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Forum Members, My thoughts on the photos on display at http://people.rit.edu/andpph/gallery.html: Rene M Hales - Street at Dark Wonderful image! I especially like the way the buildings along the stone street seem to converge near the top, leading into darkness. This gives a feeling of foreboding or mystery to the narrow passageway. The exposure is excellent, especially given existing lighting. I am curious about the nearest light on the right, however. The two lights further away have radiating light "spikes" (for lack of a better word). The one in the foreground, which logic would dictate should have the strongest spikes, has almost none. Perhaps this was fixed in post, perhaps this was somehow a natural occurrence, but it does seem a bit unnatural. I would expect all the lights to have similar spikes. Rob Talbot - Lindisfarne Silhouette in silhouette. Works pretty well for me, but I can't help wondering what it would be like with just a hint of detail in the foreground rocks. Maybe I wouldn't like it all that way, but I kept looking at the picture to find something indicating texture in the rock. But at least I was looking at the image! The square format works well.The boats in the midground definitely add interest and the image would not be nearly as strong without them. Well done. And thanks for the lat/long. I was wondering where the photo was taken, but putting the coordinates into Google Earth showed me. I appreciate that a lot. It just adds a bit to the total image package. Emily L. Ferguson - Wintery Barn Pretty, but a bit underexposed for me. Snow should be whiter. As presented, the image looks as if it were shot with the camera selecting the exposure rather than the photographer. John Retallack - This is certainly, for me at least, the most evocative photograph in the group. I think it nails the theme Hawks and Doves with almost surgical precision. Photographically, this is well exposed and well focused. The cross is very well exposed, showing both a bit of shine and a hint of the gold from which it was crafted. I think a bit more black at the top would help, but that gets into the realm of personal preference. The image is exceptional as it stands. What draws me to this image is that it is not a hand holding a cross, but rather a fist. The redness at the tip of the thumb gives the impression that it is being pressed tightly against the first finger. The whiteness and prominence of skin drawn tightly across the knuckle (metacarpophalangeal joint) of the third finger also denote a clinched fist rather than simply a hand holding a cross. The thickness of the fingers seem to indicate that it is a male hand. The impression is that it is a fist, ready to fight, holding a cross, which is the symbol of someone who preached the philosophy of "turn the other cheek." So we are left with the antithetical concepts of a man ready to fight for his religion, while at the same time ready to fight against the principles on which that religion was founded. Retallack has conceived and executed a remarkable work. Given the exhibition in which he plans to display this image, it should work perfectly. Katarina Kitaeva - The chasm I like this image. The composition is good, although I do wonder what it would be like if the pier were not so centered. The blue tone of the photo adds to the interest. The light falloff on the left is a bit distracting, however. The title is also a bit distracting, as the photo is not of a chasm (implying a deep abyss or gap), but rather a lake or other body of water with two shore lines. But that is a nuance of English that does not take away from the photo. Dan Mitchell - Gobble, gobble Yup, it's a turkey. I would have preferred that the feathers in the lower left upper right of the photo had not been cropped. My personal taste tends toward closure of the subject. Pini Vollach - Snowman Interesting subject, but like Emily's photo, it seems a bit underexposed, resulting in snow that appears a bit dirty rather than white, as newly fallen snow would be expected to look. The trees and buildings all lean to the left a bit, implying the horizon is a bit off. Still, as a record shot of an event, it works. Don Roberts - Big Fish Don is correct. This is a fun picture. Christopher Strevens - The day the sun came back The sun certainly does show in the specular being reflected back from the vehicle, but it fooled the camera into underexposing the rest of the photo a bit too much for my taste. Roy Miller - Comments on Composition? I like the overall effect of the picture, especially with the triangle framing the bird. I'm not sure if the bird being just slightly left and up from center of a rectangle works for me as well as a square picture (cropping mostly from the right) would work. Thanks to the contributors and staff for putting this week's forum together. rand |
