Hi everyone! Well, it's been a hectic few months for the Heinz family, as you could imagine. It's good to be back and refreshed enough to do another one of these. As you have guessed by now, here is my take on this week's PhotoForum Gallery. ----- ------- ----- "Artist Hands" by Mark Harris Mark, I like the use of black-and-white here. Especially in the context of a close-up image of "hands" (a trademark of humanity), and painting (a trademark of human expression), it really works well for this image. Composition is dead-on; look at how the upper right corner of the frame bisects the artist's forearm. Exposure is perfect, despite the hot spots of the canvas in the background. Depth-of-field is spot on. Great job! ----- ------- ----- (untitled) by Howard Leigh Though I've seen my fair share of flower photographs in my time, I have to say that this is a dreamlike image, Howard. The cropping initially looked a bit like it was too closely done, but the shadow area and the slight touch of background foliage at lower right is just enough to establish a "ground", so the verdict from my chair is that it was properly executed. What sets the image apart from many others is the dead-on focus of the octopus-like stamen. Without it, the photo would lack visual interest. You have pulled this one off nicely. If it could be enlarged to the size of a 16" x 20", I would consider approaching interior designers or private collectors for possible sales. ----- ------- ----- "Anemone Pulsatilla" by Per Öfverbeck (without the "Ö" it's misspelled!) ;-) Per, what first struck me about this image is the amazing contrast of the purple flower against the green. Dropped into monochrome, it would be a very flat image indeed. The backlighting on the plants' cilia makes for a visually arresting image, giving them a sort of glow. The only issue I have with this is the amount of green - noisy green - which seems to detract from the punch this photo could have. While the unflowered stalk in the right of the foreground is undoubtedly an integral element to the photo, I think the blurry background is distracting. If the camera angle were shifted to a point lower to the ground (whether by digging a hole or shooting into a mirror, if necessary) and rotated to put the second stalk and flower closer in proximity with a more close-up vantage point, I think the image could be drastically improved. Consider the area ratio of flower to background... Otherwise, exposure is excellent, depth-of-field is perfect. ----- ------- ----- "Shasta" by Jim Snarski The inclusion of the plane's wing is just the icing on this cake, Jim. What a fabulous shot! I'm not going to give you credit for the clouds, as a higher force obviously put them there. But they add to the image; if they were taken away, a great deal of visual interest would certainly be lost. It would be nice, though to see some of the outstretched landscape to the right of the mountain; this may come from the compositional "rules" I'm trying to defy (an internal conflict) which says things against lopping off a person's head or feet... Exposure is good; the pixellation of varying shades of blue in the sky is a little disconcerting, but in the same breath I have to say it's well done, given the equipment you were using. As a side note, the story of Lemuria's survivors was entertaining. I bet Ted Nugent could find them. ----- ------- ----- "Male and female Black Headed Grosbeaks" by Roger Eichhorn Roger, there seems to be a great deal of tension in this image, largely on the part of the wood stud to the left and out-of-focus tree on the right, confining these two birds to close quarters. The top of the bird feeder extends out of the top of the frame, out of sight, and there is a lot (maybe too much) of empty space beneath. I will agree that is a rare occasion to get a couple coexisting on the feeder simultaneously, but it would have been better had they been facing each other, their body language perhaps suggesting communication. I would have preferred to see this as a vertical c omposition, comprised mainly of the band between the stud and tree and including less of the open space and more of the feeder itself. As an alternative, an even closer crop to emphasize the birds' position. Exposure, however, looks perfect. ----- ------- ----- "Daddy's Hands" by Catherine Heinz OK. These are my hands, holding my daughter; prominent in the image is "Hurricane Natalie", the swirl of hair on the top of her head. How cute! I'm separating myself from those facts, though, Catherine. Exposure is really well-done; the gradation from skin-tone to near-black forms a wonderful base upon which the image rests. I'd probably prefer to see this as a black-and-white image, given the intimacy of the photograph. Compositionally it works fairly well; I don't like to see the thumb cut off or, by the same token, her arm so close to the edge of the frame. By giving another inch to the left side of the image would be to give her room to stretch, to breathe, to float effortlessly in space, as she wishes. Plus it would give me a little more hand to work with. Losing her face, or forehead in the top of the frame is a little uncomfortable, compositionally speaking; since the photo is more about the hands, and Natalie has become a secondary element to the image, I think it works. ----- ------- ----- "Pumpkin Farm" by Paul Weyn Paul, I want to tell you I really like this image, after viewing it full-size. The thumbnail doesn't do it justice. The shallow depth-of-field is incredible; it gives the photo a magazine-quality feel. I could certainly see some sort of editorial application for it. The girl holding the wee pumpkins has a charm which makes the image: the jacket with a smudge of dirt on it, the straight hair cascading over her shoulders and over her eye, and, of course, the smirk. Very well done, Paul! ----- ------- ----- "Sun Sings Swan Song" by Roy H. Miller The square format of this image works pretty well for me (not sure if it's because I've been shooting 6x6 a lot lately), but the wild color throws me off. Had this been one segment of a 2x2 array (for example) of vividly recolored images following a theme, my appreciation may be a little warmer. Taken out of context as a stand-alone image, though, it seems a bit too over-the-top, along the same lines as the "through-the-warp" scenes in Kubrick's "2001"; those special effects were beyond compare and received widespread acclaim in the '60s, and may well be as much an achievement today, but to me the image falls short due to overtreatment. I would probably prefer the original version to this; our personal tastes obviously differ, which isn't in and of itself a bad thing. ----- ------- ----- (untitled) by Linda Buttstead The chaos of the image, overrun by a sharply-focused Godzilla, was captured very well, Linda! Blurry (whether by motion or focus) structures surround the monster of the fair. Exposure was expertly accomplished; the sky and park surroundings look great, and the photo is enhanced by its entertainment value. I'm sure political or societal messages could be derived from this work, but I'm not going there. Your excellent composition makes this a great shot. Put it toward the front of your portfolio. ----- ------- ----- "A bandsman's moment of reflection" by Michael Hughes Michael, this is a fun close-up to review. It reminds me of the old Victrola ads from the early 20th Century. The first thing that struck me was the proximity of the instrument's bell to the musician's ear. I initially thought the obscuring of his face to be a bad judgment, but on second look, it makes for an interesting statement. Most musicians are perceived as faceless; their identities are replaced with their instrument (myself included, for that matter). Who could identify Miles Davis or John Coltrane from a collection of mug shots? But I digress. Exposure is pretty good; the "bandsman's" profile, and that of his colleagues, are in the right zone, but the reflection in the bell has some disturbingly hot spots. All other technical aspects and composition are right on the money. ----- ------- ----- I'd like to thank everyone who participated this week, whether by posting images or by submitting critiques. And especially for Lupita, Andy, and the PF Gallery staff for making it available for everyone. Respectfully yours, Darin Heinz Melbourne, Florida USA See my photographs online at http://www.photo.net/photos/DarinHeinz/
