SI favourites comments by Calvin Sambrook

Bowser, it's not fair to publish the SI just as I'm going to bed! Here are
my comments, please take them as constructive because that is how they are
meant.

BEST_1_Troy_Piggins.jpg: I love this, there's so much detail and texture
and colour and interest. Normally I'd perhaps criticize the square-on
composition with the river dead centre but here is doesn't seem to distract
too much, having the two mountains balancing each other and leading the eye
into the valley helps as does that lump of rock dead centre in the
foreground. Wonderful.

BEST_2_Troy_Piggins.jpg: Another good shot although this time the
composition doesn't work quite as well, there's nothing to pull the eye in
and there's no single point of interest to grab. The detail is amazing but
overall it's not quite compelling.

BEST_3_Troy_Piggins.jpg: I don't like bug-shots but I like this one.
Somehow you've managed to make this guy look "aggressive", as if his next
move will be to make a lunge at the viewer. The focus is right where it
should be and the detail is fantastic. You've pushed the bug up to the top
third which has rescued the composition nicely. Brilliant.

BEST_Walter_Banks_1.JPG: It's cute but there's a few things which detract
from this shot, the composition is dead centre with the bird facing out of
shot and to the left, any one of those sins would be OK but all three
together and the viewers eye is positively forced away from the subject.
Maybe a LR reversal and cropping the top and right (tail-end) a bit, maybe
even as far as losing some of the tail and that branch in the corner, would
turn this into a "wow" shot.

BEST_Walter_Banks_2.jpg: If it weren't for that white splodge in the middle
I'd really like this shot. It would maybe benefit from the camera having
been held a little lower or higher so the edge of the water wasn't exactly
half way up the frame but there are loads of good things about it, the
colours are great and the mirroring of the leaves with the foreground
vegetation echoes the distant tree/lake mirror really nicely and provides a
frame which forces the eye back in.

FAV-Biker-TonyCooper.jpg: A quick look through this month's collection told
me I was going to spend a lot of time criticizing dead-centre compositions.
Then along comes a master like Tony Cooper and shows that they can work and
work well. This guy's even gazing out of shot and still it works! I love
the texture and detail and clearly some care went into lighting this as big
hats can be an absolute 'mare, especially in bright sunlight. Terrific.

FAV-Fountain-TonyCooper.jpg: I don't like this at all. There's no "grab"
to the composition, there are distraction elements at all four strong
points. There are loads of things leading out of shot. Everything's in
focus including the foreground flowers and the background clutter. Colours
are nice I guess.

FAV-WateringCan-TonyCooper.jpg: This is a nice, unusual shot. I
particularly like the choice of camera angle and of course the composition
is textbook so it can't fail can it. Once again the texture and detail make
this special. One of my favourites.

FAVE_TimConway.jpg: Bright flowers but in my opinion a dull shot I'm
afraid. There's just nothing interesting in there to pull the viewers
attention back in after the first glance.

FAVE_TimConway2.jpg: I quite like this but I suspect I could like it more
if there had been more attention paid to the detail of the composition.
I've no way of knowing what was just to the right of the picture but I think
that loosing the left hand fifth, up to the first flower, and gaining the
same amount or a little more on the right, especially if it was leafy
"nothingness" would make this shot stand out from the crowd. That said the
low camera angle has obviously been chosen deliberately and that works well
as does the decision to keep the trees in sharp enough focus to give them
definition.

FAVE_TimConway3.jpg: Lovely. This is so rich. The composition is great
with the 2/3, 1/3 split between trees and water balancing things nicely.
The inclusion of the birds works well too, it adds some life to an otherwise
dead scene.

FAV_Bret_Douglas1.jpg: This guy really jumped out from the screen at me.
Of course the sharp change of focus gives it all that power but I think it
could be improved by photoshopping out that red splodge in the top right and
by either putting his eye absolutely dead centre or preferably off to the
right on the major third. The fact that he's facing left adds just a little
tension which combines well with the focus difference. Beautiful.

FAV_Bret_Douglas2.jpg: As a piece of photo-journalism this is just great.
Each of the three blokes in the front would make a great subject on their
own but the photographic impact (as apposed to the humour or terror
depending on your POV) is somewhat lost in the background. I wonder if the
shot would have had more impact if the camera angle had been lower, it would
certainly have made them look (even) more scary.

FAV_Bret_Douglas3.jpg: Terrific shot. Intense colours and great
composition as well as sharp details and an interesting subject. Fantastic.

FAV_Paul-Furman_0035226.jpg: I don't know what to make of this. It's so
simple and I really like it. I'm very aware that my reaction to it is
emotional rather than analytical At a technical level of course the
positioning of the most important bit (ie. in-focus and the brightest) is
very clever, the soft and blended colours work too. A special shot.

FOM Elliott Roper.jpg: That's a clever shot. It would have been so easy to
make the mistake of getting it all symmetrical whereas the offset image
works really well. The clean lines and crispness help too. And having two
of you standing very close taking the shot works in a way that just the
photographer doesn't.

Fav-FallVista-Russell_Durtschi.jpg: Make a better photo? You're joking
right? I love this. The basic composition is good with the eye drawn to
the brightly coloured plant easily. The inclusion of the less-interesting
mountain on the left helps to push the eye over to the right too. Don't
worry about the sky on the left, it doesn't detract from the image although
if I were to change one thing it would be to crop away the very top bit of
the sky to force the eye even more onto the foreground.

Fav-Fence-Russell_Durtschi.jpg: Somehow this just doesn't work particularly
well for me. The balance between the fence and the trees feels wrong and
the inclusion of that tree in the bottom left distracts.

Fav-OldBarn-Russell_Durtschi.jpg: The subject is interesting but sticking
it right in the middle of the frame just doesn't work. Maybe more grass
would add power to the shot, something, anything, to liven it up.

Favorite-Savageduck-01.jpg: Nice legs. Well not nice legs really and they
shouldn't really be there should they? Unless you included them to
juxtapose against the pipes on the left in which case they need to be a
little more bold. But I'm being overly harsh, this is a good shot and the
chosen camera angle adds a lot of power to it. Somehow having everything
heading off out of shot works well here, maybe it's because the vanishing
point is right on the edge of the frame.

Favorite-Savageduck-02.jpg: A lovely piece of artwork. The choice of
really high contrast B&W suits this subject. Another great camera angle and
lens choice too.

Favorites-Savageduck-03.jpg: I love this. The colours and detail work as
does the composition with the inclusion of a huge bulk of rock. Nice.

FoM Elliott Roper Barse Ackwards.jpg: Clever but once I got over the
novelty I realised that this is actually very difficult to look at.
Everything about it make my brain want to look away. Very disturbing.

FotM_BobCoe_1.JPG: OK so it started out as an ordinary pic (I'm not sure
I'd be harsh enough to call it crappy) but I think you've changed it into
something worth looking at. The colour cast grabs the attention and the
composition tends to maintain it. Well rescued.

FotM_BobCoe_2.JPG: I like this. The colours work for me, I like them. The
compositional stuff you mention is quite subtle, look how the bird on the
lower-mid-right is looking to the left towards the bird you cropped. With
the leftmost bird cropped the lower-mid-right one is looking out into
nothingness which the viewer will find disturbing. Notice the triangle
formed from top right to mid left then lower right, without the leftmost
bird you lose that shape. If you really care about the leftmost bird
looking out of the frame turn him around in Photoshop.

FotM_BobCoe_3.JPG: Another compositional beauty although I find the subject
a bit nothingy. Oh bugger, I've just noticed your write-up, how very, very
clever. I too prefer it this way. As a matter of interest, why the flash,
surely it didn't do any good?

FotM_MarthaCoe_1.JPG: I love the story behind this but as a picture it's
not compelling. A crop of the immediate foreground and losing the yellow
distraction on the left would help but that's not what this is about is it?

Jim Kramer 01.jpg: I like this, somehow it has power, maybe the inclusion
of lots of body or the low angle, I don't know what but it works.

Jim Kramer 02.jpg: Whereas this doesn't. Somebody please tell me why.

LonelyPetal3.jpg: This is gorgeous, I really like the textures in the water
drops on the petal and the background sets it off nicely. I do wonder
though whether playing around with the colour and saturation might make it
even better.

MarfaCourthouseUplook_1554.jpg: This is imposing but I can't get excited by
it I'm afraid.

SI FAV Alan Browne 2.jpg: Hmm, it's technically great but it's not really
grabbing me. Sorry.

SI Fav Alan Browne 3.jpg: Now this, on the other hand, is technically great
and does grab me. The composition, texture colour, detail, all work to pull
me in.

SI Fav Alan Browne 4.jpg: Wonderful. Again it's got composition (not
textbook and it wouldn't work for many shots but it works here), texture
colour, interest. I can feel my eyes exploring it in detail without
wandering off elsewhere. Terrific.

SI favourite runner 1.jpg: Once again I managed to forget to put my name on
my shots - sorry. I set out to show speed, power, movement, that sort of
thing. This is one of very, very many shots taken that day and obviously
its a crop from a larger frame. The shape and composition including the
very deliberate use of just the legs are intended to emphasize the length of
the stride and the power involved.

SI favourite runner 2.jpg: This is a shot I've been meaning to take for so
very long. I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve and this comes very
close to what I had in my mind altough as you might imagine it took an
enormous number of shutter presses to get it. The idea was to have part of
the foot static and crisp while the rest was in movement blur, I also set
out with the intention of having the foot just next to an identifiable
finish line. As it turned out the foot is nowhere near the line and I've
ended up with the other foot as a distracting blur. On the plus side, this
track gives a really nice texture and the muscles in the leg have generated
even more movement. I'm pleased with it.

SI favourite sunbathing.jpg: Me again. Somewhere I've got a shot of
sunbathers on a beach that looks just like this! The composition is very
deliberate here in order to emphasize the shape of the bacon. The fire lit
the bacon from underneath which I thought gave an interesting effect.

bowser_fav-1.jpg: For once clutter, so often a distraction in a photo, is
good. The slight offset of this shot works well and the colours are
wonderful. This is another shot where my eye keeps coming back into it for
more.

bowser_fav-2.jpg: Textbook composition and a very cute shot. I like the
difference in colour and texture between the foreground and background
trees. The detail in the stones and stream works well too.

bowser_fav-3.jpg What a fun shot. The harsh lighting takes its toll on
this with shadows across faces but I guess there's nothing that you could
have done about it. For all my criticism of subject-centre composition this
is one shot where it's an absolute necessity.

dogEvaRun20D_8289r.jpg: This just doesn't do it for me I'm afraid.

fav_mjwyllie.jpg: Events like this are always a nightmare of backgrounds.
If I imagine this with a pure background I think it would be a very, very
special shot.

jasmineStrandB_40627.jpg: I'm impressed that by good composition and good
lighting this simple plant shot looks so good. Running the diagonal through
the shot works well and having the background in focus but dimly lit was
genius.


So, its now 3:15 am - I'll get you for that Bowser!
Thanks everyone for some great photos.

* Calvin Sambrook wrote :
snip /

BEST_1_Troy_Piggins.jpg: I love this, there's so much detail and texture
and colour and interest. Normally I'd perhaps criticize the square-on
composition with the river dead centre but here is doesn't seem to distract
too much, having the two mountains balancing each other and leading the eye
into the valley helps as does that lump of rock dead centre in the
foreground. Wonderful.

BEST_2_Troy_Piggins.jpg: Another good shot although this time the
composition doesn't work quite as well, there's nothing to pull the eye in
and there's no single point of interest to grab. The detail is amazing but
overall it's not quite compelling.

BEST_3_Troy_Piggins.jpg: I don't like bug-shots but I like this one.
Somehow you've managed to make this guy look "aggressive", as if his next
move will be to make a lunge at the viewer. The focus is right where it
should be and the detail is fantastic. You've pushed the bug up to the top
third which has rescued the composition nicely. Brilliant.
snip /

Thanks for the detailed critique mate. Can't, and wouldn't,
argue with any of the points you've made. I'm my own harshest
critic, but still make the same mistakes when shooting.

--
Troy Piggins

Calvin Sambrook wrote:

BEST_Walter_Banks_1.JPG: It's cute but there's a few things which detract
from this shot, the composition is dead centre with the bird facing out of
shot and to the left, any one of those sins would be OK but all three
together and the viewers eye is positively forced away from the subject.
Maybe a LR reversal and cropping the top and right (tail-end) a bit, maybe
even as far as losing some of the tail and that branch in the corner, would
turn this into a "wow" shot.

I sin and know better. The LR swap has a big impact. Cropping the top
draws the eyes too much to the branch she is sitting on.

BEST_Walter_Banks_2.jpg: If it weren't for that white splodge in the middle
I'd really like this shot. It would maybe benefit from the camera having
been held a little lower or higher so the edge of the water wasn't exactly
half way up the frame but there are loads of good things about it, the
colours are great and the mirroring of the leaves with the foreground
vegetation echoes the distant tree/lake mirror really nicely and provides a
frame which forces the eye back in.

This is the view from my deck and I never see Wildfang's float anymore.
As soon as you mentioned it went from hardly noticeable to dominating.
Good point. Saturation point well taken

Personally I like this one, it has been my screen saver for a couple weeks.


Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Walter..

"Calvin Sambrook" wrote in message
...
Bowser, it's not fair to publish the SI just as I'm going to bed! Here
are my comments, please take them as constructive because that is how they
are meant.

Sorry, Calvin, I didn't mean to be the cause of your sleeping disorder. Next
time, I'll wait until morning to publish.


bowser_fav-1.jpg: For once clutter, so often a distraction in a photo, is
good. The slight offset of this shot works well and the colours are
wonderful. This is another shot where my eye keeps coming back into it
for more.

It is really busy, and I don't really like it at smaller sizes. Printed at
13 x 19 or as wallpaper on my 24" monitor it's a nice shot. Tons of detail
picked up by the camera/lens combo.


bowser_fav-2.jpg: Textbook composition and a very cute shot. I like the
difference in colour and texture between the foreground and background
trees. The detail in the stones and stream works well too.

I wanted to ghost the water, but there was no opportunity for a tripod.
Still, I liked the shot.


bowser_fav-3.jpg What a fun shot. The harsh lighting takes its toll on
this with shadows across faces but I guess there's nothing that you could
have done about it. For all my criticism of subject-centre composition
this is one shot where it's an absolute necessity.

Here's a hint: if you want to jack up the hit count on your site, post pics
of cheerleaders. Works every damned time.

The lighting was that crappy metal-halide junk that pollutes fields here in
MA, and white balance and tinting is a pain. Shot still sells, though.

Calvin Sambrook wrote:
Bowser, it's not fair to publish the SI just as I'm going to bed! Here
are my comments, please take them as constructive because that is how
they are meant.

No, he posted too early, I was working on another submission.

curses! :-)

Great comments, wow. I'll tag on a few thoughts...


http://www.pbase.com/shootin/your_favorite

BEST_1_Troy_Piggins.jpg: I love this, there's so much detail and
texture and colour and interest. Normally I'd perhaps criticize the
square-on composition with the river dead centre but here is doesn't
seem to distract too much, having the two mountains balancing each other
and leading the eye into the valley helps as does that lump of rock dead
centre in the foreground. Wonderful.

Classic foreground, mid-ground, background stuff, nice.


BEST_2_Troy_Piggins.jpg: Another good shot although this time the
composition doesn't work quite as well, there's nothing to pull the eye
in and there's no single point of interest to grab. The detail is
amazing but overall it's not quite compelling.

Works for me, though quite centered like the other. This would look
great in national geographic. The sky is a bit bleak but I figured
that's because it's Antarctica or something :-)


BEST_3_Troy_Piggins.jpg: I don't like bug-shots but I like this one.
Somehow you've managed to make this guy look "aggressive", as if his
next move will be to make a lunge at the viewer. The focus is right
where it should be and the detail is fantastic. You've pushed the bug
up to the top third which has rescued the composition nicely. Brilliant.

The aggressive look just comes out awkward to me but the craftsmanship
is exceptional. The plant is too bright & distracts from the amazing fly.


BEST_Walter_Banks_1.JPG: It's cute but there's a few things which
detract from this shot, the composition is dead centre with the bird
facing out of shot and to the left, any one of those sins would be OK
but all three together and the viewers eye is positively forced away
from the subject. Maybe a LR reversal and cropping the top and right
(tail-end) a bit, maybe even as far as losing some of the tail and that
branch in the corner, would turn this into a "wow" shot.

Looks like a crop could do wonders for this bird shot. Then I really
like it.


BEST_Walter_Banks_2.jpg: If it weren't for that white splodge in the
middle I'd really like this shot. It would maybe benefit from the
camera having been held a little lower or higher so the edge of the
water wasn't exactly half way up the frame but there are loads of good
things about it, the colours are great and the mirroring of the leaves
with the foreground vegetation echoes the distant tree/lake mirror
really nicely and provides a frame which forces the eye back in.

Almost. I've struggled with this same kind of scene and left blood on
the shutter button with nothing to show :-(


FAV-Biker-TonyCooper.jpg: A quick look through this month's collection
told me I was going to spend a lot of time criticizing dead-centre
compositions. Then along comes a master like Tony Cooper and shows that
they can work and work well. This guy's even gazing out of shot and
still it works! I love the texture and detail and clearly some care
went into lighting this as big hats can be an absolute 'mare, especially
in bright sunlight. Terrific.

I love the contrast of the soft sky & bristly beard. Another commenter
mentioned preferring to see him face the camera & light the smoke, which
I agree now that it's mentioned but still a great shot.


FAV-Fountain-TonyCooper.jpg: I don't like this at all. There's no
"grab" to the composition, there are distraction elements at all four
strong points. There are loads of things leading out of shot.
Everything's in focus including the foreground flowers and the
background clutter. Colours are nice I guess.

I kind of like it but lots of flaws. Again, blood on the shutter, btdt.


FAV-WateringCan-TonyCooper.jpg: This is a nice, unusual shot. I
particularly like the choice of camera angle and of course the
composition is textbook so it can't fail can it. Once again the texture
and detail make this special. One of my favourites.

Yeah, perfect.
Hmm, would perspective correction help?


FAVE_TimConway.jpg: Bright flowers but in my opinion a dull shot I'm
afraid. There's just nothing interesting in there to pull the viewers
attention back in after the first glance.

Quick happy response then move on.


FAVE_TimConway2.jpg: I quite like this but I suspect I could like it
more if there had been more attention paid to the detail of the
composition. I've no way of knowing what was just to the right of the
picture but I think that loosing the left hand fifth, up to the first
flower, and gaining the same amount or a little more on the right,
especially if it was leafy "nothingness" would make this shot stand out
from the crowd. That said the low camera angle has obviously been
chosen deliberately and that works well as does the decision to keep the
trees in sharp enough focus to give them definition.

A crop or repositioning seems very promising for this scene too. Again,
blood on the shutter. Classic foreground, mid-ground, background stuff,
nice, almost.


FAVE_TimConway3.jpg: Lovely. This is so rich. The composition is
great with the 2/3, 1/3 split between trees and water balancing things
nicely. The inclusion of the birds works well too, it adds some life to
an otherwise dead scene.

The premise is great, the repetition & complexity all tied together
harmoniously like a symphony but again the poor shutter button bleeds in
vain. Somehow the patterns are a little out of tune or off beat. Think
of all the crap Ansel Adams threw in his trash bin. Good stuff.


FAV_Bret_Douglas1.jpg: This guy really jumped out from the screen at
me. Of course the sharp change of focus gives it all that power but I
think it could be improved by photoshopping out that red splodge in the
top right and by either putting his eye absolutely dead centre or
preferably off to the right on the major third. The fact that he's
facing left adds just a little tension which combines well with the
focus difference. Beautiful.

Agree about cropping/cloning. Outstanding.


FAV_Bret_Douglas2.jpg: As a piece of photo-journalism this is just
great. Each of the three blokes in the front would make a great subject
on their own but the photographic impact (as apposed to the humour or
terror depending on your POV) is somewhat lost in the background. I
wonder if the shot would have had more impact if the camera angle had
been lower, it would certainly have made them look (even) more scary.

The lighting & composition don't work at all for me. Position might
help, skip the flash.


FAV_Bret_Douglas3.jpg: Terrific shot. Intense colours and great
composition as well as sharp details and an interesting subject.
Fantastic.

Great!


FAV_Paul-Furman_0035226.jpg: I don't know what to make of this. It's
so simple and I really like it. I'm very aware that my reaction to it
is emotional rather than analytical At a technical level of course the
positioning of the most important bit (ie. in-focus and the brightest)
is very clever, the soft and blended colours work too. A special shot.

Glad you enjoyed, it was kind of a cop-out shot but I'll take credit for
choosing it from a month of pics because it is pretty, and for bothering
to idly snap one shot of such a preposterous subject g. It was
intentional btw, but I didn't labor over it more than a moment.


FOM Elliott Roper.jpg: That's a clever shot. It would have been so
easy to make the mistake of getting it all symmetrical whereas the
offset image works really well. The clean lines and crispness help
too. And having two of you standing very close taking the shot works in
a way that just the photographer doesn't.

Very unusual and awkward photo, interesting. I like it.


Fav-FallVista-Russell_Durtschi.jpg: Make a better photo? You're joking
right? I love this. The basic composition is good with the eye drawn
to the brightly coloured plant easily. The inclusion of the
less-interesting mountain on the left helps to push the eye over to the
right too. Don't worry about the sky on the left, it doesn't detract
from the image although if I were to change one thing it would be to
crop away the very top bit of the sky to force the eye even more onto
the foreground.

The lighting is bad but it still works quite well. A crop might help.


Fav-Fence-Russell_Durtschi.jpg: Somehow this just doesn't work
particularly well for me. The balance between the fence and the trees
feels wrong and the inclusion of that tree in the bottom left distracts.

OK, maybe it is a little bottom-heavy, compositionally but dang that's a
beautiful scene.


Fav-OldBarn-Russell_Durtschi.jpg: The subject is interesting but
sticking it right in the middle of the frame just doesn't work. Maybe
more grass would add power to the shot, something, anything, to liven it
up.

Maybe foreground? Maybe not. We can nit-pick over these but this is
still a very nice photo. Maybe the cloud messes up the composition?
Still one of my favorites.


Favorite-Savageduck-01.jpg: Nice legs. Well not nice legs really and
they shouldn't really be there should they? Unless you included them to
juxtapose against the pipes on the left in which case they need to be a
little more bold. But I'm being overly harsh, this is a good shot and
the chosen camera angle adds a lot of power to it. Somehow having
everything heading off out of shot works well here, maybe it's because
the vanishing point is right on the edge of the frame.

I liked it up close till the legs were pointed out. It doesn't work at
thumbnail size.


Favorite-Savageduck-02.jpg: A lovely piece of artwork. The choice of
really high contrast B&W suits this subject. Another great camera angle
and lens choice too.

Fantastic.


Favorites-Savageduck-03.jpg: I love this. The colours and detail work
as does the composition with the inclusion of a huge bulk of rock. Nice.

Blood on the shutter.


FoM Elliott Roper Barse Ackwards.jpg: Clever but once I got over the
novelty I realised that this is actually very difficult to look at.
Everything about it make my brain want to look away. Very disturbing.

It works well as a thumbnail though. Fun experiment.


FotM_BobCoe_1.JPG: OK so it started out as an ordinary pic (I'm not
sure I'd be harsh enough to call it crappy) but I think you've changed
it into something worth looking at. The colour cast grabs the attention
and the composition tends to maintain it. Well rescued.

FotM_BobCoe_2.JPG: I like this. The colours work for me, I like them.
The compositional stuff you mention is quite subtle, look how the bird
on the lower-mid-right is looking to the left towards the bird you
cropped. With the leftmost bird cropped the lower-mid-right one is
looking out into nothingness which the viewer will find disturbing.
Notice the triangle formed from top right to mid left then lower right,
without the leftmost bird you lose that shape. If you really care about
the leftmost bird looking out of the frame turn him around in Photoshop.

Interesting exercise with the color filtered look.


FotM_BobCoe_3.JPG: Another compositional beauty although I find the
subject a bit nothingy. Oh bugger, I've just noticed your write-up, how
very, very clever. I too prefer it this way. As a matter of interest,
why the flash, surely it didn't do any good?

Fascinating, I had fun for a while studying the details. Thumbnail is
not so good though.


FotM_MarthaCoe_1.JPG: I love the story behind this but as a picture
it's not compelling. A crop of the immediate foreground and losing the
yellow distraction on the left would help but that's not what this is
about is it?

Jim Kramer 01.jpg: I like this, somehow it has power, maybe the
inclusion of lots of body or the low angle, I don't know what but it works.

Jim Kramer 02.jpg: Whereas this doesn't. Somebody please tell me why.

Composition. The technique is great.


LonelyPetal3.jpg: This is gorgeous, I really like the textures in the
water drops on the petal and the background sets it off nicely. I do
wonder though whether playing around with the colour and saturation
might make it even better.

Wow!
Although it is very centered, the colors & light are great.


MarfaCourthouseUplook_1554.jpg: This is imposing but I can't get
excited by it I'm afraid.

The dark sky & shadowed facade with one random part in blaring sun. OTOH
I love the rich deep blue sky and perfect exposure for the conditions.


SI FAV Alan Browne 2.jpg: Hmm, it's technically great but it's not
really grabbing me. Sorry.

Salt, pepper, rice.


SI Fav Alan Browne 3.jpg: Now this, on the other hand, is technically
great and does grab me. The composition, texture colour, detail, all
work to pull me in.

Nice.


SI Fav Alan Browne 4.jpg: Wonderful. Again it's got composition (not
textbook and it wouldn't work for many shots but it works here), texture
colour, interest. I can feel my eyes exploring it in detail without
wandering off elsewhere. Terrific.

Agreed on Calvin's comments.


SI favourite runner 1.jpg: Once again I managed to forget to put my
name on my shots - sorry. I set out to show speed, power, movement,
that sort of thing. This is one of very, very many shots taken that day
and obviously its a crop from a larger frame. The shape and composition
including the very deliberate use of just the legs are intended to
emphasize the length of the stride and the power involved.

SI favourite runner 2.jpg: This is a shot I've been meaning to take for
so very long. I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve and this comes
very close to what I had in my mind altough as you might imagine it took
an enormous number of shutter presses to get it. The idea was to have
part of the foot static and crisp while the rest was in movement blur, I
also set out with the intention of having the foot just next to an
identifiable finish line. As it turned out the foot is nowhere near the
line and I've ended up with the other foot as a distracting blur. On
the plus side, this track gives a really nice texture and the muscles in
the leg have generated even more movement. I'm pleased with it.

I like this second one. You nailed it.

They need to be smaller, as I browse the set at original size, these are
a mess.


SI favourite sunbathing.jpg: Me again. Somewhere I've got a shot of
sunbathers on a beach that looks just like this! The composition is
very deliberate here in order to emphasize the shape of the bacon. The
fire lit the bacon from underneath which I thought gave an interesting
effect.

Ew, I can see their faces now that you explain it.


bowser_fav-1.jpg: For once clutter, so often a distraction in a photo,
is good. The slight offset of this shot works well and the colours are
wonderful. This is another shot where my eye keeps coming back into it
for more.

Almost. Fascinating shot though. I like it.


bowser_fav-2.jpg: Textbook composition and a very cute shot. I like the
difference in colour and texture between the foreground and background
trees. The detail in the stones and stream works well too.

bowser_fav-3.jpg What a fun shot. The harsh lighting takes its toll on
this with shadows across faces but I guess there's nothing that you
could have done about it. For all my criticism of subject-centre
composition this is one shot where it's an absolute necessity.

Beautiful treatment of that difficult lighting.


dogEvaRun20D_8289r.jpg: This just doesn't do it for me I'm afraid.

I like it. Screw mis-exposure :-) have fun.
OK, yeah the other comment about getting down low would help.


fav_mjwyllie.jpg: Events like this are always a nightmare of
backgrounds. If I imagine this with a pure background I think it would
be a very, very special shot.

Yeah, the background messes it up.


jasmineStrandB_40627.jpg: I'm impressed that by good composition and
good lighting this simple plant shot looks so good. Running the
diagonal through the shot works well and having the background in focus
but dimly lit was genius.

Agreed, so elegant. My OCD side goes for the red wall in the background
though, and the curled leaf on the left. The urge to crop & clone is
strong. I'll get over it.


So, its now 3:15 am - I'll get you for that Bowser!
Thanks everyone for some great photos.

I finished most of my reply by 11:30 last night, thanks.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

all google groups messages filtered due to spam

On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:12:54 -0700, Paul Furman
wrote:

FAV-Fountain-TonyCooper.jpg: I don't like this at all. There's no
"grab" to the composition, there are distraction elements at all four
strong points. There are loads of things leading out of shot.
Everything's in focus including the foreground flowers and the
background clutter. Colours are nice I guess.

I kind of like it but lots of flaws. Again, blood on the shutter, btdt.

I have no idea what "blood on the shutter" or "btdt" means.


--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

On 2009-10-26 10:06:48 -0700, tony cooper said:

On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:12:54 -0700, Paul Furman
wrote:

FAV-Fountain-TonyCooper.jpg: I don't like this at all. There's no
"grab" to the composition, there are distraction elements at all four
strong points. There are loads of things leading out of shot.
Everything's in focus including the foreground flowers and the
background clutter. Colours are nice I guess.

I kind of like it but lots of flaws. Again, blood on the shutter, btdt.

I have no idea what "blood on the shutter" or "btdt" means.

I guess "blood on the shutter" means Paul has damaged himself
physically in numerous attempts to achieve a similar result.

"btdt" = been there done that

--
Regards,

Savageduck

Bowser wrote:

Sorry, Calvin, I didn't mean to be the cause of your sleeping disorder. Next
time, I'll wait until morning to publish.

Then you will have kept him all night waiting for them to be posted

Paul Furman wrote:

BEST_Walter_Banks_1.JPG: It's cute but there's a few things which
detract from this shot, the composition is dead centre with the bird
facing out of shot and to the left, any one of those sins would be OK
but all three together and the viewers eye is positively forced away
from the subject. Maybe a LR reversal and cropping the top and right
(tail-end) a bit, maybe even as far as losing some of the tail and that
branch in the corner, would turn this into a "wow" shot.

Looks like a crop could do wonders for this bird shot. Then I really
like it.

There wasn't a lot left to crop in the original. In playing with it this morning
a LR swap added quite a bit.

BEST_Walter_Banks_2.jpg: If it weren't for that white splodge in the
middle I'd really like this shot. It would maybe benefit from the
camera having been held a little lower or higher so the edge of the
water wasn't exactly half way up the frame but there are loads of good
things about it, the colours are great and the mirroring of the leaves
with the foreground vegetation echoes the distant tree/lake mirror
really nicely and provides a frame which forces the eye back in.

Almost. I've struggled with this same kind of scene and left blood on
the shutter button with nothing to show :-(

Thanks.

w..

Savageduck wrote:
tony cooper said:
Paul Furman wrote:

FAV-Fountain-TonyCooper.jpg: I don't like this at all. There's no
"grab" to the composition, there are distraction elements at all four
strong points. There are loads of things leading out of shot.
Everything's in focus including the foreground flowers and the
background clutter. Colours are nice I guess.

I kind of like it but lots of flaws. Again, blood on the shutter, btdt.

I have no idea what "blood on the shutter" or "btdt" means.

I guess "blood on the shutter" means Paul has damaged himself physically
in numerous attempts to achieve a similar result.

"btdt" = been there done that

I thought about re-writing or eliminating that, maybe I deleted the part
that made sense g. It was supposed to mean taking a lot of shots,
working real hard but never quite satisfied with the result. Good
practice though and the effort & skill shows.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

all google groups messages filtered due to spam