Two in a row, I'm on a roll! Had some spare time while my fiancée throws a no-boys-allowed birthday party for her daughter. I'm really not sure how to behave in a group of eleven year girls anyway. 1. Emily L. Ferguson - Untitled A photograph of the standing rigging of a sailing vessel (frigate?) with a deckhand climbing the mainmast (?). Having worked as a grinder in some SORC races when I was much younger, I've always been a sucker for sailing imagery. My eyes were initially drawn to the rigging on the left which I assume is not the focus of the photograph. After looking at it for awhile I finally saw the individual on the mast. Shadows are pretty well blocked up which makes this image appear muddy, and somewhat unfocused. Although it does have some potential given the apparent nice quality of the light. Opening up the shadows a bit may bring out that quality more. Not up to the usual standards of work I've seen you put in the Gallery previously. 2. Bob Talbot - "Hide" This is apparently an image of someone with a towel up to her (?) face. Another image appears to the right which could be another person, or maybe a giant wombat. It's somewhat difficult to tell. The seated figures are seen through a window looking out. First of all I like the dream like quality of the picture with the soft pastel colors. Removal of some of the empty space to the right could make the image more effective, although that would require cropping part of the second individual (who's only partially visible anyway). Other than that it really doesn't do much to make me want to visit Chilton. Nice creative touch, though. 3. Achal Pashine - "Baby Bird" A photograph of a baby bird sitting on a fence. I like the position of the birds head in relation to its' body. Nice sharp focus on part of the leg in the foreground and the head and neck, unfortunately the hind leg and most of the body are out of focus. It would have been nice to have the rest of the bird in focus, but given your narrow depth of field at f1.8 sure it isn't f2.8?) it would be difficult. This is one of those times when having a very fast lens isn't always an asset (however, I do have a case of "L" envy). The out of focus top of the fence picket in the foreground is somewhat disturbing, it draws my eye away from the bird. Overall I like the picture, but would like to see greater depth of field. 4. Jim Davis - "Fishing in the grass" A picture of a heron (?) standing in the water waiting for lunch. I like this picture, especially the way the bird's body forms an arrow with its' reflection. Good focus and color. The only thing I would like to change is to remove some of the greenery from the left side of the image, making the bird more of the central point. Oh yes, the twig (?) which seems to cross in front of the bird produces a distraction. Otherwise, a nice shot. 5. D.L. Shipman - "Cloud and Palm" A very contrasty photograph of a cloud formation in the background with a starkly outlined palm tree in the foreground. I like this image, despite the high contrast there is still a nice range of tones, and the highlights aren't blown out. The surreal quality reminds me of those civil defense movies from the 50s and 60s showing the explosion of an atom bomb with the resultant "x-ray" effect on all surrounding living creatures. I especially like the highlights which fringe the palm the top of the palm tree. The sky is also suitably foreboding. Could you give a few more technical details? 6. John Warner - "Morning after the gale, Cornwall" A nicely exposed photograph of the coast of Cornwall with a village (town?) in the upper right quadrant, pasture (?) land in the center and a rock island in the distance on the left. A beautiful, but cold scene. Good balance between the village, pasture land and the barely visible sea mount in the distance. I like the oats (wheat ?) in the foreground, adds a point for framing, although the stick that bisects them is distracting There is, however, a little too much of the edge of the cliff in the foreground. Moving a little forward (preferred), or cropping, would improve the overall impact of the scene. 7. katherine e. boucher - "waterreflect 2003" An artsy image of something reflected in the water. I like the overall calming effect of this picture. The earth tone colors produce a relaxing feel. I would prefer to see the pattern run horizontally rather than from upper left to lower right. Other than that I can't say much more about this shot. I would like a little more detail from the photographer though. 8. Andy Davidhazy - "Wasp on the loose" At last I get to critique the master. I still haven't forgiven you for bashing one of "my" earlier efforts (-:. The photograph is of a wasp seemingly suspended in space in front of what appears to be a badly mauled flower (not sure what kind since I wasn't very good in botany). As a technical exercise it's very beautifully done; as a fine art piece, back to the drawing board! The feeling is of a static cut-and-paste job. You've completely frozen this poor wasp when one would expect some indication of movement. All that aside, I am impressed with the technical side of this photograph, and look forward to seeing more. Thanks everyone for your submissions. Scott
