Ok, here's another 15...
Remember, feel free to respond to what I said, even if it's not your
photo. :) If you disagree, that's great, just be sure to mention why, to
give us something to think about.
" Dutch Blacksmith " by Johan van Denderen
This has a nice, old-world charm to it. Many of the mid-tones are very
close, and a filter might have come in handy to differentiate them. As it
is, however, you've captured his concentration very well. I'm partial to
shots with historical interest, ones that will be interesting decades
later, and I think this is one of those. Good job!
" Dogwood in the Snow " by Dan Matyola (USA)
Not bad. Snow/tree scenes are often relatively sparse and simple, but
you've packed quite a bit into this one. I think the base (what is
that?) that the Dogwood is on looks little out of place, and you might
want to see how it looks from a different angle which crops it out. I
like the railing in the foreground, and might even have shown more of
it. For me, the muted colours of this photo are its best feature.
" Oops " by Conrad Samuels, South Africa
Great shot! I love seeing Spotmatics and other MF cameras used for photos
like these. You've nailed the timing beautifully; I just wish we could
see more detail in the boarder's face. Did you have to crop much, since
you were using a 135mm lens?
" El Rastro, December 2000 " by Juan Buhler
Good exposure and printing. Were you using a filter for the
shot? There's a whole range of facial expressions and you've definitely
captured a moment. This is a great example of street
photography... congratulations!
" Madison, from across Lake Monona " by Collin Brendemuehl
This would work really well as a panoramic shot. The lighting is nice,
though ol' FLW's building is looking a bit shiny. :) I wonder how this
shot would look if you took out most of the sky and emphasized the water
leading up to the coast, or vice versa. Or used a longer lens. (How do
you like the A 100/2.8? I'm trying to decide between that one and the FA
100/2.8 macro.)
" Chat Breton " by Olivier Darrouzet
Awwww... that's a cute cat. A filter might have differentiated some of
the midtones a little more, but I like what you got. You picked a good
angle from which to shoot, and the towers in the background are
beautifully out of focus. The background at the far left is a bit
distracting to me, but that's about the only bone I can pick about
framing. Good job!
" Festive Lights " by Take Ueda, Japan
I really like this photo. The moving people set off the still background
very well, and the lighting is almost eerie. I love the way the lights
stretch from one end of the frame to the other. There's a lot to take in
here, so maybe putting something eye-catching in the left of the frame
would give us a starting point to move through the photo, instead of
starting in the center and getting overwhelmed by it. Unless, of course,
that was your intent. :) I'd love to see a larger print made of this.
" River Avon, Christchurch, NZ " by Linda McKie
What can I say about this one? Absolutely gorgeous, well exposed, nice
composition, etc. etc. Infrared can be tricky, but you pulled it off
beautifully. I *love* the miniature parts of the photo, like the bench
and the people on the (raft?). This is one of my favourite images from
this month. Absolutely stunning.
" 9 Across the front " by Jon Hope
This one certainly puts you where the action is. :) I've never been to a
horse race before, so it doesn't grab me in the same way that it might
someone else, but it's a good shot. The horses certainly look raring to
go.
" Lily Blossom " by Bill D. Casselberry
Nice! I love seeing the ol' Tak's put to such good use. You blurred the
background sufficiently, and have some gorgeous light/shadow stuff
happening. The delicate light on the closed buds is particularly
beautiful. Not too bad for an old guy. *L* <gdr>
" The New T-bird " by Byron Butler, USA
With a subject like this, who can go wrong? :) You make good use of the
wide-angle lens, squeezing a lot into the 35mm focal length while still
creating a sense of openness with the foreground space. A higher
perspective would have let you include more of the crowd and the interior
of the car, but I imagine you were limited by not being able to stand on
anyone's shoulders. <g>
" Agitated Romie " by Rodger Whitlock
This is a good flash exposure, and the cat looks great against the blurred
green background. Very rich colouration, though I would consider
darkening the log somewhat. You might also try a wider angle or a change
in perspective to move it from a good straightforward cat photo to
something more unusual. That's quite the look the cat has, isn't it?
" Foggy " by Rob Studdert, Sydney Australia
I love this shot. It does so many things at once, and brings so many
disparate elements together. The muted colours fit the mood perfectly,
and I love the repeating lines and patterns, of which there are
many. Definitely one of my favourites this month, and worth a closer
look.
" The Earth Reclaimeth " by Thomas Cakalic, USA
Great subject, angle, and cropping. The brightness of the light makes it
look more like an afternoon shot than a sunset one, and I'd love to see
how this looks in even dimmer light, with a few more creeping
shadows. The contrast seems bit high, though it's hard to say whether to
attribute that to the Velvia, the unsharp mask, or my monitor. :) The
arc of trees along the top of the frame, from the upper left to the lower
right, is stunning.
" Woman and the Red Dress " by Shot, Poland
Thanks for submitting! Hope you stick around for some more PUG's. Though
the lighting on the one side seems a bit harsh, I like the angle. The
pose works, and the hair is nicely in and out of focus in spots, which
adds a lot to it. She stands out well from the background (must have been
at f1.7, right?), and the bright vertical line behind her (a
wall?) actually has a nice effect. Great start, and keep 'em coming!
chris
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