Distinguished Forum Members, Alas, for the last five months or so, I have been able to follow this list only peripherally. But this week there seems to be a controversy (albeit mild) about photo reviews. So this seems to be a good time to step into the fray and give my opinions about the photos reviewed in the member’s gallery/exhibit space updated on 07 DEC 02, which are now on display at http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery.html. Please remember that I am a card-carrying member of the IKWIL– SI School of Photography (I Know What I Like– When I See It). I have no other qualifications, but I am willing to learn if you want to critique the "critic." David Small - N.Y.C. 2002 I don’t like street shots. But this I like a lot. It is FUNNY! Street photography is difficult to do right, in my opinion, because it seldom conveys the same message to the viewer that the photographer wants to send. A street photographer must be ever-ready to capture the moment. Small did just that in this image. He could not have put this together any better if he had hired a model and set it up. It takes no small ability to see a potential photo, size it up appropriately, bring the camera up to the eye, frame and fire before the moment slips away into nothingness forever. The choice of a black and white was excellent. Color would have distracted from the humor. Black and white emphasizes the street humor. It was probably shot on B&W film, but effective street photography is probably seldom shot any other way. This is very good work. Roderick Chen - Chen continually impresses me with his range of effective photography. I can ’t think of anyone on this Forum who has explored so many facets of the photographic art with almost 100% success. This week is no exception. I have no idea if Chen has a message he is trying to convey here. What he feels is irrelevant. What he gives us, the viewers, is a masterfully blended group of elements from which our own imaginations can travel in many directions. We have the choice in interpretation. Photographically, Chen is a technical wizard. He got the tone just right on both the skull and the hand. His placement of the skull, just touching the left and right sides of the frame, close those spaces tightly, not allowing the eye nor the thought to go either direction. But there is space on the top and the bottom! Now it the mind has to stray, those are the only two directions it can travel: up and down. The hand with the slightly curved fingers fits almost perfectly. Why are they curved? Possibly to simply make the picture work, but possibly this is an attempt to circle the mind, or even to control it. Or maybe it is a release of the mind, if you imagine the fingers to be opening rather than closing. There is so much to see here. This is a masterpiece!! Richard Cooper - Reflections Is any woman ever so beautiful as on the day of her marriage? Is there ever a time when so many emotions run through her mind? And that is the beauty of this photograph: Cooper has captured a myriad of thoughts in one frozen expression in this bride. A slightly happy, but mostly contemplative look into the past, the event or the future. There are doubts in the eyes, with a bit, and only a slight bit, of eagerness in the lips. Reflections. Such an apt title. Gregory david Stempel - The Farm There is certainly something brewing in this image. I really like the colors of the yellow/red sky. I like the diminutive farm set against the vastness of nature. And I suspect Stempel was correct when he pointed out that the size of the image does not do it justice. I would like to see it in its original form. Marilyn Dalrymple - Cat, unapologetic and guarded, found with dead mouse that he caught as a result of uncontrollable primeval instinct. This is a photo of Gypsy himself being caught – caught in his most raw, most primitive state. Brian van den Broek - Time Enough Okay, time out. I don’t get this one. Dan Mitchell - Boxes An effective study of color and pattern. I agree with Mitchell, I like the pattern and the colors. I also like the international flavor of the writing on the boxes. Christy Bright - Souvenirs This is an interesting and effective interplay of color. When I first looked at the title and the artist’s name, I thought "Bright" was part of the title. I still think it should be. It is probably no accident on the part of the skating rink that the bright lights create such colorful reflections on the brass-coated key chain skates, but it was no accident that Bright found it and captured the display for our enjoyment. Greg Fraser - Fall Even with my fondness for Chen’s picture, "Fall" is my favorite of the week. I like the strong graphic quality throughout the image. I love the way the solidity and timelessness of the tree is captured in the strong, well-developed, static lines of the bark; while the ephemeral fragility of the leaves are demonstrated by the fuzzy edges of the fallen leaves in motion. Here, with grace and beauty, Fraser has captured not only the image, but the timeliness and timelessness that is fall. And NO, this is NOT tragic. This is life as it is, has been, and always will be. Brian Chandler - Botty Interesting, but it does not grab me. But I do like how Chandler puts the red flag in to give a dull scene a modicum of excitement. King/Arthur - Up/Down A dull street scene remarkably enhanced by Photoshop. Rather than looking at what I think of as a pretty uninteresting street photograph, King/Arthur now presents us with interesting blobs of color. D.L. Shipman - November Pumpkins, Englewood 2002 I like this. But I find the comment most interesting: "Camera: D-60." Yup, it’s a D60 alright. One-half to one stop underexposed with a very slight reddish component that probably was not there in the original image. The result is a very warm, cozy feeling. Shipman found an interesting arrangement and he composed the image well. This one that I would like to have on my wall. . . . and that’s my take, distinguished colleagues, of this week Photo Forum. Thanks to all those that contributed and made my day a bit brighter. Thanks also to Andy, Natalia, Francesca and the other Exhibits staff members who made the display possible. peace, rand
