Hello, everyone!
I'd like to apologize for my delayed response to the week's offerings; I,
along with legions of my fellow Floridians, have been busy gearing up for
what the media would have us believe is the Storm of the Century, but it
looks like it may turn out to be little more than a drizzle and a breeze.
Anyway, I chose to err on the side of caution, as tropical storms tend to
rapidly strengthen or weaken unpredictably...
Well, I'm pleased to see nine photographs on display this week! Here's how I
feel about them:
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In The Day - Self (Steve Shapiro)
Steve, I had no idea you played "Jaws" in the James Bond flicks...
Seriously, though, I really like this image. It's an effective quasi-candid
shot which portrays you probably as accurately as I have surmised from your
participation in the list, as someone who is embroiled in the pursuit of
photo/cinematographic excellence; your passion pours forth from your tense
fingers in the direction of your work.
As for the print quality, I'll ignore, for the sake of discussion, its age
and method used. A little more contrast would benefit greatly, possibly
aided by a green filter over the lens to lighten the foliage behind the
movie camera and add separation, although I'm not sure that would work, as
it seems the leaves are immersed in shadow... But the grain works to the
photo's advantage, giving an air of reportage, maybe even voyeurism.
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São Paulo - Brazil (Charles Dias)
I've seen some great work from you, but this one falls just a little short
for me, Charles... Although I like the effect of the low angle, the subjects
are a little too dark to tell a story; it looks like a snapshot. The locale
is interesting, with its myriad lights and movie posters in the distance,
but without the title, I would have no idea where it was shot. The subject
placement could have been improved upon a bit by turning the camera to the
right a bit. As an alternative, it might well make for a visually arresting
piece as a slow-speed panned time-exposure.
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morning (Emily L. Ferguson)
First off, Emily, I absolutely love the color in this one; the selected hues
are rich, vibrant, and inviting, and the gradient from the flower's
near-white base into lavender, magenta, violet, and purple has a soothing
effect. Not unlike its title, the pallette reminds me of cold winter predawn
hours waiting for the first glisten of frost.
I thought, for a moment, that the leaves at the bottom were a bit of a
distraction, but upon further review, had they not been there, the image
would have been lost. Depth of field and exposure are prime.
Compositionally, I couldn't have asked for more. Spectacular job, Emily.
Sell a million of these.
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cairene civil engineering (Trevor Cunningham)
Trevor! Quit making me laugh already! There's a wonderfully humorous quality
to this photo of an otherwise ordinary street; the guy's walking against the
arrows painted on the pavement, the cars are parked, at first glance anyway,
contrary to indications... It's almost like a visual metaphor for how much
of the West (sadly) feels the Middle East is moving retrograde to the rest
of the world.
Timing was excellent, catching the man in mid-stride. Composition is pretty
good; the missing front bumper of the car to the far right is a little
bothersome, but it doesn't necessarily break the image, although the camera
could have been turned to the right just two degrees. Exposure looks good;
the full range of gray is represented, but a little dodging would have
worked in your favor in the trees to the right. Well done!
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Sarasota Florida (D. L. Shipman)
OK, Dave, so the title may not be an exact fit for the photo. But this is
about the photo, not the title. Your use of depth of field is what I noticed
first; the bird's head is actually protruding from my computer monitor. How
you managed that, I'll never know. ;-) The level of sharpness in the
feathers and eye is amazing. If I didn't know it was made digitally, I would
have sworn it was shot on Velvia. Color, contrast, composition... it all
works. However, I think I may have preferred to see a bit more of the
surroundings/habitat here, even if it was all grievously out of focus. Great
job!
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Self02 (Jeff Saxman)
Hi Jeff! This isn't how I remember you at all from the ASMP meetings in
Richmond, but I suppose that's a good thing. <G> This is a really powerful
image, and the feeling of vulnerability drives the point home. Composition
is spot-on; you're backed into the corner of the frame, hunched over, head
hanging. Even the backdrop is reminiscent of the stormy skies so prevalent
in Passion plays. Lighting was perfect in how it falls off just below your
shoulder, and as self-portraits go, this one is remarkably well-done.
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[Untitled] (David Small)
David, what I noticed first here was the muted color, which doesn't seem to
work so well for the image. Increase the saturation or go B/W, maybe even
sepia, and the photo would be at least somewhat improved. The model's pose
is a little awkward: she's flat-footed on the staircase, and exhibiting
wrinkles around her hipbone, neither of which is very complimentary. If one
of her feet were just touching a stair by the tip of a toe, it would lend
more of a graceful appearance to her. Additionally, since the fifth white
stair would fulfill the task of concealment done by her right leg, it would
probably be more aesthetic, not to mention suggestive, by swapping the
positions of her legs. On a minor note, her four fingertips are a little
distracting; either have her wrap more of her hand around the center column,
or position her hand at about head level, just fingertip-touching the post
to give more of a delicate feel. I will say, though, that I like the use of
the staircase fracturing her presence, and the curves provided by the
helical nature of the stairs and handrail give a fluid quality to the image.
However, I am forced to make a comparison between the flowing staircase and
a more or less solid, rigid girl; she should either be more graceful than
this or, in contrast, an Amazon queen.
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Over the bridge... (Guy Glorieux)
Whee! This reminds me of a dream I had when I was a university student,
except that it was me there, not a dolphin. OK... moving on... Guy, I am
noticing a trend among your photographs; as such, I like the juxtaposition
of the sculpture and the bridge in this one. I'm not sure if it was what the
sculptor intended (probably not), but the delicate touch of whimsy is a
offset by a gloomy environment of overcast sky and foreboding architecture.
OK, the bridge could stay (since it really is a crucial reagent that makes
the image work), but had there been a good strong blue sky and a bit of
warmer color (i.e. golden afternoon sun) kissing the statue and bridge, the
photo would be full of the youthful spirit embodied by the positioning of
elements which you ultimately accomplished.
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Board Game (Qkano)
Bob, I wonder if the title is a sly pun; these kids look like they could use
a couple of minutes on the Internet. Well, hey! They got a whole week
courtesy of RIT!
The wide-angle lens works well to emphasize the spatial placement of the
three people in the frame. Additionally, it creates an otherworldly feel
which correlates to the unfamiliar game and rural Asian surroundings. The
only nit I have to pick with this image is that I would have liked to see it
shot from a point closer to the child nearest the camera, or, failing that,
cropped in a little closely. Otherwise, a great shot!
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Well that's about it for this segment. I'm going to go re-string my kite for
today's high-wind festivities.
Thank you all who submitted work for the gallery, those who posted
responses, and those who will comment... ;-)
Respectfully yours,
Darin Heinz
Melbourne, Florida USA
(currently in the path of TS Ernesto)
