I'll reply to all the reviews on Qkano's Doorway shot in one post. http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery/talbot.html It was one of those frames where feedback really was being awaited.... Technically everything was wrong, the frame was full of photographic flaws, it wasn't even the whole frame, yet something spoke to me looking at the negative to make me try to salvage something from it. After all that, and the reason for seeking the feedback, there is still the lingering doubt that it was just my own quirky taste it talked to. Responses - good and bad - from the list are for the sure the best way of gaining an "outsider's view". Bob Rich Mason Wrote: >Bob Talbot (sic) - Doorway Qkano is beginning to understand how Vlad feels > For my money, more mysterious than the long-house. An easy one to get > sucked into with the dramatic lighting and good, clean composition. > Despite that it feels posed, rather than found, but what the heck, I > still like it. It's a LONG time ago I took this - in the days of a fully manual film camera and when I took, I think, less than 2 films during the week's trip to France. What I can remember is that I saw the lighting and scene and just thought it needed a silhouette in the doorway. So yes, I asked the first girl passing (there were three in the flat) to stand there. I confess - sob sob - it was posed, so I'd better not post it to StreetPhoto :o) It was also a one-off frame, frame number 37, so there were no alternative takes. Heck, try getting a "model" to stand still for any longer without paying them. As frame 37 the top of the emulsion ran out to the film leader (ie it was totally black) and I did lose the top of the near door frame. How I envisioned it was high-quality colour, well focussed, strong contrast. As it turned out it was not only prematurely cropped by the film leader, it was grossly underexposed and this - thanks to the wonders of modern scanners, was all I could salvage from the neg. Even then I had to discard the blue and green channels which were almost pure noise. After all that I still liked it, just it wasn't the picture I set out to take. So it was "found" in a way :o) Thanks for taking the time to comment: I do appreciate your review. Dave Small Wrote: Bob Talbot..... Doorway Bob forgive me for typcasting you as a nature photographer. Lately I see many other fascets of your talent. this ethereal image is a good example of your versatility. the positioning and lighting is perfect . I love the way the beam of light on the floor fans out to the corners of the frame. I.m sure your subject will tresure this. It's more dabbling than versatility Dave: though there are parts of style that seem to cross into whatever subject. I'm glad you liked the image, I wish I could claim to have envisioned it the way it turned out :o) In a way I can credit myself for having created it from a nothing piece of underexposed ned :o) Brian van den Broek Wrote: Bob Talbot - Doorway Lighting, grain, and apparent extraordinary height conspire to give this a very X-Files feeling for me. I do think it is a shame that the top of the door and frame are missing. As it is, I feel both a sense of truncation and that her head is a bit cramped up there at the top of the frame. The comment about Frame 37 covered this in part but I remembered also that there are two doorways across a hall which I think exaggerates the clipping. The shot was taken while kneeling but the girl was not excessively tall - only 5 foot 6 inches / 8 stone nothing in weight. The head is cramped. If I'd been a pro I'd have shot more than the one frame :o( Your comments on the grain and lighting are indeed what I'm seeing in it though. Maybe I'll try to repeat it someday. Chris Wrote: :>Bob Talbot - Doorway I think this is a brilliant image, it does not matter that the figure is blurred nor that the surrounds are similarly out of focus, but the effect of the figure against the light is terrific. THANX Chris!! We don't often like each other's work this much so I'll treasure this comment!!!!!! Sorry if I missed a reviewer: my gut hurts!. Bob
