. The seeming graininess, soft focus, and relative lack of tonal range of the foreground image also re-enforces the atmosphere. I love the defiant stance of the drinking child.

Thanks, really fun image.

[kmack]

Here is my entry: Old Woman (in Borbon Street, New Orleans)

Raid: another strong image. The color and the compact composition resembles a netsuke. If you were to crop this one square and tighten it up a bit you would enhance the netsuke effect.

[kmack]

Here my entry:
"three blokes"
BessaR+Nok50 f1.5@1/30
Mertola - Portugal

bye
nico
Nico, It took me a while to see "the three blokes" I had to reduce the gamma a bit to see it. Most likely due to my machine.

I see what you were going for but I think the negative is a bit too contrasty to work. Night shots are some of the hardest get right. You got the lit buldings just fine but the vertical line created by the lamp post is a distraction. You may want to try to burn in the street light to make it clear what that line is and highlight the 'blokes' a bit better.

[kmack]

Here is mine.

mascarenhas, good eye for action. You also got a good exposure in a tough lighting environment. I have to agree with nico however, you need to tighten up the composition, get closer to the action.

[raid]

Here is mine.


Fabio: You caught the soccer ball moving, while several men were looking it the ball and the player. My eyes are drawn also to the background and the mountains. It is an image with several focus points for me.

[raid]

Here my entry:
"three blokes"
BessaR+Nok50 f1.5@1/30
Mertola - Portugal

bye
nico


Nico: This is another one of your abstract night scenes. The three blokes can barely be seen in the dark. I wonder what they were talking about.

[raid]

Sorry for the delay.
Bessa R, Canon 1.8/50
Ekfe KB400 in HC-110 1:119 semi stand.

Kevin: The facial expression for both young men make this image. Maybe you could have focused on only one of them.

[raid]

My image.

David


David: The head of the woman seems to be merged with the wall. The image is surreal, and I like it.

[mascarenhas]

nico:

I can barely see the street and the three blokes in my lcd monitor, and the buildings look very blown out. I think the image could work if the contrast between top and bottom was lower. As it is I would cut the top half and make the street scene the image (lightening it up a bit).

raid:

Great candid you caught here, I enjoy this kind of photograpy. I agree with Kevin that cutting the empty space at the top would make a stronger image. Kevin suggested a square crop. I think a 4x5 crop would work, too. I also think the scan is not doing it justice, it looks soft and there are blown highlights in the hat.

formal:

This is my favorite of this bunch, and I am counting mine. :-) Great street photography, I wish I had taken it. Composition, lighting, exposure, all spot on to me. But as this is the critique forum :-), maybe it would be better if you had composed a little higher, not cutting the top of the girl's head; there seems to be enough space at the bottom to do this. But I know how this kind of accurate framing is hard on RF's. :-)

kmack:

It's a nice street shot, I like the composition, and just the slightest bit of background blur separating the two guys from the background, but still making the background clear. I think the contrast is too low, though. I did a slight curves manipulation that I think makes the image "pop" more, it's attached.

[formal]

Nico
----

I like the way the buildings appear to grow out of the darkness. At first I found the light areas in the bottom half of the picture distracting and was going to suggest a crop. However, once I had read the title, I eventually found the three blokes. Very subtle. I'm still not sure about the light area to the bottom left. Great capture.

raid
----

Intriguing. Is she trying to hide or just facing into the wind? I'd love to see her face. Personally I don't like the sepia tone; B&W would be better.

mascarehas
----------

This is a good action shot and you have captured the guy with the ball at just the right moment. My only criticism is that he is not sufficiently isolated from the background; his head merges into the other players and he has an extra arm. I would have also liked a bigger image.

kmack
-----

My eye is drawn to the smile on the guy on the right's face. In contrast the other guy is concentrating on his video camera and is oblivious of you. I don't like the way the video camera is cut off.

David

[nico]

Hello guys,
thanks you all for the comments, they're very useful for me.
You all had problems recognizing the guys under the lamp and - partially - it's the kind of effect i was looking for but, i agree with you, that part of the scene should be lightned a little bit more; it's "too" difficult to see the guys (i do not think it depends on the screen if it's an lcd one).
i agree with kevin about the night shots as "some of the hardest get right" so i'll surely try, as suggested, to try to burn the lamp light to make more visible the 'blokes'. I also like the suggestion of mascarenhas about cropping the photo.
As you Raid I wondered what they were talking about and where they were going (it was round 2'00 a.m.) to because Mertola is very small town. i remember i waited long time for them to pass under the lamp.
As i'm not very good with postprocessing, if someone of you feels like trying to light up the bottom of the photo is welcome and I'll be grateful!:)
bye
nico

[raid]

In my case, the image was taken on a very grainy and low contrast Scotch 1000 slide film. The original slide looks brownish; it was not B&W and then tinted sepia. I removed the brown-orange colors and added some colors with PS.

This street woman was hiding her face from some tourists, while I was across the narrow street, hiding from the woman. This was one of my first attempts at street photography. I was testing the water, as they say.

Thanks for the cropping suggestions. I will look into this option to see if the image comes out better.

Raid

[formal]

Thanks for the comments.

The poster of the girl is on a borad projecting into Grafton Street. I was trying to use it in an image when the boy appeared.

Fabio, I have the top of the girl's head, but I think the crop works better.

David

[mascarenhas]

I see. I thought the board was taller, and the new crop would still leave white space to the right of the girl's head. Your crop is a nice compromise.

[raid]

I like best the image first posted by David. It lets you focus only on the two subjects; woman and boy.

[nico]

I like best the image first posted by David. It lets you focus only on the two subjects; woman and boy.

I agree with Raid,
bye
Nico