Forum Members,
Here are my subjective observations of the work exhibited at the PhotoForum members' gallery/exhibit space for June 21 2008. The authors with work now on display at: http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery.html include:
Dan Mitchell - Little Wooden Hut by the Sea
http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery/mitchell.html
This is a straightforward shot of, strangely enough, a little wooden hut by the sea in England. For me, however, it is a bit too static. There is no sense of life in the photo. Nor is there a sense of serenity.
I agree with Mitchell’s observation that the various elements are positioned in an interesting arrangement (the angle of the roof of the hut is repeated in the triangular shape of the supporting posts behind the tree/shrubbery on the right—as well as in the shape of the tree behind the bench; the shape of the rectangular bench on the right is repeated in the shape of the hut, and the shapes of the elements of the hut itself, and in the shape of the fence on the far right; the shape of the green grass is repeated in the darker blue of the sea and the lighter blue of the sky].
There should be some mystery about why the roof is in disrepair, but I can’t feel it because of the lifeless nature of the photo. Everything is too perfect. The only exception is the fence on the right that angles slightly downward and seems to separate the grass from sand on the other side.
So this is a likable image, but it just sits there as it was yesterday and will be again tomorrow. Even the clouds in the sky seem to be influenced by the static nature of the rest of the scene: they sit there also, unchanging and forever.
The lack of serenity mentioned above seems to be a result of the precise nature of the angles throughout the photo. There are no curves to catch the eye and set the mind at ease.
One wonders, however, about the aspect ratio used in the image. It implies cropping. But I am glad the angled fence was kept in the final cut. That is for me the most interesting element of the photo; for me it implies the hope of life to come.
Valery Firsov - The Break
http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery/firsov.html
I like this. There is so much clutter, but it is all put to rest by the resting worker, who seems to be resting well. At first I thought the unsupported head did not imply rest, but looking at the head then draws the observer’s eyes to the eyes of the worker: they are closed. He is truly at rest.
Several years ago I tired of the tilted horizon when it seemed to become the signature element of too many photographers. And here it is again, but here it seems to work very well. Firsov has beautifully positioned the elements, allowing the position of the worker to dominate in a position of rest, setting the mood for the entire image.
There is clutter everywhere. The background outside the door is washed out. The cord hanging down probably supplying power to the portable music machine is disconcerting. But the image works because of the worker, with his perfectly-lit face, being at what appears to be perfect rest.
This is a composition of contrasts that still focuses on rest. This is very well done.
Bob McCulloch - Hunger Memorial #1
http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery/mcculloch.html
McCulloch says his photo is “a little piece of Ireland transplanted” to NYC. It works. The various greens and the stony constructions certainly do seem to bring Ireland to the US.
I don’t care for the sky, but nature gives us only one choice at a time, and gray skies usually result in greener greens anyway. I don’t care for the foreground fence, but it was in the way and removing it would probably not have met with approval from the authorities. A necessary evil. These elements may not be optimal, but they are not really detracting.
I do like the way the way the horizon lines seem to angle slightly upwards from either side to meet at a small depression, allowing an incompleteness in form to completed by the mind.
The one thing I wish were different is the rock at the bottom left of the photo that bleeds out the edge of the photograph. It is annoying mainly because of the color of the background used in the PhotoForum is too similar, which gives the impression of a large divot in that area of the photo.
A good photo with a good result.
Christopher Strevens - Stonehenge on the day of the UFO watch
http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery/strevens.html
I like this image. It appears that it was a good day for a UFO watch, and this photograph captures the drama of the event. The use of black and white in the picture presented to the Forum was a wise choice. It enhanced the drama. The large amount of sky was also a very good choice in that the event was about the sky.
Silhouetting Stonehenge, reducing the emphasis on the location, but still allowing it to be immediately identifiable, was also a wonderful choice.
A photographer makes many choices for every image that is presented. Strevens did very, very well with his choices. The sum total of the choices resulted in an image that captured not simply the place, but the event and the drama that was felt by the people who were there.
The only problem I have is a personal one: my screen will allow only an image with 600 vertical pixels to be seen without scrolling. This one has 700, so I am unable to view the entire photograph at one time. All the elements seem to be well chosen and well presented, but I can’t see if they all fit together as well as it seems that they should fit. Alas.
Still, the image is quite excellent.
Howard Leigh - Toledo
http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery/leigh.html
A most interesting image. I wonder who the statue represents? Is it part of a church or a stand-alone statue?
The angle of the photo is well-chosen. It gives interest and enhancement to the lady with the folded hands. The time of day was not perhaps the best, as the face and hands of the statue is in soft shadows, de-emphasizing what I think of as critical elements, but a fill-flash would have over-powered the base and who brings a reflector when one is with students? Still there is good definition in both the hands and face, so fact that those parts are not highlighted does not destroy the image. Still, as Firsov’s image demonstrates, lighting the face can sometimes make or break a photograph.
Luckily, this image does not require that particular lighting.
The blue sky at the bottom right of the photo was a necessary element to surround the statue and make it stand out appropriately. The colors are good. The shadows are good and not overwhelming.
Statue photography can sometimes be boring. This one is not. Here there is life, a bit of serenity, and perhaps (as also found in Mitchell’s work to a lesser degree) even a bit of hope.
Marilyn Dalrymple - Reflection of Willow
http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery/dalrymple.html
An abstract! Abstract art is something that you either like or don’t like. I happen to like a lot of abstract presentations, this one included. I like the contrast of the verticals at the top of the image with the horizontal lines at the bottom. I like the contrast of the dark elements with the light elements. This dark/light motif is definitely enhanced by the intermingling grays surrounding what I assume are the reflected willows at the top of the picture.
Nothing is straight, so the image, much like the original scene I suspect, implies movement.
I wonder about the sepia tone. On my browser, it looks a bit pink rather than the brown tones I normally attribute to sepia-toned photos, but I suspect it was brown on the original. I would like to have seen the original.
The biggest criticism is the opposite of the only problem with Strevens’ work: this image is too small! To me, abstracts work best when they are large. I would love to have seen this one presented at 600 vertical pixels. Size matters (to me, but YMMV).
D.L. Shipman –
http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery/shipman.html
This is one neat photograph. As with Strevens’ work, many choices were made during the production of image. The result in this case was a photograph that appears as if it were taken 150 years ago. I like that.
The artfully dodged frame certainly adds emphasis to the subject as well as interest. The change to black-and-white with a reddish-cream color (on my monitor) tinge also adds to the overall effect.
In the darker areas of the flowers, there are many little white highlight-like objects that detract, however. I think the photo would be stronger without them, but that is a personal thing. I don’t care for them as they tend to pull the eye to many places in the photograph, and not allow the eye to travel smoothly from one area to another.
It probably doesn’t make any difference, but the photo almost seems as if it were upside down. The weight of the photo is at the top rather than at the bottom where the mind expects it to be.
Still, I like this image a lot.
Tim Holmes –
http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery/holmes.html
Holmes got it right when he said, “the little creature was so charming I couldn’t help but to snap its picture.”
The spiral of the snail’s shell is very interesting. The outer portion is mostly on the left side of the photo and it is slightly overexposed. But this serves mainly to emphasize the spiral nature of the shell. The “fuzzy” nature of the snail’s “skin” provides an interesting textural element to the photo.
The snail’s left eye, seen clearly at the end of the left upper tentacle, is really interesting. It makes the snail seem somewhat more real as a living animal. The shape of the upper tentacles echoed in the shadowed give interest to the photograph. Alas, the lower tentacles are difficult to see, but they are still present. They just do not add to the visual interest of the picture.
I kind of wish Holmes’ had picked the little guy up and set him on a leaf (they are herbivores after all) so there was more contrast between the snail and the background, but the shallow depth of field helps a lot, as does the slight variation in the browns and the shadow of the snail. But a variation in color would have been perhaps an optimal differentiation.
So I would like to thank everyone who submitted images this week. They were enjoyable to look at and fun to talk about.
peace,
rand
