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| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 3 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
LuAnn, I'm visiting Group 3 and noticed your discussion of an artist's Point Of View. Personally, I don't completely agree with your statement that an artist must hold on to his/her point of view. I don't believe that one's POV is static, but instead it evolves over time. My images from many years ago are no longer very appealing to me. And, I'm sure that years from now, I will find that my current photographs don't reflect my taste.
So, how does my artistic POV evolve? It is often by hearing and considering the input of others. That doesn't mean that I embrace others' opinions as "absolutely correct". However, if I listen with an open mind, the input of others causes me to reevaluate my own opinions of my photographs. And, this reevaluation frequently causes me to try different approaches.... even to those images that I had considered "finished".
Truly listening to the input of others is probably the most valuable trait that an artist can have. It leads to one's growth and continuing evolution as an artist. And, I find these study groups to be an outstanding way to acquire the input of others who's opinions I respect and need.
Thank you for bringing up this topic. It's a subject that is both interesting (to me) and very important.
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Jul 21st |
0 comments - 1 reply for Group 3
|
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Richard, although I agree with the comments of others, it does appear that you managed to include some of the fireworks streaks on both sides of the statues. That was a good thought since it made your image more three dimensional.
|
Jul 22nd |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
What a riot! My wife and I both got a laugh out of this one. She, like I, is very impressed with your imagination. Well done!
|
Jul 21st |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Mark, I love what you've done with this photograph. To me, many of the blurry images I've seen come across as just that -- blurry. However, yours really works. Your idea of having the bird flying toward the sun (and led there by the sun rays), is both imaginative and very well done.
I decided to play with your image, using Camera Raw and Photoshop. When I removed the perch, I found the same thing that you did. It felt that something was missing. But, when I cropped a bit off the bottom and then lightened the sun and its rays, I thought it really told a story. I also darkened the bottom right corner a bit.
Your thoughts?
|
Jul 15th |
 |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Bob, like the others in our study group, I really like this image. Not only does it tell a story, but it's extremely well composed. To me the sky is the icing on the cake. Very well done! |
Jul 15th |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Stephen, I like this image.... with or without the buds in the background. The yellow center of the Plumeria provides a wonderful center of interest. And the pedals help emphasize the center. I really appreciate the fact that you envisioned this cropping of your image. I also enjoy flower photographs, but search for ways to make them a bit unique. You've obviously achieved that! Well done!
|
Jul 13th |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
Thank you, Nick. I actually spent a fair amount of time in Camera Raw trying to get the building texture to the point that it is.
|
Jul 13th |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
Mark, as I just replied to Barbara, I definitely agree with your observation about the lock making a nice frame. Thank you! |
Jul 13th |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
Thank you, Barbara. I also found the angles appealing. Although the lock components don't point to the building, I felt they framed it nicely.
|
Jul 13th |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
Thank you, Isaac. The canal and the Potomac are wonderful subjects. I agree with you that Richard's adjustments are a nice improvement.
|
Jul 11th |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
Richard, I really like your editing on this image. Your lighting and slight toning really made a positive difference. Thank you!
|
Jul 11th |
| 5 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
How very cool! I love the fact that the raccoon is looking at you and that you emphasized his eyes and gaze with the catch lights. Your frame choice really sets your image off. Nicely done!
To me there appears to be a slight green overcast, though it may just be my monitor. Nonetheless, I used Camera Raw to see how it would look if I adjusted the colors. I also attempted to make the raccoon stand out a bit more. Your thoughts? |
Jul 2nd |
 |
6 comments - 5 replies for Group 5
|
| 30 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Jon, I read Robert's comments and they inspired me to add the edge of the leaf at the top of the image. Your thoughts?
|
Jul 21st |
 |
| 30 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Robert, this is a wonderful image. Each time I look at it, I see something different. The first time I looked, it seemed that the flower was reaching out to some unseen insect on the left of the image. In my imagination, the spider webs on the flower were remnants of some previous capture. lol
The second time I looked, it was horrifying. I couldn't get the picture of the virus out of my mind.
What a great shot. It clearly tells a story, even if it's a wild one! My only trivial suggestion would be to lower the saturation of the leaf on the right since it competes a bit with the flower pedals.
|
Jul 21st |
| 30 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Jon, I also like photographing flowers. You did an outstanding job capturing the color of this beautiful bud. Also, to me your depth of field is excellent -- the critical portion of the camellia is in focus as well as the leaf pointing to it. Nicely done!
One of the challenges that I've had with my flower photography is making them a bit different. Since so many photographers making flower images, it's hard to avoid viewers thinking "Ah, another picture of a beautiful flower". For that reason I decided to play with your photograph a bit to see if I could utilize the "pointing leaf" to make it slightly different.
To make the modifications that I envisioned, I made a tighter crop and darkened the background a bit (trying to leave a bit of texture). Then I slightly lightened the bottom left corner to give balance to the brightness of the leaf. Finally, I added a subtle frame.
I don't know that I succeeded in my goal! Your thoughts?
|
Jul 15th |
 |
| 30 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
Judy, this is lovely! I really like how you've cropped your image and the frame nicely sets it off. Well done!
Like you, I have a butterfly house that I visit each year (except this year, because of the pandemic). It's wonderful! In fact, they have even set aside an hour before it opens in the morning so that a limited number of photographers can take photographs using their tripods. Personally, I found that the early morning works best in my area. At that time, it's fairly cool inside the house and the butterflies tend to stay motionless for long periods of time.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of your images in the future!
|
Jul 15th |
| 30 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
Leonid, I like your rendition of this wonderful image. Your modifications are fairly subtle, but really work. Nice!
|
Jul 15th |
| 30 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Jessica, you have a wonderful eye for composition and interest. I don't think I would have ever "seen" this photograph. The fact that she is using her smartphone while standing on a rock in front of a magnificent scene, really conveys a feeling of today's world. Beautifully done.
Even though you took this with your iPhone, I wanted to see if I could recover some of the dynamic range while removing some of the inevitable noise. I also played with the lighting a bit to try to make the woman stand out as the central focus of your image.
Your thoughts?
|
Jul 6th |
 |
4 comments - 2 replies for Group 30
|
| 62 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
I think the tight cropping puts the house too close to the edge. I also don't object to the wall since it's part of the "feeling" of your image. So, I took a stab at a bit of Photoshop work. What do you think!
|
Jul 20th |
 |
| 62 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Leah, the texture of the bee and the flower made me think that it might work in B&W. Like you, I'm not an insect person, but I do enjoy some macro and flower photography. The difficulty with flower images is that it's quite hard to come up with something different from the millions of images done before.
|
Jul 9th |
| 62 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
Emil, I appreciate your comments. Yes, the 180mm is great for insects and it seems to be a very sharp lens. I've had it for several years but am just now beginning to recognize its usefulness.
|
Jul 9th |
| 62 |
Jul 20 |
Reply |
Thank you, Bob. It was a bit tricky to bring out the details in the body and legs. But, a combination of texture, clarity and even a bit of dehaze seemed to do the trick. I actually like the flower since the sharp points (don't know what they're called) seem to mimic the bee's "beak". No flash, but I did use a tripod.
|
Jul 9th |
| 62 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
I really like this portrait. Not only does Meir have a wonderful face, but his pose tells volumes about his character. Israel, I played with your image a bit to see if I could further emphasize Meir's face. One thing I didn't do that you might want to experiment with is to add some tiny catchlights to his eyes. This might draw even more attention to his face. Well done!
|
Jul 7th |
 |
| 62 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Leah, wandering through small towns is something I also enjoy. The feeling of the residents is often shown in the shops and display windows. Your image definitely tells this kind of story.
I really like the recurring shapes of the bottles and the diagonal line that your achieved with your camera angle. To further emphasize those elements of the photograph, I used Camera Raw and Silver Efex Pro to darken the wall below the window and to play with the lighting. What do you think?
|
Jul 5th |
 |
| 62 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Emil, like Ata, I really like vintage trucks.... and yours is a wonderful discovery! Your post-processing was very nicely done! The way you darkened the sky and made the Ford the central focus of the image is great!
Naturally, being enamored of old truck photographs, I couldn't resist playing with yours. I thought that a bit of a sepia tone might add to the antiquity. And, I played with the cropping and lighting a bit. Your thoughts?
|
Jul 4th |
 |
| 62 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
Bob, you've done a great job processing your original image. And, I love how the sky that you added seems to reflect the patterns of the splashing waves. Personally, I don't think there's anything that's actually NEEDED for this image. However, it might be interesting to eliminate the buildings and flagpole to the right of the main building. This would enhance the feeling of a person/family dealing alone with the storm.
Nicely done!
|
Jul 4th |
| 62 |
Jul 20 |
Comment |
LuAnn, this is one of those times that an image works extremely well in either B&W or color! I think you managed an outstanding capture! I like your choice of "uncovered items" like the hanging tools. And, to me, your cropping is perfect! The choice of f/13 did a wonderful job of acquiring the appropriate depth-of-field. Since you shot at 1 sec, I assume that you used a tripod.
I looked at Robert's site and totally agree that his work is gorgeous. The only knife that seems to be in stock currently is exquisite, but at $6,500 is a bit out of my price range.
LuAnn, I played with the light in your photograph. My goal was to have Robert's intense eyes immediately capture my attention.... even more that it already does. I also wanted to try to open the shadows a tiny bit so that I could see more detail in his apron, tools, etc. Probably my main change was to leave the frame (which I like a great deal), but to darken it so that it's still there, but doesn't detract from the eyes.
Your thoughts?
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Jul 2nd |
 |
7 comments - 2 replies for Group 62
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17 comments - 10 replies Total
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