Critique #80 *Open Theme* 5 Participants

[ferider]

Nothing stops us to try this again, right ?


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Some Resources
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How do you look at photos

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


Who wants to play ?

[infrequent]

i am in. will post an image shortly.

[ferider]

I'm in, too. Infrequent, we should wait with posting pics until we have 5 participants.

3 more ...

[Morca007]

I am in, if that's alright.

[jbf]

I am in so long as the heme is open to anything.

[ClaremontPhoto]

I'm in at #5. Let's go.

[ClaremontPhoto]

Newly Built Apartments:

[infrequent]

Taken at the Adelaide State Library. Literally shot from the hip with my Nikon D70s. The kid walked away before I could take another.

[jbf]

A sneek peak at my barber shop series.

Taken with Zorki 4K w/Jupiter-8 50mm lens on Ilford HP5+.

[Morca007]

Nikon N80 + Nikkor 50mm f1.8D + Arista.Edu Ultra 400

[infrequent]

@morca007 - ooo...i have that 50mm nikkor and love it to death. oof is beautifully soft...sexy shot!

[ferider]

Here is mine. Reala 100, Summicron 90/2. If you like it, please let me also know
if you prefer it Color or B+W. Thanks.

[Morca007]

Jon- I'm interested to read why you selected this shot, because nothing about it really jumps out at me. I think I see what you are going for here, but unless what I see as deficiencies are intentional, I'm at a bit of a loss.

Compositionally, I see several elements emerging, the symmetry of the building, and the path leading the eye to just down and right of center.
However, the symmetry is incomplete, and yet not totally asymmetrical. Further, the path simply ends, I am looking for a focal point, but not finding one. Finally, the horizon is uneven, but I can't see why...
Exposure-wise, the scene is washed out, with (2 o clock?) sun casting small shadows, but leaving us without contrast. I would have advised slight underexposure here, though ideally the light/time would need to change.

infrequent- I really like your photo.

It hits all of the traditional compositional ques, with a superb placement of the child's head aligned between the first two coin, right along the golden mean on two dimensions. Heck, he's even got his head tilted the opposite direction, giving us an interesting conflict.
The only thing I would change here is the slight forward tilt. I want to see this from an eye level with the wall.

jbf- This photo certainly looks like a part of a series. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it stands on it's own.

Judging from the framing, and your past work, you know how to compose. This is skillfully done here, but I feel like there is some drama that I am missing out on. The subject's hand, ever so slightly curled, makes me want to know what is happening out of the frame.
From a technical standpoint, I would like to see a little bit more contrast, which I think would add some of the drama, maybe make the 'missing' bit work for it to create a feeling of unease.

ferider- Even though I normally dislike conversion from colour to B/W, I think the change takes your photo from "nice beach scene" to "powerful."

I very much enjoy the feeling of tension I get, looking at this. The juxtaposition of the frozen surf with the misted, fading cliffs makes me think of the the past and the present. The curving line of the water flows right into the cliffs, which lead it right back out.
The only constructive criticism I can think of is to frame it slightly lower. I find the break in the cloud at the top slightly distracting, I'd prefer and all white cloud ending to the frame.

[ClaremontPhoto]

infrequent:


I like the focus and exposure on the exhibits, not the kid.

Have you tried cropping out the wall to the left to make it more 2D than 3D?

[ClaremontPhoto]

jbf:


The idea of a themed series is interesting. I like this for the everyday nature of the photo.

Another time would you consider getting in closer and just get the guy on the chair but not the supplies?

I look forward to seeing this set when it's ready.

[ClaremontPhoto]

Morca007:


I like this photo because I don't know whether she's teasing the camera or if she's caught off guard. The ambiguity is nice.

The framing is good, but next time maybe it would be better with a plain background.

[ClaremontPhoto]

ferider:


The color works best for me. There's hardly any color there anyway.

A fine dramatic photo on just the right day at just the right time. I'd buy a postcard of this.

There's nothing I can say about how to make it better - it's just fine as it is.

What's the location?

[infrequent]

@jon - i like the snaking path and the row of benches and maybe concentrating on just that could improve the shot. the symmetry of the building is nice but it just overshadows the real interesting bit -- the path, the benches and the lights.

regarding my shot, i agree that a crop would make it better. i have actually two crops (and a b+w conversion) of it in aperture. but i come back to the original because of a bit of romanticism. it was a fleeting moment when i captured it. i was walking through the door, saw the scene and took a snapshot. even before i could reframe, the boy was gone! it was also one of my first shots with the dslr and very memorable.

@jbf - interesting subject. as a fan of gangster epics and the role a barbershop plays in the life of a mafia boss, i can understand your interest in them. i think this shot will definitely work in a series of environmental portraits. i will definitely work some people into the frame to make it stand out.

i am personally thinking about doing a project on traditional movie theatres. a few of them are around in adelaide even with the domination of the movieplexes. capture a bit of the nostalgia and romance of the cinemas. access might be the issue but i need to make a good plan.

@morca007 - thanks for your kind words. i think i have gushed enough about your photo. will add that sometimes photos grab you and make you pause for a few seconds. even the thumbnail captured my attention!

the only thing i can add in my defense is that it was a bit of a grab shot. the photo is a constant reminder of being alert and attentive to such scenes. next time i will be ready!

@ferider - might i ask where is this lovely place? the mist is lovely and the light is beautiful. i am a bit torn between the colour and the b+w but as jon mentioned, its as close as a mono colour shot! brilliant work.

also was this taken with the hexar? after contemplating it for months, i have just won a hexar af on ebay. but its not as customised as yours (is that snakeskin?!). ; )

[jbf]

Claremont Photo: While in many ways some may not find the photo you posted incredibly unique, it does have it's merits. The way the walkway takes your eyes from the foreground into the background is very nice. Also the repetition of benches is also something that caught my eye. The lack of people also adds to it's ambiguity and give me a somewhat uneasy feel. I think the photo's strong points are the lines of the composition. You've got some interesting perspective going on from the vanishing point of the railings on the wall as well as the nice pathway and benches (mentioned earlier) that lead your eye through the frame.

The only thing, is that I think that there could be other ways to compose your photograph which could lead to an even more interesting photograph. I would possibly compose the photo in a portrait fashion and possibly shift my position around until I could put even more emphasis on the winding pathway with the benches in order to give an even stronger effect of the pathway as well as the perspective leading your eye to the background and the repetition of benches. It could help give the photo a very strong sense of design.


Infrequent: Love the repetition of the three art pieces on the back wall. It is said that photographs of odd number things are always better than even. From my own experiences of taking photos and looking at others work I gotta say that i whole heartedly believe this 'rule'. Love the framing of the boy as well as the backlighting as well.

My only complaints or rather observations are that I would probably leave the photo a bit larger than 500 pixels wide. With the way web images are displayed (white behind them) it can make it harder to pick out the details within the photo. I also think this photo would benefit from being black and white. But then again, I'm a stickler for B&W and for the most part only shoot in B&W.


Morcoa07: Nice framing and good use of depth of field. I love the suggestion of the feet in the background and the tilting of the head in the frame. Definately helps the eye move through the frame. The simplicity of the background is definately working for the photo as well, but the corner of the room through her head does bother me somewhat. I would have to say though that I feel like the photo is slightly out of focus, unfortunately. But hey, what can you do. You got the shot, and at the end of the day I'd say who cares. Life isnt all about sharpness and 100% technical perfectness.

The one thing I might change however, is the expression. I somewhat feel like the expression is lacking something. While I do love her gaze and the sense of ambiguity, it somewhat feels like you may have caught her inbetween poses possibly. I would be interested to see what the few shost after or before this might hold in store as far as her expressions and look goes.

Ferider: As always You've got some very nice beach and other landscape exposures. While the color is really nice, I personally like the B&W shot. I've always loved the way mist and water spray looks on black and white. You caught the beach at a great time of day, as the lighting is really superb. Love the gradations of tonality in the sand as well as the atmospheric perspective and changes in the cliffs in the background. I might have left some of the foreground a little darker (burned just a tad probably), but that is a trivial matter. I think the shot is composed very well and ultimately I think it's a great example of some of the landscape work that you do. Very nice.



All In all I'd say all of the photographs posted have some really nice merits. A nice range of subject matter and different styles, etc. Very nice to everyone!

[ferider]

chair_hair2.jpg

I like this. I feel dragged into the picture, like being at the barbershop myself, trying to get it over with. Not looking at other people, but at the details I see in the shop, the chemicals under the sink, etc. What really makes the picture for me are the B+W tones.

kiddo.jpg

I found this very interesting, compositionally, as idea, and in colors. Clearly, the composition attracts me to the three different pictures on the wall. The kid in the foreground is background for me, just to remember where I am and giving the pictures scale.

Newly_Built_Apartments.jpg

Very geometric and abstract, like many of your gallery pictures, Jon. I like the composition and the mellow colors, and feel surreal and slightly amused when looking at this. Like watching a Tati movie, and then wondering if the picture actually is for fun or showing isolation/loneliness. Cool that all the window shutters are closed. Maybe I can suggest a slight twist CCW ?

Untitled-14.jpg

A pretty woman with an interesting expression, she doesn’t look too happy, but her body language is playful. Frankly, it bothers me that the face is somewhat out of focus, and I would like to see a little more of her left shoulder. Hope you don't mind me saying this, Matt. You have great pictures in your gallery.

[ferider]

For the feedback on my landscape. This was shot with a 90/2 Summicron,
location is the Pacific beach about 20 miles south of San Francisco (you
can probably tell that I love the ocean). A few minutes later we saw
a family of sea otters playing in the ocean. I wanted to get the picture
printed and color will be easier

This was fun, great pictures everybody, and thanks for participating.

Jon, will you start #81 ?

Best,

Roland.

PS: infrequent, that's cobra skin on my Hexar I can warmly recommend
the camera, the skin is not for everybody

[RayPA]

Thanks for starting this up again, Roland!


.

[jbf]

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

I was going to mention on my shot that it really does stand better with it's other photographs. The series itself tells a story in many ways and makes many allusions/references to spirituality and various other differen themes.



But on the image itself... I was wondering... do you think that the chemicals and various other things around the image are distracting you at all? A part of me feels like i should darken the entire left side of the image slightly in order to bring more attention to the boy in the chair.

Also, as far as contrast goes, I didnt want to add any more contrast because my highlights would blow and my darks would block out. I wanted really nice tonality in the image. Right now the darks are dark while still retaining shadow detail and the highlights are high enough to not be blown out.

One thing that might be is your monitor calibration. If its not calibrated properly then you might not be seeing the image properly.





I just wrapped up processing most of the images in the series but most are all above 300kb, so I'll have to save them at slightly higher jpg compression. But look for them soon in the rff gallery.

[ClaremontPhoto]

Thank you all for your comments.

[Morca007]

Thanks for your comments, everyone!
I definitely agree about the corner being distracting, unfortunately, with where we were shooting, it was unavoidable. Next time I will try to shoot on a uniform backdrop.

ferider- As far as I can tell, her right eye is right in the focal plane. As far as I can tell, at least.

jbf- I eagerly await the rest of the series!