I'll throw out a few more pug comments, did a few at the beginning of the
month, PUG faves, but I semi-promised more, so here they are. Because Frank and
ERN specifically mentioned not getting comments, I'll start with them. The
other two are random.
The Demonstration by Frank Theriault
This one doesn't do as much for me as some of your other stuff that I have
seen, frank. I do like the sort of angry-looking (hmmm, committed-looking) guy
in the cap. He looks in-your-face confrontational. The couple next to him are
good too. But I am bothered by two things: the guy in the cap is dead center (I
may always now be affected by my photography teacher who didn't like that),
and I find the back of the guy on the right pretty distracting. If I was doing
it (qualification, if I was doing it and I was a much better photographer than
I am -- I haven't done successful people shots yet or street photography at
all), I'd crop it tighter. Or I would have moved the shot more to the left. (I
know, you probably couldn't move it to the left, garbage cans or something and
I know you got to take a shot when it is there, you couldn't move the guy's
back.) And, while, this seems to tell a story, I need a bit more of the story.
Or somehow the back is sort of subtracting from the story -- it certainly
isn't adding to it. This one isn't quite *it*, IMHO, frank.
Kentucky by ERN Reed
I just can't *see* this. It's too dark for me. Possibly you have a Mac and I
am on a PC, and there is a difference in gamma between the two. Or it was
poorly scanned. But I can't make out enough to know whether I would like it or not.
Window by Big Butt
I like the lines and the shapes in this. And it works really well in B&W --
because the wall appears to be zebra striped with something -- a large
advertising poster? Don't know. I like the air conditioner sitting sort of solitary in
the window. It's all very pleasing to the eye, almost an abstract, very
visually satisfying. But on second glance, I end up feeling it lacks something. I
mean, I want something to zing it up or tell me something about WHY I am
looking at this. Is it hot? Maybe the air conditioner is simply too distracting, a
touch of realism within the abstract, so I start wondering if there is a story.
I think I would prefer it more abstract somehow, sans air conditioner (but I
realize you couldn't walk over and remove it :-) -- so I am not sure what I am
looking at. Or more real somehow, something that tells me if it was hot or
somehow telling a story. I guess, for me, it just misses being "very good."
Three in the Fog by Christian Scoffteland
I find this very low key, pleasant, and nicely abstract. Because there is a
low level of detail it wouldn't hold my attention for long, but it has a nice
surreal feeling to it. Who are they? Where are they going? Are they walking off
into the future? Or is this image just symbolism for friends? Hmmm, centered
again (sorry, that criticism originally originating with my teacher is going
to stay with me for years) and there is an awful of "dead space" around the
figures. Crop? Bigger glass? Don't know, but I find all that space with nothing
happening in it sort of a waste. And it doesn't hold my attention, as I have
mentioned. But the concept is emotionally appealing.
These "critiques" are purely subjective, based on what *I* like, and my
limited photography experience. ;-)
