Darin, Thanks for your thoughtful review. I often give up formal issues (not much point in doing pans if you don't) to allow the viewer to explore. Sometimes I have to pull back the curtains a little more to expand the narrative. AZ Build a 120/35mm Lookaround! The Lookaround Book. Now an E-book. http://www.panoramacamera.us > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [SPAM] Re: PF Exhibit update 09-22-07 > From: Darin Heinz <spacecoastphoto@xxxxxxxxxxx> > Date: Sun, September 23, 2007 2:30 am > To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students > <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > > Hi again, everyone. I got a little bit more of a jump on the one this week. > Looks like another great collective performance! I hope I'm not the only > reviewer this time; the submissions are certainly of the quality that would > merit more than just the following response... > > ----- ------- ----- > "By any other name..." by Howard Leigh > > Ah, yes, an elephant! ;-) This is a great closeup, Howard. Nothing wrong > with using an old lens on a new camera. You've got the center focused > sharply, and the use of shallow depth-of-field works wonderfully here. The > only thing that bothers me is the amount of in-camera cropping. By lopping > off part of the petals on all four sides, yet including the chunks of > background, my mind is telling me it wants to see more. As an alternative > (which may be more desirable when faced with such an irregularly-shaped > subject), you could have cropped in even more to produce an entirely pink > frame. In that case, the image would have maintained its solidarity; the > crop would have looked to be completely deliberate. The way it is presented > here, it looks as if the cropping was either accidental or due to some level > of your equipment's limitations, as opposed to being your intended final > image. Other than that, your exposure and color balance is perfect, as is > the softness of the light. > > ----- ------- ----- > "Ocean Side in Sri Lanka" by Quintin Tallon > > If memory serves, this is the first submission we've seen from you, Quintin. > If so, welcome to the Gallery! You have uploaded a wonderful photograph, at > that: the woman's gaze, the warm toned lighting, the apparent breeze, it > provides the perfect opportunity for a well-timed shutter release. You have > done well with this. The depth-of-field is perfect; she is sharply focused, > as the horizon fades off in the distance. Your composition is great, with > the angle of the fence rails adding to the overall "direction" of the photo. > Her left hand creates a point of interest, fingers spread out, forefinger > and thumb "touching" the seaside foliage. There's really nothing I can > suggest for improvement here. The mood, exposure, composition, all superb. > Excellent work! > > ----- ------- ----- > "Rita" by Qkano > > Bob, Rob, Qkano, Mr. T., etc., this is a great cast portrait. Please credit > yourself with what is due, and pass on the rest to those involved. You > nailed the lighting and composition of this photo. The red dress and > lipstick is the perfect complement to her eyes, and the jewelry is just the > right amount and color to break it all up a little. As it seems you didn't > photograph the actress, but the character, I'd like to know more about the > character's personality upon seeing this. Her body language suggests she is > a bit distraught, perhaps even lost. The relatively plain background forces > a focal point on the woman, but a different color may have been more > effective than the white. Her shadow, even being a little faint, is a tad > distracting. You have framed this one up nicely, and gave it the proper > in-camera treatment. Great job! > > ----- ------- ----- > "4ledspider 001" by Bob Sull > > This looks like a good test of the Lightwave 4. I'm curious about the > settings you used; the image has an overall noisy RGB pattern, and the > spider looks like it is either slightly out of focus or captured with a > little too long of a shutter speed. As for composition, there's a lot of > empty space on all four sides. If the web were more visible, perhaps a 1:1.5 > vertically-oriented aspect ratio would improve the photo's presentation. A > decent experimental test shot, but I'm not sure how far-reaching its other > applications may be. > > ----- ------- ----- > "Back Bay Layers" by J Michael Sullivan > > I am intrigued by this photograph. From a design standpoint alone, it's > really well done. In a historical context, the image appears to overlay > space with time: front-to-back apparently equals old-to-new. And then there > is the sky, which is both in front of and behind the entire array, whether > explicitly or implicitly, and of course fits either position. From a > photographic standpoint, the overall exposure is pretty darn close to > right-on. I would have liked to see more light on the foreground buildings, > as they are constructed of darker materials, and in shadow. A good time for > a massive reflector (or softbox), or maybe a quick selective lightening in > PS (although I'm a semi-closet-purist). I really like the composition, as > the frame edges coincide with the physical edges of the structures, and > everything is nicely vertical (OK, what was it? A shiftable lens? A vantage > point 5 miles away? PhotoShop? Do tell!) The 6x7 format is excellent for > this, and I would love to see a poster-sized enlargement. You have done a > tremendous job with this one, Michael. > > ----- ------- ----- > "'50's sport cars at Meadow Brook Concours, Michigan" by Alan Zinn > > Hey there, Mr. Lookaround! I absolutely love the perspective of this one. > The day's weather doesn't look like it was the most favorable, but somewhere > between what it was and clear would have probably been ideal. I know, I > know. You can't control the weather. It does, however, look like you picked > one of the best cars to photograph. It's clearly the main point of interest, > and, thanks to the camera/lens, appears to be driving right onto my > keyboard. The only issue I have with this is the scattered collection of > onlookers, who are more of a distraction to me than a useful agent to > establish the environment. Perhaps if it were sweeping off to the right a > little more, even though I admit I don't know what was there. Although some > would disagree, I rather like the reflection of the unique camera in the > car. It seems like a tongue-in-cheek way to show off special machines on > multiple levels. Exposure looks great, and I think you have done a fine job > with this one, Alan. > > ----- ------- ----- > "Badland's Golden Sunset" by Tim Mulholland > > Tim, this really exhibits some spectacular color! I love the way this image > is broken into horizontal bands of alternating colors, and punctuated by the > lone tree and shrub in the fore 1/3 of the setting. Your composition is > perfect with the 6x7 format, and depth of field could not be better. A great > many years ago, I was loaned a Fuji 6x17 panoramic, and always regretted not > being able to get to Badlands to burn a few hundred dollars' worth of film. > I can't recommend any improvements to this image. Exposure, contrast, > composition all look great. Even the slight tilt of the horizon line seems > to "correct" the angle of the valley creeping through the center of the > frame. Very nicely done! > > ----- ------- ----- > > Well, that just about does it for my preliminary comments regarding this > week's Gallery! Once again, I thank Andy and his staff for putting it > together, and especially for these seven brave souls who, by posting their > work, put their reputations on the line so that we could all be enlightened. > I am looking forward to the ensuing discussions! > > Yours very truly, > Darin Heinz > Melbourne, Florida USA
