Pro says "I never heard of that before..."

[wtl]

Mary says...

"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down."



In otherwords, a little tact goes a long way.. geesh..

well taken. i just need to learn to add sugar without altering the taste.

 

[Kragmeister]

Sorry ywenz, got confused 😉

 

[Kragmeister]

Hey WTL,

Well, to each his own I guess. I thought the scene that I ran across in my "featured image" was interesting. I looked around at different angles and settled on this straight forward shot. Besides not taking the shot, what would you suggest?

FWIW I'm not teaching my wife how to see to photograph, I did however give her a lesson on film developing. 😉

Later,
Greg

 

[wtl]

Hey WTL,

Well, to each his own I guess. I thought the scene that I ran across in my "featured image" was interesting. I looked around at different angles and settled on this straight forward shot. Besides not taking the shot, what would you suggest?

FWIW I'm not teaching my wife how to see to photograph, I did however give her a lesson on film developing. 😉

Later,
Greg

greg,

without being there, I can't tell you how I would take the shot or if I would at all.

sorry if I sounded harsh but I tried to give you the most honest opinion I could possibly give to a fellow photog. Yes, to each his own, I wish in our photo community, we would put aside the politeness and offer each other honest critique. that has been, in my opinion, a huge set back of this forum.

my mother always told me that bitter medicines cure the disease. I might have taken it too literary.

cheers!

 

[Kragmeister]

Hey WTL, did I sound angry? Not at all! Ya can't critique without being critical. I learned that back in the '80s when I had photo classes. I should have stuck with it instead of going into a creative bunker back in '93.

I've been trying to relearn how to see again since I picked up a camera again in '03. Part of that was breaking with the 35mm SLR and getting a rangefinder (Kiev 4 in this case) to start with. I got a little hung up on GAS for a while but I think I shook myself out of that. In fact, I realized last week that I was too distracted by different equipment, too much of it being similar.

As for the Rollei, the roll I shot this weekend is the first I've put through it in at least 13 years. It's been in a ziplock bag with a pack of silica gel for years. It was a delight to use it again. But back in the day I used it to shoot landscapes and industrial decay. This time I used it at a wedding of all things. I also shot a partial roll with a GS645 and I'll post results from that in the gallery here in a couple of days since I developed the film from that one. I have a couple shots left in the Rollei before I can develop it.

Later,
Greg

 

[StuartR]

Greg -- for that photo I think you need to find a way to draw out the subject more. Looking at it now, it is pretty hard to isolate what exactly it is you want us to look at. The ground is very busy -- full of twigs, leaves, a brick, trash, pipes, a concrete background, and finally a jug and a bone. Presumably, you are interested in the jug and/or the bone. A better way to isolate it might be to move in and fill the frame with them, or perhaps use a wide f stop to blur out the extraneous detail. Perhaps color would set the objects apart from the background more clearly.

 

[Dfndr90]

WTL,

I may be new to this forum, but........

Have you looked at your own gallery. I mean read your own advice. Aside from some big color saturation, what were you trying to say? I see your work and think sometimes a waterfall is just a waterfall. It looks like you just took what was in front of your camera. Is this just to document your vacation, or was it a statement? As far as camera angles and framing, can you say cliche? Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Matt...

Well, for a starter, your featured photo is flat with terrible light, unfocused subject, messy and uninteresting framing, lake of tonality in print/webposting...just to name a few. I am all ear to find out why you take the shot and what you tried to say to the viewer, if anything, through this photo?

No, this is not documentary. It is nothing but a snap of the existing objects in front of your lens.

I am no teacher so I don't know how to put words nicely and yet clearly. But I suggest you go to your library and check out some books to see what other masters do and how they do it in framing, print quality, use of light, etc., if you are serious about photography.

 

[Kragmeister]

Thanks StuartR. One issue in taking the photo was that I was using an Olympus XA with Kodak BWC400 film. A bit too fast of a combination for shallow depth of field. I was planning on going back to that area to shoot with a different camera but with the spring foliage explosion everything is overgrown. Next time I have a chance I'll poke around anyway, the scene may be more interesting.

Later,
Greg

 

[wtl]

WTL,

I may be new to this forum, but........

Have you looked at your own gallery. I mean read your own advice. Aside from some big color saturation, what were you trying to say? I see your work and think sometimes a waterfall is just a waterfall. It looks like you just took what was in front of your camera. Is this just to document your vacation, or was it a statement? As far as camera angles and framing, can you say cliche? Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Matt...

well taken. i am making a note. yes, it was simply a waterfall that says nothing. not even saying anything about my vacation, really. my wife wants me to take the shot and than to put up here so her relatives can see where we have been. as a matter of fact, more than just that frame on this site are for that purpose.

no excuse for a crappy photo just the same...

now, can i see some yours, perhaps?

<edit> i don't mean to fire back at you but simply want to see who's critiquing. i take all this as healthy discussion.

 

[lubitel]

Kodak Vollenda?

source: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7618318882

R.J.

actually it turned out to be a voigtländer bessa without Leitz lens.

 

[clarence]

I think a critic shouldn't have to be bolstered by a good portfolio. Many people take great photos, but they can't put into words how they went about it, and many more people don't take very good photos, but they are able to skilfully dissect a photo and analyse its strengths and weaknesses.

If photography is, after all, an art, then why should it not be like the visual and performing arts and literature, where critics don't have to be afraid of people accusing them of being unable to create art.

Clarence

 

[Simon Larbalestier]

Greg i just browsed your site FWIW i like "Atomic Ameoba" on the sales page tracking back thru the portfolios i notice it's pre 1992. Doesn't matter when it was taken- it's a strong image. If i was to make a constructive observation IMHO i think you are are being too honest and almost aplogetic on your site - why do you have to explain a lack of pictures from a certain period?
Let the pictures do the talking and post some more for 2006 i only saw 3 😉
Good Luck.

 

[ywenz]

I agree, it shouldn't take talent to be able to see talent.

 

[bobomoon]

I agree, it shouldn't take talent to be able to see talent.

and the opposite of the statement as well?