Hi all,
Just wanted to comment on the wonderful gallery this month. I enjoyed all
the photos, and for what it's worth, I wanted to share some comments on a
few (??) of my favorites this month. Couldn't stop at just a few, so I
commented on 15 shots below, grouped by category.
Bill Peifer
Rochester, NY
PORTRAIT SHOTS
Jon Hope, "Frank". I can see why Frank liked this shot. I think it
captures some character, wisdom, and experience. I like this shot as it is,
but I'm curious how tighter framing would look. We discussed this on the
list quite a while back.
Alexey Tikhonov, "Daniil. Study of Character". This is an impressive shot.
A portrait of a live model, but the lighting and warm tone capture the feel
of a Rembrandt. Nice job!
William Robb, "Quiet Time". Pictures of children are among my favorites.
They take their creative activities very seriously. Real nice, Bill. I
wonder what she was thinking when you shot this. I love the depth of field,
the warm colors, and the framing. Again, I like this one just as it is.
Delano Mireles, "Joshua's Prayer". Another great shot of a youngster. The
sepia toning is a very nice effect. I love Joshua's pose and facial
expression, but I keep wondering what is in the dark area on the left. My
mind's eye seems to want to pull the framing a little to my right, putting
Joshua a little closer toward the center. I'm curious how I'd perceive the
shot if this area to the left were a little lighter. Nonetheless, nice
shot!
John Francis, "Tom Paxton at the Freight". Nice shot, John! I like the
lighting, the grain, and the perspective. This would look great on the wall
at Freight & Salvage.
LANDSCAPES
M. Patrick Hunt, "Seaoat". Nice warm colors; nice point of view. I can
feel the warm summer breeze in this one! The in-focus silhouette of the
grass against an out-of-focus sky and sunset provide a nice sense of depth.
Good job!
Brian Campbell, "Copper Seas". Very colorful shot, and very peaceful feel.
This is among my favorite landscapes this month. I'll bet this would look
stunning if blown up and framed.
Kevin Thornsberry, "Dam, Mammoth Spring Arkansas". Another nice landscape
shot. I like the treatment you gave to the lighting along the top of the
spillway (is that what you call these gates on the top of the dam?). Colors
are a bit muted compared to what I'd expect from Reala, but I think it works
here. Between the somewhat muted colors and the long exposure, the look
reminds me of a watercolor rather than a photograph. I'm curious how this
shot would look without the plants in the left foreground. Probably not
quite as interesting -- I think I like it as it is. Nice job!
Jan van Wijk, "Abandoned". This brings back a lot of memories for me. I
traveled through Death Valley and stopped in Rhyolite one day in the middle
of August (!!) about 10 years ago. My wife was about ready to kill me
because it was so damned hot, but Rhyolite is a neat little ghost town in
the middle of nowhere. Jan, did you see the little house made of mortar and
bottles? We stopped in nearby Bullfrog, Nevada (population approx. 2), had
a Coke in some old man's store, and listened to him try to sell us worthless
certificates from some silver mining company. Thanks for helping me dig up
some old memories!
NATURE SHOTS
Amber Dayton, "Daydreamer". Very nice shot, Amber. I think this is my
overall favorite out of all the picture submitted to the gallery this month.
Excellent lighting and composition. I wonder what this fellow is thinking?
Did you take this at the William Land Park Zoo? (I'm familiar with this
park because I grew up in Sacramento.) Very nice job!
David Dixon, "Frog". Another nice animal shot. I really like the colors in
this shot, and the composition is very tight. I like the way the frog's
left eye captures the light. Nice one!
Dan Scott, "Crab Spider". Yet another nice nature shot. I like the way the
green tones in the spider play off against the green tones in the flower at
the upper left. Very vivid colors, Dan! I like it.
OTHER
Herbet Brasileiro, "Breathless Cathedral". Very appropriately named -- this
is an absolutely breathtaking view. I like the lighting, the vivid colors,
and the sweeping lines. Did you consider cropping just a bit off the right
edge to make the view perfectly symmetrical? Just curious. This is a
really nice shot.
Dan Matyola, "Different Times". I really enjoyed this one, Dan. A very
close contender for my all-time favorite of the month. Very nice point of
view, and nice composition. You commented about how you wished you'd had a
better sky. I think the gray sky works even better than blue would for this
picture because it lends a Dali-esque surrealism to your shot. Nice job!
Frank Theriault, "Moss Corner, Mosport 1973". This was an intriguing shot,
I thought. Nice job panning the racecar and blurring the background.
Creates a great sense of motion. I notice the foreground seems to have a
grid of some intersecting diagonal lines. Is this a scanning artifact, or
are these lines actually part of the roadway? Finally, I think the B&W film
works well here, but just out of curiousity, I really would love to have
seen this shot on a nice saturated color film. Good shot!
-
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