|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 2 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
See group 73 this month where David Stickney deals with the same problem of a post sticking out of the water near a boat. |
Sep 18th |
| 2 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Malabika's image raises a question--how big is the world of nature and how big are humans in that world? I don't know if Malabika had that in mind, but if the answer is that humans are very small in the world of nature, then this image should not be cropped down, because it is making a statement about the relationship between humans and nature. |
Sep 12th |
| 2 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hello Malabika, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. This is a very well-composed shot, as you explained yourself. I think keeping the pipe extending out of the water in the shot is a brilliant decision--other photographers might have removed it. It serves as a visual pivot for the entire image, and reminds us that there is land somewhere nearby. |
Sep 6th |
| 2 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hello Al, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. You really caught a great action moment here. Good discussion about using your continuous shooting mode.
Here are some thoughts. One, although you would lose the sunset glow on the bull, consider rendering this in b/w to remove the distracting bright shirt colors of the spectators. Two, I found the yellow line of the building in the background distracting, so I tried leveling it. See the attached image. |
Sep 6th |
 |
4 comments - 0 replies for Group 2
|
| 4 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
This has nothing to do with David's fine photograph, but is about flying out of small airports. A long time ago, flying out of Binghamton, NY, the two clerks who checked me in did all the same stuff, and finally got on board and flew the plane. |
Sep 6th |
0 comments - 1 reply for Group 4
|
| 10 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
This is very attractive, and quite unique to have such brightly illuminated green leaves behind the main blossom--it all really works. I think the browns branches (?) in the background are a bit distracting, and you could black them out.
By the way, you don't have a working biography next to your name on your page for your group. Send one to your group administrator if you want one displayed. |
Sep 8th |
| 10 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Lovely shot. Perhaps your "original" and "final" are accidentally interchanged, as the "original" is a closer crop than the "final." |
Sep 8th |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 10
|
| 14 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
The natural light from a large open window gives you a lovely result. Your own suggestion about the background is good. I suggest pure white. How does this look? |
Sep 9th |
 |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 14
|
| 15 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Thank you, Rick, "almost underneath the tines" is what I wanted to know. You did very well to get in so close--it makes the picture, and it tells me how you did it. |
Sep 11th |
| 15 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi Rick, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. You really got into this composition, as Nadia points out, and got close in for your shot--well done. Please tell us the focal length of your lens and about how far you were from the hay rake. |
Sep 9th |
1 comment - 1 reply for Group 15
|
| 17 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
An eager passer-by subject--you could not hope for more! |
Sep 9th |
| 17 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Your group colleagues are in an active discussion with you about the vignette. In my view, it does very well to convey to me a sense of intense heat on the veldt. |
Sep 9th |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 17
|
| 19 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Please tell the rest of the shooting data. Shutter speed, aperture, ISO. Then your group colleagues and others can make suggestions about improving focus. |
Sep 9th |
| 19 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
You did a great job getting this shot, fine pose, successful lighting. How about telling us the story also--where where you, what country, what temple or ashram, and if the monk was agreeable. |
Sep 9th |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 19
|
| 26 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hello Dave, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. You have spotted a great subject matter, the patterns of light and dark on an urban facade. It is a wonderful subject matter.
Evidently, you could not step back, being in an alley, so you had to shoot upwards, and the patterns of sunlight on fire-escapes, brick, and windows are somewhat compressed. Also you are trying to take in a lot. Here is my suggestion. Restrict the shot to a subset of the frame, straighten out the lines as much as possible. You will still have sunlight on bricks, stairs, and windows. Here is my rough suggestion. |
Sep 10th |
 |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 26
|
| 27 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hello Becca. Nice job barn hunting. This is a great subject, and a good shot of it. I can suggest two small points. Maybe not quite so much lightening, so the barn wood still looks a bit old and weathered. And, is the building actually leaning over, or is that a camera problem--if it is the latter, suggest you straighten out the lean in PS or another program.
The stories of the places are always nice to hear--was this barn in use or abandoned? |
Sep 10th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 27
|
| 28 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi Sheila, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. This is a great shot, so my suggestions are just variation options. Consider rotating it 90 degrees to the left. Also, it would render very well in monochrome. |
Sep 10th |
| 28 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
I really like the composition and the softening effect to convey the feeling of summer heat. Cropping a bit off the right looks like a good choice.
It may be just a bit too light overall, and you have started to lose the distinction between the sunlit lake and the open shade where you are standing. |
Sep 10th |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 28
|
| 29 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Very dramatic shot. Nice going to grab it on the spot. Very successful travel image. |
Sep 11th |
| 29 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Ah! Much better. Thanks. |
Sep 11th |
| 29 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Perhaps your image has too few pixels. When I open it, it is very indistinct. What is the file size? Maybe you can submit a file with more pixels? |
Sep 10th |
| 29 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Here is an option. Maybe crop in closer to show just the man, boat, and bridge. I don't think you would lose any of the story or location if you did that. You might need to lighten the man and especially his face a bit. |
Sep 10th |
3 comments - 1 reply for Group 29
|
| 30 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
This is a fine shot of a lovely building. You have a lot of discussion going on about perspective. The lean-back perspective (not distortion) shows the viewer that the photographer was standing on the ground looking up--that would be somewhat lost if there was full perspective correction, so I like Robert's compromise very much.
The lean-back perspective, I would say, is actually the "natural" view, although we have difficulty looking at an extreme case of it, because our brains want to square off the building. But when we look up at a tall building, the top of the building actually subtends a smaller angle of view than the base, because it is farther away, so it is actually "correct" to see that in the photograph. |
Sep 10th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 30
|
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
See Group 74, Angela Chan, who has an image this month of rocks and moving water. |
Sep 29th |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Cool, you have to do a show in which everyone is in a fog (if you have not already) (metaphor intended)!
The opposite metaphor is "enlightenment."
Very rich subject matter you are touching on. Getting into the search for the "authentic self."
I am not sure I have anything along these lines for our group, but I will look though my stuff and see if I can respond. |
Sep 23rd |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Oh yes, this one is completely different. It is about the child's emotional state. It is very good. Not the same discussion as the nature/human scale discussion.
It could also relate to a discussion of dream interpretation. |
Sep 23rd |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Yes, I do like this better, according to the Eastern aesthetic, but it's just an option for us to consider when deciding what am image says. The scale of nature and humans is not quite about composition, but about relationship ideas expressed in the composition.
This month, in other groups, I raised the same question. See Group 2, Malabika Roy, and Group 71, Theresa Rice.
For those of you who compete (I don't), I really wonder how judges might view this, and Diana and everyone else, I am asking what you think about this. |
Sep 23rd |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Thanks, Janice, I will have a look at the website. |
Sep 23rd |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
This is a complicated discussion:
First, Diana's cropped version is a better composition; her sense of that is really great. The elements are all in balance.
My point earlier was about what the image says about the relative importance of nature and humans placed in nature. The original image says that the human figure is a minor actor within nature. I might have even liked the human figure to be smaller. Where is this coming from? My wife and i lived in the Far East for a couple of years and got very fond of Asian art, where that concept is very strongly expressed. Hence I am advocating it here as a special compositional consideration. |
Sep 22nd |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
I tried to lighten up under the left bridge. Is this better? |
Sep 22nd |
 |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
How intensely personal this image is, therefore. Thanks for the story. It adds so much to our discussion group. And the quality of the image shows that it is a heartfelt shot. |
Sep 19th |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Everywhere I go in the groups this month, I find myself looking at the question of the relative scale of nature and humans in such images. Diana, please show your crop, and let's all talk about the relationship between nature and humans in this image. |
Sep 19th |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Thanks for visiting, Trinda. Please share and show here your Seattle I-90 bridge shot! My wife and I have visited two of our three children there many times.
It was not hard to get the plane taking off, as they depart every five minutes from National Airport; average wait 2.5 minutes for this shot. |
Sep 19th |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Thank you, Lynne. I find the underside of structures are often very striking in their functional simplicity. |
Sep 19th |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Lynne, very thoughtful variety of textures and lines in one image. I particularly like the way the end of the spigot is backed by the wall so it is clearly displayed (did you position it?). I have no suggestions for any changes. |
Sep 11th |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Very nice shot. I can't add comment about it. Thanks for telling us about this unique art installation. I have been hearing this year about how all kinds of artists are experimenting with the conventional boundaries of their art forms, blending with other forms, and using unconventional modes of expression. |
Sep 10th |
| 32 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
This looks just great, and especially your careful crop.
Just one comment. Your processing has intensified the water droplets in the spray in the upper right. My eye keeps going there. Can that be suppressed so that area is just misty? |
Sep 10th |
9 comments - 5 replies for Group 32
|
| 39 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi Vincent, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. Your dance image of your daughter is lovely. I tried to play with your image and adjust levels to push the black clothing to blend completely with the background, but I did not like my result, so no sample image. Have you succeeded with that with this or any other images? Can you show any? |
Sep 6th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 39
|
| 44 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hello Max, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. This is a fine image. It would also render very will in b/w also because it is so much about light and shadow.
Good luck with your health--I hope things go better for you now. |
Sep 12th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 44
|
| 45 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
This is an interesting scene. Nice capture, and a great title, that covers either a comic or tragic situation.
There is third person present, and the woman with her back to us is holding a cigarette. To me, this suggests a lighter moment, but we will never know for sure, will we? |
Sep 12th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 45
|
| 46 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Trey's suggestion to get up into the choir and shoot only the crucifix and stained glass behind is a very good idea. He is guiding you to capture the essence of the religious aspect of the church, whereas you shot a combination architectural and religious image. If you like his idea, I hope you can revisit this church and try his suggestion. If you do, please let me know in Group 32 should you post another image from this church. Thanks. |
Sep 12th |
| 46 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Great subject matter, and nice exposure. Please tell us about your camera settings, especially lens focal length and how far back you stood from that railing. Also, it is wonderful to read the stories of images--please tell us the name of the church and its city. If it is Milwaukee, that is particularly interesting, as I know of Milwaukee as a city of churches. |
Sep 6th |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 46
|
| 50 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
This famous tour boat's name is Maid of the Mist. It has been operating since the mid-20th century, but was a ferry for a long time before that. There is a roman numeral suffix on the boat name because there are several of them. |
Sep 12th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 50
|
| 51 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hello Sol, this is a perfect shot of a workplace, although portable.
My local paper, The Washington Post (WAPO), runs a quiz in its weekly magazine, showing an original photograph of a complex scene, and a PS-modified version with ten changes. The challenge is to find all ten changes. If you are interested, I think this would be a perfect submission for the WAPO. |
Sep 13th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 51
|
| 53 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Rodeo people can tell you for sure, but I think this is the event in which the cowboy jumps off his horse and ties up the calf's feet with the short rope held in his teeth--so no danger to his teeth. The main rope goes back to the saddle horn. See group 59 this month for another shot of this. |
Sep 14th |
| 53 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
I heard the call for this, so here is another thought. I tried to punch up the forest with all sorts of extreme manipulation of the color sliders in PS Elements. I sort of like what I got, but did not like what it did to the road, so I copied back in the original road, but did a very poor job of it. If this does not look interesting to anyone, feel free to simply neglect it. |
Sep 13th |
 |
1 comment - 1 reply for Group 53
|
| 57 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
This is a stunning creation, and not the usual image for a Macro group! I like the creativity of duplicating the image to get something new.
Was it deliberate or a choice on your part that the final image resembles a bull's head? Suggest you change the title to "Smokin' Bull." |
Sep 14th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 57
|
| 59 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Such a fun capture. Congratulations! |
Sep 14th |
| 59 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Nice action capture and interesting moment. The rider should be looking at the ground 25 feed ahead so her body language communicates to the horse where they are going together--she must have been distracted by something off to the side. I think the cropping is very good. |
Sep 14th |
| 59 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Nice shot showing all the details of ropes and reins. See group 53 this month for another shot of the same event. |
Sep 14th |
3 comments - 0 replies for Group 59
|
| 62 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
I am always advocating careful titles. You will never know this boy's actual situation, but your image is so strong, you can take it in many directions with a variety of titles:
No Place to Call Home
Bullied at School
Parents Divorcing
Quit Looking at Me
Smart Phone Suspended
Etc.
|
Sep 14th |
| 62 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Your combination of the flower and vine is very well-chosen. There is so much interest in this juxtaposition. I have learned a good hint from this image. You are in the DC area--have you even checked out the flower arrangements in the lobby of the Sackler Gallery? They inevitably include such contrasts in their arrangements, often including both living and dead elements. But I never thought of taking that into the field for my own photography. |
Sep 14th |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 62
|
| 63 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. This is a very fine composition. It would also work well in monochrome. It is reminiscent of photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. |
Sep 14th |
 |
| 63 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. Your lovely image will also work very well in monochrome. Great hint about using your dark garment as a background. |
Sep 14th |
 |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 63
|
| 64 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi Jerry, I was intrigued by this image, but it spoke to me differently. So I played with it a bit, as it inspired me in an entirely different direction. Here is what I made of it. |
Sep 15th |
 |
| 64 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
This is truly a tranquil shot of a place far away for most of us--the great Bhramaputra. Please add to our enjoyment of your image by telling us something of your or your fellow citizens' connections to this famous river. |
Sep 14th |
| 64 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
I emphatically agree with Mr. Snyder here, and he has said it all. What makes this image is the study of light and shadow everywhere other than on the sculpture. A truly interesting result. |
Sep 14th |
3 comments - 0 replies for Group 64
|
| 65 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi Angela, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. This is a lovely shot. Since we are always looking for monochrome opportunities in Group 32, I think this image renders very well in monochrome, as an option. |
Sep 17th |
 |
| 65 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hello Charles, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. This is a stunning image with great color. As I look through some of the other groups, I comment on color images that might render well in monochrome, as an option. I tried converting your image to monochrome, since it had a good range of light and dark, but the result was not sharp (to my eye). I think it was because the texture you applied was great in color, but it subtracted from sharpness in monochrome. Consider seeing how a sharper version of your image would convert to monochrome, if you are interested. |
Sep 17th |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 65
|
| 66 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hello Emil, and colleagues, I am visiting from Group 32. I like very much this scene, and I see you are all discussing adding a focal point of interest. I would propose that an image like this is fine if it is empty of humans or other focal points--it can communicate tranquility, loneliness, or emptiness. You may add a human element or a focal point, but then your image enters into a discussion of the relationship between nature and humans. That's fine if you are aiming for that. In this case, I suspect the aim is to express tranquility. As far as my eye goes, I find it traveling to the singular vanishing point of the country road--as if I am traveling the road. |
Sep 17th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 66
|
| 70 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Pierre, this is a beautiful color shot. So tranquil. It is also a good candidate for monochrome. |
Sep 17th |
 |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 70
|
| 71 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
By all means, have a look at the monochrome groups. Press the "Groups" button at the top of this page to see all the 80 groups and their concentrations. The monochrome ones are 11, 31, 32 (mine), 39, 47, 50, 62, 64, and 74. Also, many of the other groups often will have members choose monochrome as their images suit. |
Sep 19th |
| 71 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
By all means, have a look at the monochrome groups. Press the "Groups" button at the top of this page to see all the 80 groups and their concentrations. The monochrome ones are 11, 31, 32 (mine), 39, 47, 50, 62, 64, and 74. Also, many of the other groups often will have members choose monochrome as their images suit. |
Sep 19th |
| 71 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
I am always on the lookout for great images that will also work in monochrome (that's what my Group 32 does). How does this look, as an option? |
Sep 18th |
 |
| 71 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
This is an interesting discussion about cropping this image. In my view, the original image juxtaposes the small lighthouse against a large natural environment of sky and beach. The cropped image relates the lighthouse to the people on the beach. These are quite different relationships, and both are fine, according to what you want to express. As far as staying power goes, I see that most of you prefer the cropped image, whereas I prefer the original, because I like the theme of small human objects set against the large world of nature. |
Sep 18th |
2 comments - 2 replies for Group 71
|
| 72 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hello Isaac, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32, and I am always on the lookout for images that would work well in monochrome. Your stunning portrait of this rare bird might have an option in monochrome. |
Sep 18th |
 |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 72
|
| 73 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Hi Steven, by all means shoot what you love. That's what is so great about photography--it lets each of us follow our own direction. Do come visit some of the nine monochrome groups in DD: 11, 31, 32 (mine), 39, 47, 50, 62, 64, and 74. |
Sep 22nd |
| 73 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. Fine image with beautiful color. It's also an option to render it in monochrome. |
Sep 18th |
 |
| 73 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Great mood shot. Removing the post would completely change the sense of where the boat is. It could go either way, depending on what you want to communicate about the boat's relationship to its surrounding. See the same problem in Group 2 this month in Malabika Roy's image. |
Sep 18th |
2 comments - 1 reply for Group 73
|
| 74 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi Angela, I was looking at Group 65 and you suggested there that I might look at this, since I am based in Monochrome Group 32. I can't add a single thing more about this excellent shot. I love the sharpness of the rocks contrasting with the softness of the water. |
Sep 20th |
| 74 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
David, last month one of the other groups (I did not note which) discussed this same photographic problem. One of that group showed the attached 1965 painting by Rene Magritte, Le Blanc Seing, which pretty much sets the standard for this sort of illusion in art. Perhaps it can inform your search for a composition for the elements of your image. |
Sep 19th |
 |
2 comments - 0 replies for Group 74
|
| 75 |
Sep 18 |
Reply |
Walter, very nice monochrome version! |
Sep 20th |
| 75 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi Walter, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. This is a charming and delicate shot. Here it is in monochrome, since I am always looking out for images that would work well in monochrome. It's just an option, for discussion. I think I prefer your color original, now that I have looked at it in monochrome. |
Sep 19th |
 |
1 comment - 1 reply for Group 75
|
| 76 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Hi Cyndy, I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. I just want to point out that lovely flower shots like this also work in monochrome because you have a good range of light and dark in the image. Not to prefer one or the other, just an option. |
Sep 19th |
 |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 76
|
| 78 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
I think red-shirt-man is holding a spacer to place between bricks to admit air for drying, and grimacing-woman appears to be starting to hand him her load for stacking one-by-one.
This must be very low-paid work. I am guessing they are paid by the brick, and that grimacing-woman, with ten bricks, compared to the normal eight carried by the other woman (the only man is carrying six), is the most productive brick-carrier in the frame. |
Sep 20th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 78
|
| 81 |
Sep 18 |
Comment |
Welcome, Shawn. I am visiting from Monochrome Group 32. I see that you preferred monochrome for this shot. It would be nice to see your original, so we can see what you changed. Also, most folk would like to know your technical details, especially I am sure your lens focal length and how far you were from the horses. I would also like to hear more of the interesting story of how you have been following and observing them. Are you a Bureau of Land Management employee, volunteer, or visitor? Who gave Farrah (the foal, I presume) her name? You? Or does everyone call her that? Is she named for the actress because of her lavish mane? Finally, about the image itself, can you separate the two horses a bit more in post-processing? |
Sep 24th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 81
|
63 comments - 13 replies Total
|
