This weeks review: David Small "NYC 2002" This image is reminiscent of The Photo League or George Gardner's work. The relation of form and function between the man and mannequin work, and this helps the image very well. But the man reading is lost in the background and this bothers me and weakens the image. Roderick Chen I am afraid this image catches me with my pants down, I have never understood work of this nature. It's an interesting image, everything works and there is obviously plenty to think about. It IS art, and in that context, the image succeeds with ease. Richard Cooper "Reflections" Clever image. Her face is unevenly lit but the rest of the image works. Marilyn Dalrymple "A Slice of Life" An image for the pet magazines, basically a snap shot. Brian van den Broek "Time Enough" Nice image. Intersting and fun to look at. The flare is disturbing and the reflections become bothersome after awhile which begin to weaken the image the longer one looks at it. The title sets the viewer up to assume the subject matter is the time piece, but the reflections do not compliment the main subject. Dan Mitchell "Boxes" This image is about color in my opinion and they should snap. The boxes are of little consequence, the color is where both the function and form of this image seems focused. Adding a polarizer or a different time of day may have helped. Christy Bright "Souvenirs" I like this image. The focus seems to bring both the lights and the trinkets into the same plane and for me is the only weakness in this image. It bifurcates the viewer's focus, in other words splitting their attention. Colors, comp and exposure all work to bring the viewer into the scene without effort. Greg Fraser "Fall" The title is about fall, but the viewer is focused on a dead tree. I do like the image, and everything about it. Nice treatment in the loss of focus on the leaves as if IR and B/W film were used together somehow. There is good contrast and the comp works with ease. There is a pronounced blending of loud and quiet. Brian Chandler "Botty" This is a cute image, but the angles are not working. The vertical and horizontals are failing in their perspectives. There are strong geometric angles that are weakened by the photographer's position. The figure leans as well. I do like the composition and the treatment of color which are the strengths of this image. King/Arthur "Up/Down" I like the presentation. I like the guy on the left, the strongest element in the image next to the colors. I am afraid that for me, it does look like a simple filter treatment done in Photoshop to salvage an otherwise boring composition. This image would have been far stronger if left in it's reality. All of the street's detail given to us to inspect and define. D.L.Shipman "November Pumpkins, Englewood 2002" The vertical treatment is done well, the composition is functional, but the exposure has been brought down to far. This may have been done because of the highlights. They may be blown out if the exposure was brought up a stop or two. The image could have been cropped a bit tighter at the bottom. Having the hint of the stalk does not add enough to keep it. Thanks very much for an opportunity to review your work. I do appreciate it. Take care, Gregory david Stempel FIREFRAMEi m a g i n g
