Distinguished Members of the Forum, Here are my thoughts garnered from the PhotoForum members' gallery/exhibit space now on display at http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery.html: Leslie Spurlock: "Haitian street kid" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/spurlock.html This is a stunning street shot. Unlike Small, who seems to work on capturing the life of a city, Spurlock here has captured the life of a human being. There is so much emotion packed into the child's eyes and slightly tightened brow. There seems to be a sadness here, confirmed by the slight downturn of the lips. Is this sadness endemic in the child? Spurlock would have us believe so by the photo title, "Haitian street kid." The title gives the child a kind of universality for Haitian street kids. So, was this a fleeting expression as the child realized he was about to have his picture taken? Or is this expression truly an accurate representation of what Spurlock saw in the streets of Haiti? I like to think she captured the essence of Haitian street life. Regardless, this is an excellent photo. Gregory david Stempel: "Mamiya in the sun" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/stempel.html When I look at this image, the thought comes to mind: "How typically CAT!" I like the strong graphic feel to this photo. The blown-out whites of the sunbeam actually work well in this image where the animal is reacting to the brightness and warmth. The strong contrast of the white against the cat's coat emphasizes the larger-than-life graphic feel. The simple graphic shapes contained in the carpet also emphasize this feeling. And I really like the cat's white right ear than gives shape to its head. But I wonder, does Stempel have a dog named Nikon? And I shudder (shutter?) to think what he named any children he may have. :-) Shawna Hanel: "Injustice" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/hanel.html For me, Hanel's work runs hot and cold. This one is cold. This is just a shiny plastic toy airplane with parts cropped out and other parts hidden by green, succulent foliage. Even her title does not elevate it out of the mundane. Curious about a comment Andy made a couple of weeks ago about how Hanel's work fit much better into a series, I went to her Web site at http://www.lightwriting.net/. As a stand-alone image, I still do not find this one very interesting, but when she uses her images as illustrative points, Hanel has done a superb job of presentation. Jim Snarski: "Gull Friend" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/snarski.html This is the first of several beautiful bird images for this week. In some ways, this is my favorite of the birds. The motion of the wings contrasts so wonderfully with the sharpness of the eye. The white of the head and body then provides a profound color contrast with the deep blue of the sky. A very well done photo. D.L. Shipman: "Anhinga - Venice FL, 2003" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/shipman.html This is another beautiful bird image for the week, as well as another outstanding image of the anhinga. The bird has been captured almost perfectly. The tree branches, especially the one extending to the left edge of the photograph, give excellent points of shape mirroring for the bird. The bird's left wing has been caught in a most fortuitous position and it gives life to the bird. But it does not give life to the entire image. There is something unnatural about the branch and the green leaves. The greens seem unnaturally green. The bark seems too blocky. And the overall sharpness seems to be overdone. Or something. Jim Davis: "Flying Low" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/davis.html The third beautiful bird image of the week. I think Davis has started something. I like this photograph a lot. As with Snarski's gull, the white contrasting against the blue of the water is wonderful. This is a better composed image of a bird in flight than Snarski's gull, which is probably due in no small part to Davis' skill and experience with bird photography. As Davis points out, the Egret's neck is tucked, which then reminds me very much of that technologic masterpiece, the Concorde. Then when you view the feet, not for color but for aerodynamic position, that thought seems to become a bit stronger. About the only thing I don't care for completely is the shadow on the distal portion of the bird's left wing. But that is only a minor distraction in what is overall a very, very good photograph. John Palcewski: "On The Wall" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/palcewski.html I keep trying to make something interesting out of this, but I just can't quite get it together. I can't appreciate the collection of items as abstracts, and yet they are just a bit too indistinct to appreciate in themselves. My mind wants the arc on the right to be a sloping line, but it isn't. The painted arcing structure seems to be part of an arch, but there are not enough clues to really make that assessment. And then there are the towels (?) in the lower left of the photo that just seem to be so out of place. This just does not fit all together for me at all. Per Ofverbeck: "Winter Weeds" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/ofverbeck.html Simplicity, beauty, color, hope and despair all packaged neatly into one powerful, beautiful photograph. I like this image very, very much. Jeff Spirer: "Yellow Hydrant" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/spirer.html This is my Favorite of the Week. It is the multiplicity of contrasts that make this image the powerfully emotional photograph that feel it to be. The blue/white sky vs. the dark of the object below. The black vs. white changes without color in the building. The strong verticals in the right third of the image vs. the peaceful sloping horizontals on the left. The very old, abandoned building vs. the new life in the plants in the foreground. And the yellow fire hydrant. Ya done good, Spirer. Shyrell Melara: "I'm Soooo Bored!" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/melara.html So am I. As far as the questions Melara asked, I don't know. It looks as if your camera is only recording 256 colors or so. That's why there are broad areas where the color is the same abutting against a distinctly different color. Read the manual. There may be a switch to throw to be able to record more colors. And even a legal copy of Photoshop probably would not help. Or, having brought up Photoshop, it may be that your output is set wrong. Trevor Cunningham: "Ummm, Houston.We have a problem." http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/cunningham.html The photo looks as if it might be interesting. The title is intriguing. But as with Palcewski's image, I just can't see enough detail to tell what is really going on. Kostas Papakotas: "wino" http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/papakotas.html I like this. This is a cute picture. But the bear really needs a half-filled wineglass or bottle to complete the effect. The title definitely makes this picture into something special. Many thanks to everyone who contributed this week. And thanks also to Andy, Brandy and Hannah who made it possible to view the gallery/exhibit this week. pax, rand
