A complete load of hogwash on display at http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery.html includes ... Qkano - Abstract Looks computer genre-ated to me so I'll refrain from further comment :o) D.L. Shipman - Cobweb with dew. Everything within the frame (/ crop) that needs to be. Fairly shallow DOF with focus maintained across the face of the web. Absolutely plain green-grey background. Real or card? Don't care much either way but in some degree I like to see some structure there. Well taken, but exciting? Jim Thyer - Queen to Jump I enjoy deciphering the illusion but I wish the technical quality of the scan/photo was better. Was it a B&W print on a flat bed? Photographically it's lost all detail in the blacks - hard todelineate the pawn from it's square. DOF is a bit small for the subject, the bishop is sharp but the near pawn decidely soft. Hand held? Is fo use a tripod and smalle apperture. Still, fun to look at ... for it's content. Gary M. Thomas - Claire Probably the best of this week's bunch. A hell of a lot of positive comments will no doubt come for this. Uncluttered, well framed, "fit for purpose" even no doubt. I like the lighting and even the shadow. Minor questions 1) focus does not appear to be sharpest at Claire's eyes: if anything I'd guess it was best on the rim of the hat. This is bothering me a little. 2) trivial comment: as a period drama "The Importance of being Earnest" ... would a lady of the times have been seen out and about with her bra straps on view? I know today it;s no big thing ... but it just looks out of place - a detail maybe the producer should have noticed? Trevor Cunningham - Khafre A pyramid so what? Seriously, what is it that is different about this pyramid? It's shown in very high contrast - the dark side of the pyramid is only a tad off being pure BLACK. The sky: heavily polarised or a red filter? I keep looking at it - while it's a perfectly acceptable / competent shot of the pyramid, it's not really exciting me Christopher Strevens - Bus Queue at Morden I can quite honestly say that this picture is probably better after PhotoShoppery than it would have been without it. With half-closed eyes though I like it more than with them fully open. The overall effect is pleasant enough but the fine detail looks too regularly/predictable "computer". A painter would not have painted it like that so "painterly" sort of grates a little. Of course, the whole thing could be computer rendered in which case I would have had to say "well done" Jeff Spirer - Girl with Bangs Quite OT but I've never really known what "bangs" were. Clearly this isn't a classic portrait of the girl. The background is too, dunno. Are they CDs? She looks down out of the frame: face in deep shadow. No real expression. landscape format but portrait positioning of subject. It's monochrome and grainy. It sort of looks candid but i'm not convinced it was. I'm not managing to connect with this much beyond saying It's clearly Jeff's style. Emily L. Ferguson - Upper Ranch, Pierce Point This photo is titled ranch yet the picture is just a group of fallen trees. The interest seems to beyond the trees, or amybe that is just my lack of interest in them. The story (caption) is interesting, but I'd cave loved to have seen the wildcats, the elk on the reserve, Tomales Point ... as it is I'm looking at a picture that is eclipsed by the text. Sorry. Polly - The Old Postbox The old "totally desaturate the background" trick. I remember the slating I got when I first did that on PF!!! It certainly leave the red of the postbox as a strong memory. Is it too much though? It's certainly an overused technique but I'm debting whether it has worked for this subject? Would a heavily but not completley desaturated background have woked better (say, 50-75% in PS). For the box itself, the next question is the central placing: it makes a very static image. Central can work but it needs luck. Were there features out of frame that forced this arrangement or was it a concious choice? The dark door to the left might have looked silly if overcropped but OTOH more of the old shop window could have improved the shot. I like it as an image, but I'm still debating the details. Thanks to all those who took the trouble to contribute. Bob
