I notice that Frank has decided to comment on all PUG entries for January, so I'm gonna do it, too. Not critique, but comment.
I'm doing this for three reasons.
First, I like to get comments from this crowd on my own work. To twist the New Testament a tad, If you want to receive, give.
Second, the PDML, like any camera list, has a mindboggling amount of technical text. That's unavoidable, and I've profited from it. But the PUG gives us a chance, once a month, to supplement all of that.
Third, verbalizing about the work of others may help me become a better photographer.
I'm no expert at this stuff, and for me to hold forth on the shots of others makes me feel a little bit like a 12 year old boy talking about women. I'm out of my depth.
None the less, here goes:
------Theme Gallery: Animals -----------
Mushu - Robert Gonzalez
At first I thought the ear was an eye. I'm almost tempted to classify this as a texture shot, which are shots I don't have much of a feel for. The hilight around the left part of the ear hole is bothersome to me, but the whole shot screams "REPTILE" whether you can identify the species or not. Kind of a photo puzzle.
Nemo - Christian Skofteland I wouldn't change a thing about this shot. I'm still in the neophyte "fill the screen" stage, and shots like this show just how limited that approach is. I'd be pleased as punch if this shot came out of my camera.
Unidentified Marine Anemones - Herb Chong I think I like this better that Frank T. did (but remember, don't pay ANY attention to that guy. (That's a joke, Frank)..... Herb consistently shows us technical accomplishment and good composition. This is not an eye-grabber shot, but it's soothing and interesting. Look how well background distractions have been minimized.
Watch - Alin Flaider A very good field shot. Composition, color, sharpness are all there. These are not easy shots to take. Good job, Alin.
" Frog in the Mist " by E.R.N. Reed It's just too danged misty for me. But that's taste talking. Blacks seem purple here, but that might just be a monitor mis-match on my part. I do very much like the simple leaf-branch-frog progression and the background. I like everything but the mist.
" Walking on a Strange Animal " by Gianfranco Irlanda Gianfranco has a style, often a little off-beat, and here's a charming example. Makes me wonder if I'll ever have a style. One of my very favorites this month.
" Dulce N�ctar " by Alejandro Bertini This shot seems to have had duplication troubles, but then getting images from neg or print onto the Web isn't easy. It looks like focus was missed here, but that might be technical problems on what is otherwise an acceptable shot.
" Butterfly - Lake Martin, Louisiana " by Mark Stringer Here's one where I'd have tried to fill the frame with the butterfly and yellow blossoms if I could. Lighting looks like a cloudless sunny day, causing lots of black in the background and blowing out some color in the foliage. Mark, did you have that 300 right at it's closest focus? I understand NOT getting out of the truck. That butterfly would probably have moved. Good sharpness for a hand held shot.
" Fly " by Dag Thrane Another shot that pounds into my noggin: "You don't always gotta fill the frame." I like this shot.
" Giant Bug! " by Alan Chan Apparently Alan has so much K-mount trouble he's switched to digital P&S. Grin. Perfectly competent macro shot that I'm gonna stash a copy of on my computer because I intend to tie a few flies imitating this bug to fish this spring/summer. So how can I comment about asthetics? This is a working tool for me. I'd say about a number 14 hook ought to do it...
" Dewy Blue Dasher " by Mark Cassino I'm past being envious of Mark. His shots now piss me off. Of course, it's gotta be that A* 200 macro. We could all do it if we had that lens too, right? grin.... Another great one, Mark.
" Landing Gear Down " by David Dixon Like the title, love the shot. I don't know how you tiny critter folks get shots like this. No way to do this one again unless you wait for another fly. Was this a lucky grab, Dave, or did you buzz a roll or two through on a Hover Fly day?
" Rotschenkel " by Thomas Stach Birdy shots are tough. I've tried small bird shots a few times and have had no sucess. I like this one. Can't tell it was done with a mirror lens, either.
" Pelican " by Steve Larson I would not have guessed a 50mm lens, given the anount of frame filling here. Nice grab, Steve.
" Kooka " by Derby Chang This bird has an attitude! You poinked your shutter button at just the right time. Keeper for sure; both the moment and the composition work.
" Kooky " by Ryan Lee On my monitor, the colors look off. I like the composition, and I understand why you fired the shutter. Can't see the eye, though, and that's bothersome, since the shot looks like it's not suffering mis-focus.. Is this a situation where telling Photoshop to "save for web" goobered things up? It's certainly done that for me before.
" Partytime! " by Jostein �ksne Sharp, good moment, and I hear the left bird saying "Fred, stop that drunken flapping or I'm going home to Mother". On my monitor, bits of the birds seem a bit blown out, but that might not be true, and I don't think it detracts from the shot anyway.
" I've Got My Eye on You " by Pat Kong I want this one to work, and it almost does for me, but there's some blown out highlights, and the busy background detracts from the raptor. I can well understand why you took this city shot; I wish something was there that said "Hey, look folks! I'm citified."
" Fishy Thoughts " by Zoomshot This would make a great stock nature photo. Not only is the bird well presented, but you get a feel for the environment here too. The one bright hilight to the left at about bird-eye level is the only slight flaw in what is none-the-less a very nice shot. I'd be pleased as punch to have taken this shot.
" Fanned Out " by Lon Williamson No comment.
" Cormorants, Lake Awassa, Ethiopia 1998 " by Bob Walkden I like this one a lot. There's a nice balance with three looking left and then the loner looking right. Nice moment, nice composition, nice color.
" Whitetail Doe in Snow " by Bill Sawyer This is a great shot. It could be used on a Christmas Card, even. Might be my favorite this month.
" Denali Caribou " by Kenneth Waller I didn't like this in thumbnail, but at regulation PUG size it's different and much better. Very nicely done. All the subtle color variations in the background add a great deal. The shot would stand on its own merit whether that velvet was coming off or not.
" Buck " by Bob Sullivan Bob says he grabbed this one and I believe it. No stalk, just take it now or Mr. Deer is gone. All my wild deer shots are like this one. They document "Deer was here". Getting a clear shot involves a lot of time or incredible luck.
" Snow Horse " by Steven Desjardins Steven says this wouldn't have been his first choice for the Pug. It almost works for me, Steve. There'e a winter portrait in there somewhere, if not in this shot, a few seconds earlier or later, maybe zooming that 50mm a tad with your feet. I well know that those "other" shots are not always available, though. Was your first choice also a shot of this beast?
" Donkey " by Boris Liberman Shot wide open, and Boris did the classic "let's at least get the eyes sharp" trick. I kinda wish I saw more of the donkey at the top; the crop is a little too tight for my taste. I do like the bit of blue at the upper left because it helps counter all those browns and whites.
" Solitary Buffalo " by Harald Rust I see a good, solid stock shot here. Here's what a buffalo looks like and this is where it lives. I like where you put him in the frame, and I like what looks to be his shadow spilling to the left to break up the prarie grass a bit.
" The Eyes Have It " by Cotty We have a cat here at home that is this one's twin, but I don't have a shot of our Melba as nice as this one. Well titled. Cat eyes are arresting, and that seems to be the main point of this shot.
" Fluffy " by Fred Widall Fred, email this to Mike Johnston the Cat Hater. All the ingredients are there. Classic Spotmatic, classic 55mm Pentax lens, adorable cat with a cute name, and a tight crop. A well timed click on "send" might make Johnston hurl his Wheaties all over his LX. Grin.
" A Stack of Cats " by John Francis Proof positive that cats spend 90 percent of their lives lounging. I wouldn't have been able to resist taking this shot either. Makes a nice "remember when" family album shot.
" Kitty Cat " by Youri Shostak The cat's attitude is great, but what I really like about this shot is all that woody texture surrounding it. That seperates this from the typical snapshot by a wide margin. I like this shot a lot, Youri.
" Repose " by Amita Guha This shot feels a little odd-ball to me, but I like it. It seems every PUG there is a shot or two where I can only say "I don't know why I like it, but I do.". And this is one of them.
" Male Cheetah " by Max McRae I wish the whole animal was in shade, so we could see more detail in his flanks. But I like the shot very much other than that. Too bad cats don't take artistic direction. The cheetahs in our local zoo are in a bad area for photography, and I've wasted a few rolls without being able to obtain a shot even remotely this good.
" No Fair " by Butch Black Great crop job here, Butch. Both left and right have plants that add to the shot without keeping my eye from finding and holding on the subject. Here again, another good example of a shot that works better without filling the frame.
" Lions " by Tim Marsden Very nice. The lions are crisp and look almost like monuments due to the low camera angle, and the blue background is quite striking. I'd love for this one to have come out of my camera.
" Maya and Alex " by Wendy Beard The heads cocked exactly the same way makes it work. Did you train them to do that, Wendy, or was it just one of those moments? My guess is that if these were my dogs, I'd fork out a fair amount of money for that shot.
" Mirta " by Michele Dittamo I get the same feeling here that I do with Amita's "Repose". I don't know why I like it, but I do. Maybe this shot comes close to showing why dogs are Man's Best Friend.
" Zoe the miniature pinscher at age 7 digging while on a hike " by Cameron Hood Cameron manages to make both a "dog at work" and a portrait on the same shot, and that separates it from most of the shots on this PUG. Cameron, his forepaws are in there quite a ways. Did he dig that hole from scratch while you were setting up the tripod?
" Princess " by Dan Matyola This shot says Winter and a Dog Born to It to me. The muted colors help it along. Very nice. Dan, do you think you could make as effective a portrait of this particular critter in the summer?
" Snoop Dog " by Bill Owens I don't like the monotone brown of the sofa, but the spreading jowls make me grin. Humorous shot.
" An Exercise in Desperation " by William Robb These folks with ist-Ds shoot too much. lol. See Mr. Robb's comments on his photo at the PUG site.
" Reunion " by Jackie Dowell Jackie shows us what a money shot is and how to, by golly, change things in Photoshop. Jackie, did you use the Panorama mode to help with this shot? Nice one, btw. Groups are quite a crap shoot, in my experience.
" Snatch " by Paul Rojkov Nice grab shot, Paul, and one of only a few this month showing a critter DOING something. I'd have been pleased to have taken this one, for sure.
" Pure Comedy " by Jerome Reyes Before I clicked on the thumbnail, I thought I wasn't gonna like the shot. But I do. Apes seem to have a sense of humor, and this shot communicates that nicely.
" Sunny day " by Facit I had to look at this one for a while to see the critters. I thought I was seeing kelp or something at first, then I blinked and saw the pair of sea lions. This shot violates some of the "rules" of composition, but works for me.
" Looking " by C�sar A. Matamoros II This begs for tighter cropping to me. I don't think the cable and associated hardware help the shot at all. There is so much of it present that I find my eye flicking between it and the squirrel constantly.
" Bear " by Bernd Scheffler I tried crossing my eyes for about 5 minutes and got a headache. Didn't see the super stereo. Anyone else have more luck than me?
" Bear Tree Sculpture " by Jan van Wijk The thumbnail looked to me like a butt-ugly, washed out shot of a real bear. HAH! Trust not thine thumb nails.
" Waiting for the Demo " by Frank Theriault Leave it to Ole BE (bunny ears) to interpret the PUG theme in a PJ style. Interesting shot to me, especially since I shot the same kind of event here in Ohio and have a PUG submission based on it. My horse- mounted officer shots were not as good, though. Nice range of tones. And, as an aside, Frank and others with styles like his have perked my interest in wandering around Out There with a camera and a 50mm lens just to see what I can do.
" Me and the Wind " by David J Brooks Interesting. I keep flipping back and forth between liking it and finding it lacking. Definately not a composition I personally would have deliberately made, but something about the open gate seems to make the shot. David mentioned this won an award, and I'm not surprised.
" Stripes " by Ann Sanfedele What better subject for B&W than zebras? Up to Ann's usual standards. The big one in the middle with ears horizontal, the two smaller ones with ears slightly cocked back. Nice moment.
" Thru the Looking Glass?!?! " by Tanya Mayer This one is in the running for my "favorite of the PUG". Everything works here for me. Wedding photographers are henceforth banned from animal shots on the PUG. grin.
" GTP Beast " by Paul Stenquis I've never tried to photograph a car race. By all accounts, it is trickier than you'd think, and I believe that. But panned shots of zooming autos just have never done it for me. So Paul, I won't pass judgement one way or the other on this one. I will say that if I ever try such a thing, I'll bet I'd look at this shot with fresh eyes and more respect for this kind of thing.
------Open Gallery-----------
" Terror Bike " by Patrick Temmerman Titles like that can get you detained in the USA these days, but the title does fit the picture. I'm guessing also that the title suggests why Patrick took the picture, and did a good job framing the rest of the picture to support the title.
" Bell of the Tall Ship Elissa " by Gerald Lewi Gerald shows us that a third party 28-200 lens can take a sharp photo. Despite the clear engravings, this feels abstract to me. That's probably due to the very light background.
" *istDaRose " by Joseph Tainter Lovely shot. Losing the pink didn't matter to me either, Joseph. This shot more than any other via *IstD this month makes me want the camera.
" Amazon " by Erin Dayton Erin mentions "peaceful", and that's the way this feels to me as well. What makes this shot is how well the branches on the camera's side of the river help frame the house on the other side. This is partly due to placement in the frame, and partly due to the much warmer greens.
" Easter " by Sandor Lueff There seem to be excessive JPEG artifacts in this picture that kind of strangle it for me. Velvia on a 6x7, so that's a real shame. I'll bet the original slide looks a lot better.
" Vlissingen Beach " by Rob Bieze I wouldn't change a thing in this. Very nicely done. Here's another shot where the thumbnail doesn't do the shot justice, and where subtle things all co-operate to make the photo much more than a snapshot. Lose the bicyclist, and you lose something. Lose the subtle pinks and reds, ditto. Leave the center cloud out, ditto. Leave the poles on the left out and it's not as good. Flip the cyclist 180 degrees and the shot is not as good. Etc, etc, etc.
" Fisherman Village " by Andrew Wong I always like shots of things I'll probably never see, and this village is in that category. Something about it keeps it from being a "postcard" shot, and that I like.
" Patriotic Fence " by Arnie I have absolutely no idea why I like this shot, but I do. Not a real attention grabber, seemingly too static, yet... Dianne Arbus comes to mind. And I don't know why.
" Can You See Me? " by Partho I think so, Partho. Just left of center, about a quarter way up from the bottom of the bell. Wearing what looks to be black, with a white shirt. Am I right?
" Bingo Grain " by Michal Mesko This shot made me think immediately of American artist Andrew Wyeth, who made many stark, lonely paintings. This landscape moves me. More than nice work, Michal. This one is powerful.
" Autumn 2002 " by Frits J. W�thrich We should all hire Frits to make family album photographs. This kind of shot, rather than the usual posed group stuff, is excellent "remember when" stuff. Nice job.
" Looking at You " by Bruce Dayton Bruce, this is a knockout shot. The pose is one a practiced mature model might assume. Nice to see that Boris Liberman's daughter has some competition around here. I wouldn't change a thing, and this violates one "rule" I've heard of never to crop a person's head in a portrait.
