Critique, Recent Photos

Robert Price:

I like the portrait format for this photo as it is very suitable. I also like the way you've handled the light on the statue and the bricks: the glow is very resonant of pictures on sale at Lourdes or similar.

The dark shade under the table looks odd. Perhaps it is a counterpoint to the light above. But even so I would have tried to either bounce some light down there or reframed/cropped to lose that part of the scene.


J J Kapsberger:

Chinese Lanterns

Lovely colors and composition with a very photogenic but cliched view. It says 'China' or 'Chinatown' to me very clearly.

I know the lanterns here are decorative, not functional, but I would have preferred not to see the electric light.


Nikola:

Nun

Splitting the photo 50/50 like this is a master stroke. The door is a wonderful old faded color, and the nun makes the photo.

Could you perhaps work on the photo to get the door looking upright on the left side as well as on the right side?


Ray PA:

High Heel Shoe

I love it. This photo belongs in a fashion magazine. It's also a photo that many people would have missed. You handled the light very well indeed.

There's really nothing more to say.
 
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Robert

I'm not sure about this one, the statue is the most interesting part... but is little overexposed, and the foldings are ironed out...

I'm with Jon on everything he said.


Jon

This one is interesting... it's kinda eluding and romantic. If I didn't know better I would say that it was taken at least 30 years ago. 🙂 I'm waiting for horse to show his head in full. 😀

Darren

Technically wise it's ok, but I just don't find it interesting enough. 🙂
Love the light on the second lantern.


Ray

...a moody silence, with a glimpse of disturbance.

Love it...
 
Disclaimer: I'm on a CRT monitor. 🙂

Bullfighter/Jon,

Positives: I really like this image. I like the tightness of the framing and the spontaneous feeling. There's just enough of the riders face. She seems so calm, but her tight grip shows concentration and hard work. The black outfit flowing off the page, to the right, lends a romantic feeling, as does the position of the horse's head. Great shot.

Some criticism: I find there's just enough detail in the audience to distract me. I find my eye drifting away from the foreground and focusing on the audience their clothes and their casualness. It's not bad, but if you could if a way to minimize the distraction, I think the image would be even better. I' am distracted by the color in the shaded highlights (on the horse and the rider's collar).

Suggestions: This might look great converted to black and white

Conclusion: Great shot, Jon. I' think tweaking the color is the main thing.


Alter/Rober Price

Positives: This is well composed. Strong symmetry which is good for this image. The simplicity of the approach and the distance seems to show a lot of respect for the subject matter. I find the brick wall around the statue interesting. It doesn't seem typical. I'm wondering if there is a story here (?)

criticism: The image is a little hot in the center. I think pulling the overall density down would help, as would some selective burning and dodging to add some interest points or move the eye (staidness can be a downside to strong symmetry). I like darker images (you think?! 🙂 ), but I think this has some room to come down. Also, I think some explanatory text should accompany this. My interest is piqued.

conclusion: A good shot that only needs a little work.


Chinese Lanterns/JJ

Positives: This has a nice feel to it. It is very well composed with a large foreground oofa that contrasts nicely with the tack sharp lantern. Nice shot.

Criticism: shadows feel a little muddy, maybe a bump up in contrast would help (?). I'd like to see a stronger black on the right side and the lower left. I find the little highlight in the upper left a little distracting. It can probably be easily burned.

conclusion: Nice work with a subtle feeling. It shows a good eye for texture and depth.


Nun/Nikola

Positives: This has an unreal feeling to it. The subject looks like she might even be a minature, a statue. The hand on the door fascinates me, as does the deep black that she seems destined for. It really is riveting.

Criticism: I'd like to see it after a good scan, although the softness, I think, lends to the unreal feeling. I find the centralized division to be too strong. The symmetry sort of freezes the image. I think cropping the right side and putting the nun a little more on a one-third line would make it better. It also seems to be tending color-wise toward the green side (see my disclaimer above).

conclusion: I really enjoy this image. It is simple, but has an unreal feeling, a detachment, a melancholy that immediately makes me pensive. It's thought provoking.


Thanks All. Enjoyable!
 
Robert:

Clean composition which leaves me with no doubt that the head of the statue is the subject. My eye goes right to it invariably. The architecture nicely frames the subject. The overall look is classic, due to the softness and lack of heavy-duty contrast. I feel that the subject area is a bit overexposed. Just a bit. Also, I would've striven to darken the ceiling area a small amount. And, at the bottom I would've burned in a bit of vignetting. With the darkened ceiling and bottom, perhaps the subject area would glow a bit more.

Nikola:

I assume the lack of detail in the nun's dress is due to scanning. I like the compositional balance. I like the fact that the wall isn't exactly perpendicular; that adds a bit of dynamism. The white nun against the black background is very nicely done. What makes this image for me is her attitude as she leans against the wall. There's a fleeting suggestion of using the wall for support. To my eyes, she's leaning against the wall ever so subtly, which is perfect. After all, one would expect a nun to lean on the church for support, wouldn't one? This of course assumes that it is a church. If I could think of one suggestion, perhaps it would be to totally darken the black background. That area needs no detail at all (I can see just a bit on my monitor).

Ray,

I appreciate your boldness in placing the subject well away from where subjects are usually placed. That is, if the shoes are indeed the subject. I've assumed they are as they're mentioned in the title. But looking at the photo, I could easily take the door for the subject. Or, I could be convinced that there isn't a subject, just a shot of a store front detail (which certainly could work in and of itself). My first reaction is to crop a bit of the left-hand side for balance. But then again I very much like the way the bit of architecture at the top doesn't go all the way across the image. Cropping would make it do so. So I can't decide whether to crop there or not. One thing I would do is crop the bottom only to remove the circle, which doesn't' add anything to the photo. You'd still be left with most of the reflection on the sidewalk, which is a very nice touch. It's a complex, abstract image you've taken. I think it works.

Claremont,

I find myself imagining what it is the young lady's looking at, what she's concentrating on right at that moment. Her posture is perfect; she's in control, but she's right on the edge. A bit more to her right and she'd be in danger of falling off, or so it seems to me. But my impression is one of riding mastery. So, you've certainly caught a very arresting and interesting moment. As I would with Ray's image, I'd be tempted to crop. Where I'd do so is just below the silver object on the horse's bridle, just enough to leave a very small yellow triangle where the horse's cheek meets its neck. Also, I feel that if the top of the image were to run along the edge of the yellow background just above the three spectators' heads, that would help as well. The rider's head would be chopped a bit, but that wouldn't bother me. Instead of cropping further, I'd Photoshop out the red arm along the left-hand side. Also, I'd reduce the brightness of the background and neutralize the blueish color cast on the horse (i.e., render it a bit more gray).

My suggestion:

Maria_Mira,_Bullfighter.jpg

Thanks for the mind nourishment all.
 
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I too wondered whether the electric lamp would harm the image. I decided to crop it out and burn part of the background to minimize distractions. Does this work?

Chinese-lanterns-developed cropped.jpg
 
Darren: this one is better to me...

I'm not fond of remaking the photo... in photoshop nor in live reshooting... one of the reasons is that I'm a perfectionist and if I start I wouldn't know how to stop, until I kill the life in it. 😀

Cropping it would tighten the vertical component and I wouldn't like it, there is just no enough meat in the pic to reframe it like that without consequences.

I do have an BW version, but I'm unsure...
Untitled-12d.jpg


I had to try hard to see that details in tha black... and really there is the second door... hehe... I have a really poor monitor, almost 8y old... (in november) 😀


Thanks everyone!
 
well, looks like i missed it after all. never mind. i thought my comments were that i'd join in. i'll follow this thread in this one and try to get in earlier next time. i love a good debate. not so interested in hearing how great my shots are but more why people think what they do.

dj
 
J J Kapsberger: Your photos subject matter is very interesting to me. I often wonder what is in a artists mind when their work is captured. I like the composition of your photo, but... i would have stopped down some more to have the lantern in the forground in focus too. The lamp (for me) is not a distraction but another element of your photo that gives it a real feeling.


Nikola: Love the photo. The splitting of the frame is quite right for the subject matter. I would love to know if you shot it like that or if it was cropped after the scan. I would have cropped it even further though, down to the top of the first square and gotten more of a panoramic out of it. Exposure looks good for a midday shot too, hard to get with such contrast.


Ray PA: Being that I am a big fan of sexy shoes on woman, I enjoy your composition of this photo. It really gives me a feeling of..... yearning, for that woman that belongs in thoes shoes. The subject matter is good but I think it is lost, due to some distracting details at the top of the photo that could have maybe been cropped out. The photo otherwise is top notch.


Claremont: I enjoy the "old world" flavor of this shot. You have managed to capture a good moment in time here. Your photo gives me a sense of confidence and inner strength too. I do think that the exposure could have been a little better though. There is a lack of detail in the rider, but it works in this shot quite well adding to the feelings that I have. Over all a great moment captured.

All of these photos were just enjoyable to look at for me. I really appreciate everyones comments.
 
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ClaremontPhoto said:
Robert Price:
I like the portrait format for this photo as it is very suitable. I also like the way you've handled the light on the statue and the bricks: the glow is very resonant of pictures on sale at Lourdes or similar.

The dark shade under the table looks odd. Perhaps it is a counterpoint to the light above. But even so I would have tried to either bounce some light down there or reframed/cropped to lose that part of the scene.
Click to expand...


nikola said:
Robert
I'm not sure about this one, the statue is the most interesting part... but is little overexposed, and the foldings are ironed out...

I'm with Jon on everything he said.
Click to expand...


RayPA said:
Alter/Rober Price

Positives: This is well composed. Strong symmetry which is good for this image. The simplicity of the approach and the distance seems to show a lot of respect for the subject matter. I find the brick wall around the statue interesting. It doesn't seem typical. I'm wondering if there is a story here (?)

criticism: The image is a little hot in the center. I think pulling the overall density down would help, as would some selective burning and dodging to add some interest points or move the eye (staidness can be a downside to strong symmetry). I like darker images (you think?! 🙂 ), but I think this has some room to come down. Also, I think some explanatory text should accompany this. My interest is piqued.
conclusion: A good shot that only needs a little work.
Click to expand...


J J Kapsberger said:
Robert:

Clean composition which leaves me with no doubt that the head of the statue is the subject. My eye goes right to it invariably. The architecture nicely frames the subject. The overall look is classic, due to the softness and lack of heavy-duty contrast. I feel that the subject area is a bit overexposed. Just a bit. Also, I would've striven to darken the ceiling area a small amount. And, at the bottom I would've burned in a bit of vignetting. With the darkened ceiling and bottom, perhaps the subject area would glow a bit more.
Click to expand...


Thank you all for the great comments. This was a hard shot for me to get, being that photos were not permitted in the place i took it at. I was shooting hand held with my G2 and 90mm (i think i was stopped down to f5.6) the room was quite dark except for the light on the statue. I think I was at least 25 or 30 feet from the subject matter.

The harsh shadow under the table just could not be helped in this situation at all ( the use of a flash would have tipped off my hand). I tried every trick in photoshop to get rid of it but they all looked... bad to say the least. The focus was off a bit due to the auto focus of the G2 not locking in due to the darkness of the room. I got 4 shots of this and this was the best one of the bracketing.
 
Wow! That was a great critique.

Thank you everybody.

OurMainInTangier: Will you start the next one and set a theme?

Hammerman: Sorry. I did not understand that you wanted to join. See you next time?

Nikola: I liked the color original best.
 
Thanks for the fun. This was a good one with a nice mix of images. It's great to hear what everyone thinks and how everyone sees each of the images posted.

Jon, thanks again for starting this one up and being such a strong proponent of the critique threads.

🙂
 
I'm away over the weekend but will start one on Sunday or Monday (BST) with a theme that will hopefully attract some interest.I've read this critique with interest as the participants laid out their thinking well and managed to provide some interesting points on what they felt worked well and what may have improved the images in question.Wish I'd joined in time 🙂
 
I'm just very pleased that nobody told me my photo was out of focus. It's going in to a competition next week, and I hope the judges like it too.

See you here Sunday or Monday OurManInTangiers. Will your theme be 'Suffolk Coast'?
 
OurManInTangier said:
I could be tempted but I may be the only one joining in!!
Click to expand...

So? You could critique your own photo in the best possible terms!

No, please do start a new thread. Hammerman will join I'm sure, as will many of the regular Gallery posters and Gallery Picks people.
 
I need to get back into the habit of posting in the gallery, even if I'm not uploading to it at the moment.

I've opened a critique thread, let's see what happens!
 
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