Another week that seems to contain the energy to create a gallery review! Jeff Spirer -- End of the Line -- Looks grim. The woman looks very nervous, and the body positioning suggests she's at the mercy of the large standing figure. The title suggests it's *very* grim. However, the fact that the photographer was allowed to be present, and to escape with the photo, suggests it's art or modeling rather than reportage. I don't know why yet, but my mind *wants* to process this as documentary, and my mind simultaneously refuses to accept it that way. Was *that* part of the plan? Emily L. Ferguson -- The power of suggestion -- For me, not very evocative. Kind of ugly, the abandoned beach. And what are the three intrusive shapes in the middle distance to the right of the sand hill and house? Jim Davis -- Inner Mounting Flame -- Interesting story of how it came about, but the image itself is overused stock elements for me and doesn't manage to overcome that initial reaction. Um, still "for me". Pini Vollach -- Sunset -- The sky is too bright, leading the colors there to be desaturated. I actually don't mind the rotation, though. Laurenz Bobke -- Stranded? -- Striking. The surf bursting up in spray from the tipped boat is remarkable -- especially given how calm the surf seems beside the boat. Quite a lot of light falloff in the upper corners and the sky to the left; these days I tend to think it should be corrected. Do you know if this is actually an accidental position? Or perhaps deliberately done to expose something normally below the waterline? (Your making the title a question leads me to doubt the immediate interpretation.) Trevor Cunningham -- Life of a Daffodil -- Awfully stark, and the large areas of white water seem to lack detail. As do the darker shadows. Would some fill flash have been practical, maybe? Bob Talbot -- Harwell -- Fairly nice waving flag. The bright empty sky seems to dominate the picture, though. Dan Mitchell -- Still Life -- I like the colors of the back-lit curtains playing against the wheat in the vase, and I like the repeating curve of the chair backs, and I like the range of wood tones from the light into the shadows, and I like the echo of the lit flower arrangement in the unlit arrangement on the table to the left. Kostas Papakotas and Bill Mitoglou -- the kiss -- Every time I look at it, I see the kid trying to eat the bill of the cap. It takes me a while to find the face under the cap. And then, as a kiss, it looks unpleasant. Jim Snarski -- Lani -- The direct frontal flash makes this very harsh. It also shows through the fur to the skin beneath, which you don't usually see anything like that (at least with the cats *I* know; I haven't met Lani myself, so I could be wrong). He looks to be an extremely fine beast! Howard Leigh -- Common frog -- This is a very striking job, and I think exhibits positively one of the aspects of small-sensor cameras, the greater depth of field. The background is still plenty blurred, unlike many attempts at portraiture with such cameras. John Palcewski -- Self Portrait -- And a mirror, I presume? I'd straighten it (the milling in the paneling gives such a clear vertical reference that it's bothersome to have it tilted for me). And I'd do something with the hot area in your top center forhead (I've had surprisingly good luck just airbrushing some nearby skintone over it gently). Other than that I like the somewhat unusual lighting, and I like your look of concentration and focus on the camera. When I first looked at the gallery this week, the other picture was up, but I didn't get to reviewing it in time :-). Hmmm. I seem to have been in a bit of a pissy critical mood this week. Apologies to anybody who thinks I'm mean! And thanks to everybody participating in the gallery this week, I continue to think it's a central and important feature of this list, even if I'm not managing to participate much myself. -- David Dyer-Bennet, <mailto:dd-b@xxxxxxxx>, <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/> RKBA: <http://noguns-nomoney.com/> <http://www.dd-b.net/carry/> Pics: <http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/> <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/> Dragaera/Steven Brust: <http://dragaera.info/>
