|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Thank you, Tony! |
Jul 21st |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thanks, Agnes! I think that she gradually getting as good as possible with the new adjustments. - It is my favourite image from the festival. |
Jul 17th |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Hi Terry, I experimented with the custom-made vignette but could not get the transition go smoothly - have to keep training. I then played with elliptical brightness gradient layers for the effect. The result is posted in my reply to Jose's comment. What do you think? |
Jul 11th |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thanks, Jose! Here she is in her new position which is definitely an improvement. I also tried to fit in Terry's custom-made vignette, but could not get the transition smooth. I modified the idea by making two brightness adjustment layers with an elliptical gradient, one slightly rounder to darken the edges, and one more elongated to lighten further the center and the extended arm - I am not quite sure if it was worth the effort? |
Jul 11th |
 |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thank you, Mervyn - an excellent point! |
Jul 11th |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Jose! A great shot - what steady hands you have to get a perfectly sharp image with 1/15 s! The rhythm of the intricate repetitive forms is compelling. A question: I think that the blue filter works great. Would one get the same effect by adjusting white balance? |
Jul 10th |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Tony, what a sweet family portrait, with the baby looking directly to the viewer with those endearing black eyes, and the mother keeping her eye on him! I love the way the rich tones of their fur are repeated in the background. -I wonder if a slightly tighter crop might further emphasize the contact of the pair, although it would be a pity to lose any of the fine texture in the foreground rock? |
Jul 10th |
 |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Mervyn, a fine street photo/environmental portrait full of attitude! - I would vote for the tighter crop: I feel that the upper part of the graffiti is so strong with colors and contrast that it may compete for attention with the singer. If you retain the text portion, I think that it would be enough to anchor the image to time and place? |
Jul 10th |
 |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Jose! A great shot - what steady hands you have to get a perfectly sharp image with 1/15 s! The rhythm of the intricate repetitive forms is compelling. A question: I think that the blue filter works great. Would one get the same effect by adjusting white balance? |
Jul 10th |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Bob, the power of the mighty locomotive radiates from the image. I think that the harsh flash effect is perfect to draw out the details of the wheels and the man working on the machinery. I also love the way the light falls on the rails and on the clouds of steam, and the contrast between the cold blue tones on the metal and the warm lights.- I wonder if the bright lamp on the left might draw the eye a bit from the main subject? |
Jul 10th |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Terry, a wonderful study of forms and tones! It has truly been a perfect moment to catch the light and shadows turn the spiral stairs into a double helix. It is like the house reveals its inner code for human eyes. |
Jul 10th |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Agnes, you have captured the atmosphere beautifully, with the textures and the harmony of the warm earth tones. It feels like generations of people have opened the door to sit on the bench for a moment. - There is such balance and symmetry in the image that I would be tempted to enlarge the canvas a bit on the left edge to add a sliver of the yellow wall, but I know that it cannot be done in a travel photo. |
Jul 10th |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Thank you, Terry! I am fascinated by your custom-made vignette idea! I have felt the need for such an approach, too! I have tried to put a standard vignette on a duplicate layer, and then erase parts of it with varying opacities, but the result often looks rather clumsy. I cannot wait to try your method out. Thank you so much for sharing the tip! |
Jul 10th |
| 26 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thank you, Bob! A definite improvement! |
Jul 9th |
9 comments - 5 replies for Group 26
|
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thank you, Ed! The white vignette is very interesting. It certainly brings out the sunrays nicely, and I think that it adds a dream-like quality to the image. I think that I'll continue to play around some more with roundness, strength, size and smoothness of transition, as well as the place of the center. |
Jul 23rd |
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Thank you, Robert! That is how I feel about the mood in the bw and Colorado versiona myself, too. |
Jul 19th |
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Thank you Jeff! This is exactly how I feel about them. They were a surprise that became visible only in the photo, and I could not decide whether to emphasize them or try to fade them away. |
Jul 12th |
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thank you, Dom! That is what I thought myself, too, when I saw the image posted here. I think that it would help especially the monochrome version. |
Jul 12th |
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Hi, I like the new version very much - I think I would maybe leave the right end of the house just a little bit brighter, though. |
Jul 11th |
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Ed, this is just like I have imagined C.S. LewisÂs house, I can almost guess in which room you can find the Wardrobe. I love the idea of looking at the house through the lens of time, and I think that you have achieved just the effect. - I wonder if it could be just a little brighter without losing the mood? |
Jul 11th |
 |
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Robert, I think that this is a lovely astrolandscape to be proud of, taken at a very special moment. One cannot help the lightening sky (is it just before sunrise?), or the lights on the shore, and I actually feel that they may add a charm of their own to the image.- I experimented with reducing brightness+ increasing white level + adding an unsharpening mask on the sky, but it did not make a lot of difference. |
Jul 11th |
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Jeff! Another of your images I feel I could just walk into. I love the diagonal of the silvery road leading into the depths of the forest, and the trees and bushes that gradually disappear into the fog. - It would be interesting to see the original, too! |
Jul 11th |
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Al, I think that you have captured the little village sheltered by the mighty mountains beautifully. The contrast between the bright colors of some of the houses and the bleak misty scenery adds to the atmosphere, and there is a huge sense of depth. - Will there be a BW version, too? It would be interesting to see the conversion. |
Jul 11th |
| 47 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Trung, no wonder that this is your favourite site. It is so exciting and mysterious, and the night scene maybe looks a little dangerous, too. The perspective makes one feel like diving straight into the alley, led by the railway. I love the reflections of the street lights on the rails, and the lights in some of the windows high up in the dark houses complete the atmosphere. The meeting between the biker and the people sitting outside is intriguing - I wonder if you could lighten the group of slightly to make them more clear? And maybe crop off just a little bit of the foreground without affecting the sense of depth? |
Jul 11th |
 |
7 comments - 3 replies for Group 47
|
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thank you, Maria, I think that she is getting there! |
Jul 21st |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thank you, Peggy, that is exactly how I feel. I think that the new version makes the road the central element that carries the story on. Also the empty space on the right and the right-to-left direction of the movement become relevant, showing the importance of what she is leaving behind. |
Jul 17th |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thank you ,Aavo! The triangle was also in my mind when I was putting the original together, although I thought that the stone lit by the last glow of the sun would have made its third point rather than the trees. I think that the story becomes a little different in the revised version that I have grown very fond of. |
Jul 17th |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Aavo, your flowers and colors are just lovely. Like Brad, I have a problem with the blurred faces. - I like the idea of applying the same filter to all the elements, too, and I think it works well in Maria's version. |
Jul 7th |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Peggy, I love the image, too! You have picked a perfect flower in a perfect vase for the starting point: the asymmetric vase and the arch of the stem make it look as if the flower has drawn a deep breath and then the petals just burst out! |
Jul 7th |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Brad, I enjoy all the versions of the thought-provoking image. To me they have each slightly different undertones. The wonderful minimalistic images show a man contemplating his smiling mask. I think that the original goes deeper into the mind with the changing tones of the landscape. The intrinsic cold tones transform to warmer when the man puts the smiling mask on, but the colors remain desaturated - is he hiding depression behind the mask? - Have you made the landscape change with white balance alteration, or is it a toning effect? |
Jul 7th |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Maria, I think that this is an enchanted scene for many stories to come. It is a loveIy winter landscape as such, and I can see BradÂs children lost in the forest and the lonely wolf there very well, but I fell instantly in love with the sad frog prince. He sits there on the pale gold stone (or is it an egg?) in the falling snow, in front of the empty cottage, waiting. I think that he is looking directly at the big butterfly on the left, with a slightly hopeful expression. What about leaving only that butterfly on the scene? - I love the pale muted tones of the green and gold that make the frog prince fit so well in the scenery. |
Jul 7th |
 |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thank you, Brad! I think that the outer glow was just what was needed. I added the effect with 40% opacity in luminosity blend mode, and a touch of brightness, and together with the desaturated patch of grass below her, I was able to make her a little more transparent. I think that it looks a little like she walks within her own luminous mist now? - I posted the current version in my reply to Maria. What do you think? |
Jul 7th |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Thank you, Maria! Desaturation of the grass solved the greenish tint problem beautifully. I duplicated the background, did the trick on the upper layer, and erased the unnecessary portions. I then added the outer glow layer that Brad suggested, and pasted her back with 60% opacity and lightening blend mode. I think that she looks definitively more like a spirit now. What do you think? |
Jul 7th |
 |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Comment |
Hi Alan, the image just shouts "summertime". I love your mannequin team basking in the glow of that marvelous sun against the red hot background in seasonÂs bright colors. Their sharp black shadows make a great contrast visually, and I get a surreal feeling that the shadows are actually alive and ready to make their move. - It must have been awfully difficult to cut the mannequins out from such busy backgrounds, but they are perfect, as are their shadows. |
Jul 3rd |
| 54 |
Jul 23 |
Reply |
Thank you so much, Alan, brilliant! This is just what was missing. I love the way the road ties the scene together now - both from the point of view of composition and also as an element in the story. - The problem with reducing the opacity of the white lady was that the background layer gave her a greenish tint, I wonder if there is a way to cope with this? |
Jul 3rd |
6 comments - 5 replies for Group 54
|
22 comments - 13 replies Total
|
