|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 21 |
May 18 |
Comment |
Brian, I really like the effect you created in this image by the introduction of noise. I have used that on borders, but never on an image so this is a wonderful new idea for me. I also respond to the minimalism I perceive here. I think it is very imaginative.
I am the assistant editor of the Journal and just finished proofing the second draft of the June issue, so I have read your article three times. It really resonated with me as I compete a lot and have just started judging. I hope all PSA members read it. I am in Group 52 if you wish to reply to this message. If you are on FB I would like to send you a friend request. |
May 9th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 21
|
| 35 |
May 18 |
Comment |
Thaanks for that suggestion. It is something I never would have thought of, and it will be a new challenge for me. Even if it doesn't work I will learn something from it and that is valuable. |
May 19th |
| 35 |
May 18 |
Reply |
Thanks for the feedback Stuart. That seems to be the consensus. However, rather than crop I think I will wait for next spring and try again. Although a movie was shot here it was not built as a set. It is a city park created in the 1930s by a citizen of Little Rock in memoroy of a friend who had passed away. I suspect it will last many more years. Some of the mill gears and such are historic and the design and much of the detail was the work of an artist who I believe was in Mexico. If you are ever in our part of the country it is worth a look. |
May 19th |
| 35 |
May 18 |
Comment |
What a strange effect! It is like an alien visitation! There appears to be some similar effect on the right, although much less distinct. Is there any chance there were some water drops on your lens? My suggestions would be to crop it tighter, selectively lighten and darken the foliage around the base of the tree in order to add some depth to the images, and then bump up the contrast. This is a very interesting shot so anything that would increase the mystery would add to the impact. I am glad you are in the group. This is a fun image and will give me something to think about for quite a while. |
May 15th |
| 35 |
May 18 |
Comment |
I can't believe you did this hand held, Helen. You must have had a very fast shutter speed or else you have nerves of steel. This scene looks like a movie set. I can image all kinds of romantic encounters taking place here. Interestingly, I also like original number 3 which I presume was your middle exposure. As you know I like to mess with funky color and that copper tone just works for me. I would print it on metallic paper if it were mine then mat it and put it on my wall. |
May 15th |
| 35 |
May 18 |
Comment |
I find this a pleasant scene and for me the deep blues work. I always like a punched up look in my color images, and I think it works here as well. The only suggestion I would make would be to lighten the stone bridge. I looked at the image for some minutes before I noticed it, and I think it would add to the story of this place. |
May 15th |
| 35 |
May 18 |
Comment |
Ahhh...the lone tree. Always interesting subjects, aren't they? The puffy clouds remind me of those thought bubbles you see in cartoons and graphic novels so I keep wondering what the tree is trying to say to us. Lots to think about there. I like the minimalism of this image and the feeling that one could step off into oblivion. Good impact, good composition and good post processing make this image, in my opinion, a keeper. |
May 15th |
| 35 |
May 18 |
Comment |
This appears to be a lovely and well preserved lighthouse - a good photographic subject. The haziness sets a tone, but I am wondering if it would be interesting to brush in some dehaze in LR so more detail in the buildings is revealed. To me it looks like you have a fairly wide tonal range. I see black blacks in the rocks and some bright white in the water. I would experiment to see if boosting contrast adds to the drama. In my opinion, you could crop the left side to just past the large tree and the composition would be more interesting as it takes the lighthouse out of dead center. I will be visiting the California coast in 2019 and will keep this location in mind. |
May 15th |
6 comments - 1 reply for Group 35
|
| 40 |
May 18 |
Reply |
One final thought: I think subtle vignette would also help keep the viewer in the frame, |
May 11th |
| 40 |
May 18 |
Comment |
First of all, I can only imagine how exciting this must have been so I commend you for your patience in waiting until the jackal was close in view. The animal looks to me to be in focus and the eyes are sharp, although there is no catch light in them. For wildlife I always like to see sharp focus up to and including the subject with the area beyond the subject out of focus, so that part of your image is, in my opinion, just right. I have the feeling this was a low light situation which results in the tonal range of the colors in both the animal and the back ground being quite similar, and the jackal does not pop out enough for me. If this were my image I would decrease the amount of dead space at the top. The two track road, although out of focus, is still a distraction for me. I believe that if you crop right below the road and saturate the color in the leaves around the feet of the jackal it would help direct the viewer's eye right to the subject. |
May 10th |
1 comment - 1 reply for Group 40
|
| 52 |
May 18 |
Reply |
I get Mike's point here about the vignette, so my alternative suggestion would be to just darken the corners a bit. |
May 15th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Reply |
Thanks , Mike. Those are good suggestions. |
May 15th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Reply |
I like Mike's adjustments. I am traveling and working on a laptop with a small screen so perhaps he is correct about the whites. But I do like the effect he has achieved by making the background less contrasty. |
May 15th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Comment |
Am I reading that shutter speed correctly? If so, I am amazed. This image does not look noisy at all. I like the backlit silhouette (I have a very similar image shot here in Arkansas and it is one of my favorites.) Sometimes God just gives us an opportunity like this and you certainly took great advantage of it.
|
May 14th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Comment |
The Robin is great and I really like the color and texture in the breast feathers. I think it needs to have some additional sharpness to the eye and the beak though. For me, the clumps of snow are so bright that my attention is drawn away from the bird. I would suggest cropping out the entire branch on the left - in fact I think a square crop would work quite well. Then I would add a dark vignette to keep the viewer focused on the bird. |
May 14th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Comment |
When I opened the image I couldn't believe what I was seeing. If the photographer where anyone else I would immediately be screaming "Photoshop - altered reality!" This is an amazing nature story. For me, these very blue skies do not work, so I always decrease blue saturation and then tinker with blue luminosity - just a personal preference. The adult bird looks puzzled or curious so even though we only have the head it works. However, I think you might try another close up image that has just the chick eating the eye, cropped way in if you have the pixels to do that. Both the full image and the cropped version might be interesting. |
May 14th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Comment |
Congrats, John! This must have been a very exciting photo shoot. I think the eye is tack sharp and there is plenty of detail in the feathers. I wonder if the fish could be brightened up a bit and perhaps benefit from a tad more clarity or sharpness. I would not want to take attention away from the Osprey, but the fish is part of the story and I would like to see more detail there. I think Carol's suggestion to try to separate the bird from the water more is a good one, and I would darken the corners of the image a bit. This is an image I would be proud of if it were mine. |
May 14th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Comment |
I too always like the geometric look of Dandelions gone to seed. To me the image looks sharp, but I would like to see it pop more. think the shoot on the left which has been spent does not add interest. This subject is so symmetric that I feel it would look best with a square crop. If you bump up contrast, clarity and saturation I would think it would be more eye-catching. Also, I would darken the corners; white lens fall offs can be distracting since the eye tends to be drawn to the brightest part of the image which could lead right out of the frame. |
May 14th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Comment |
The first thing I notice in this image is the beautiful color you have captured, and I do not feel it is too yellow - at least for my taste. This is an iconic shot, often photographed at sunset, so I like seeing the morning light here - makes it feel a bit different in my opinion. I am wondering about why you chose the F/22 as, in my experience sharper focus is achieved at settings between F/11 and F/16. I am traveling at present and working on a laptop with a small screen, but where I think it is less sharp is in the grass and pine trees in the middle distance. Having said that, I agree with John that it creates a sort of artistic effect. I had to enlarge quite a bit to detect any kind of halo on the mountains so it is quite minimal. If this were my image I would consider adding a very subtle texture to increase the artistic effect and then use a subtle dark vignette to keep the viewer's eye in the frame. I think this might work well printed on metallic paper and framed with a neutral mat. |
May 14th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Reply |
Thanks, Carol. I am hopeful that this image will do well in competition. I find the Nature Division quite a challenge. Your feedback is always appreciate. |
May 10th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Reply |
Thanks, John. There seems to be a variety of opinions about that blurred area at the bottom. I had a PPA judge evaluate it and he did not see that as a problem, but you know how judging goes - the next one might have a different opinion. No matter what I always appreciate your feedback. |
May 10th |
| 52 |
May 18 |
Reply |
Thanks, Judith. This was my second trip to this location, so this time i knew what the conditions would be and what images I wanted to try to capture. That helped a lot. |
May 10th |
6 comments - 6 replies for Group 52
|
14 comments - 8 replies Total
|
