Since I managed to submit something, and hence will have everybody taking their shots at me :-), I might as well get in my own shots at the other submitters! Comments on the Photoforum Gallery <http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/gallery.html> this week: David Dyer-Bennet -- Tony -- A portrait of a friend of mine. I hauled the studio lighting out to a party and shot portraits of a number of people there, and got a number of interesting results I thought, including this one. Qkano -- Promenade -- The color treatment startles me, since I expect bricks to be in the red/yellow spectrum somewhere. This *could* easily be a blue-toned monochrome shot, but the same thing still happens in my head. I like the hard sharp-edged manmade objects, pointing all sorts of directions, contrasting with the very blurred moving figure. And you *really* needed the little post at the left; I wonder if I would have figured out that I needed it if I'd been trying to shoot something like this? Good call, anyway. Jeff Spirer -- Hands, Dress -- This particular blurred shot just doesn't do anything for me that I can find. I don't think I'm deeply and hopelessly opposed to all blurred shots, but they're not my native territory anyway. Srinivasa Rao Regeti -- Kid Playing with his Truck -- Rather nice. I like the way his hand grasps the truck, it's very much a child's way of doing it. The line of posts makes a nice counterbalance to fill the other half of the picture, too. Marilyn Dalrymple -- Wall, Leaves and Shadows -- The mixture of shadows and silhouettes is interesting, and I like the light color brushing the wall, too. It looks a little flat to me, but in web presentation that's always kind of a guess (though I am viewing the pictures on a calibrated monitor). Emily L. Ferguson -- Depth Marks -- I keep thinking it *ought* to be more interesting than I'm actually finding it. More angled lighting would have brought out the marks, and the other textures, more, and maybe that would catch my attention more solidly. David Small -- Meditators Christos gates -- From what I remember, I agree with you about which version is better. I'm feeling the sharpness is uncertain on some of the figures -- motion blur? Or inadequate depth of field? And the two with their backs to us and the two on the right somehow don't look very meditative. The guy on the far side facing straight towards us, on the other hand, is perfect. Pini Vollach -- Woman at work -- Her eyes and face aren't sharp, which seems like a fatal flaw in this sort of photo to me. The machinery is interesting -- NOT high-tech at all. Her attention is clearly engaged in her work, and I like the lighting on her face and I like the bunches of threads (?) crossing between her and the camera. WRGill -- Robinson Canyon Oak, Carmel Valley CA -- This seems interesting largely for the unusual tonal renderings, particularly the tree showing up light against the very dark sky (without being infrared). Looks like a lot of strong highlights in the tree branches, and probably a red filter? Laurenz Bobke -- Whirling dervish -- This gives a strong impression of motion, which is good. The face is the wrong kind of unsharp, though, IMHO. I wish the hand didn't go out of frame to the top; I want to know what it's controlling, and as it is I can't tell. Thanks to all who participated in the gallery this week! -- 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/>
