Crushed by self doubt and my paranoid fear of corduroy, I submit my impressions for this week's gallery as found at http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery.html Jeff Spirer (Clock) - Major difference between thumbnail and larger image. The thumbnail is inviting and peaceful like I'm looking at grandpa's old pocket watch he used to record arrival times of the TH&B locomotives as they thundered through what used to be the tomato patch. The larger image though gives me a sense of confusion. The flowing shape of the hands is soothing and they lead to the open white space but the blurriness and disrepair of the clock instill an uneasy feeling of time flying by uncontrollably. "There must be some mistake. I didn't mean to let them take, away my soul. Am I too old? Is it too late?" The lighting angle is great too. Emily L. Ferguson (East Tower, Leonard P. Zakim bridge, Boston, MA) - Is this another reciprococity failure? Perfect camera angle. A dramatic portrayal of the bridge but also just enough flare from the sun to make it useful and not a distraction. Beautiful cover shot for the Journal of Civil Engineering. D.L. Shipman (Great Egret (Camerodius albus)) - First off this is a marvelous image. the lighting contours the bird perfectly and really draws the bird out from the almost flat, dark background. The shape of the beak and neck forms a loose question mark while at the same time reminding me of the expression on the face of Bert the Muppet on the TV show Sesame Street when Ernie (his "room mate" nudge, nudge) lost Bert's ice cube collection. Marilyn Dalrymple (Phoenix Rising) - At first I couldn't decide if I like the composition or not. On the one hand it looks unbalanced but on the other hand its cats and the informality of the shot is important so I suppose I do like it. The high key and fuzziness work well and the sepia tone adds warmth to what I would image is a cold looking shot in shades of gray. Greg Fraser (Edison Art) - I like the combination of angles lines and circles and the way the power lines seem to distort the upper right hand corner of the shot so that it appears the sides of the frame meet at an angle less than 90 degrees. To me, that corner looks rather sharp. Bob Talbot (Golden Eagle) - Spectacular shot right down to the perfect background. Beautiful birdie. I love that golden left eye. Spectacular. Jim Snarski (Tall Leggy Blond) - While I prefer to refer to myself as focused, others call me ignorant. This forest looks like it could be in North America which would make this giraffe about 3 1/2 feet tall although your comments seem to indicate otherwise. The environment is what makes this shot interesting for me. jIMMY Harris (Colorado Camp Fire) - Very theatrical lighting up there and it worked beautifully with the fire. Nice work. Peeter Vissak (Firedom) - Now this one says it all eh? The wind calms, skies part, rain ceases, the earth trembles and fire rises from the bowels of hell as Peeter's chanting and raised arms command the elements to obey hid bidding. My second favorite of your fire shot. King/Arthur (Caesura) - Hmmm...not a pilgrim in sight. Or are there? The yellow extension cord and the large blue and yellow patches set the mood for me as formless graphic elements. They give me a sort of surreal background that perfectly suits the contorted figures. The oft-shot market is given a twist here that appeals to my off-kilter senses. I leave it to you to decide if that's a good thing but I like the shot. Richard Cooper (The straight section of Rochester) - Better than last week's version and still an excellent exposure. My interest is drawn to the star shaped flare of the street lights on the left. Like the fences they put around graveyards, I wonder if this fence is to keep people out or in? Why am I (or Richard) being kept out of Rochester? Just what do those elitist Rochesteronians fear from me? Scott Thurmond (The Old Gatehouse) - The composition is not doing too much for me but I love the lighting (except for the tree on the right) and the look of the stone. The b&w conversion looks as if there's a dark rim around everything. It's sort of like infrared or maybe not. Interesting effect though. Thanks to all the contributors this week. Greg Style Gallery Czar Fraser http://users.imag.net/~lon2251/Gallery
